The Directive - (Mike Ford) by Matthew Quirk (Paperback)

About the Book

The Fords are an old DC family with deep and powerful connections--to petty thieves, to guys who know how to get their hands on specialized weapons, and to forgers who can, for the right price, produce a pristine new passport in twenty-four hours. Mike Ford, youngest member of the clan, is a Harvard-educated lawyer who has worked hard to build a legitimate life for himself in New York, away from his family and their world, complete with a comfortable house and beautiful, wealthy fiancaee. But it only takes one desperate phone call from his brother, who's never had the knack for normal life, to drag Mike back, into a heist bigger and more complicated than anything either has ever seen: robbing the bank's bank.

Book Synopsis

A pulse-pounding thriller about two brothers, billions of dollars, and the heist of a lifetime by the author of the national bestseller The 500.

After escaping the corrupt back rooms of Washington, DC, Mike Ford is again playing a dangerous game -- and this time the stakes are even higher. Mike's brother is in over his head in a powerful conspiracy to steal a secret worth billions from the rarely understood, vitally important trading desk at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Trying to bail his brother out, Mike quickly finds himself playing a dangerous game, trapped into planning the heist himself, forced to call on all the skills of his criminal past in order to escape. In this sharp, fast-paced sequel to The 500, Mike Ford again stars as the cunning and courageous former con man with a big heart, and Matthew Quirk confirms that he is one of the most exciting thriller writers at work today.

Review Quotes

"Quirk is such an expert in escalation that, like a frog in a pot of boiling water, you'll be done before you even realize it."--Entertainment Weekly

"This ripping yarn springs and snaps along like a row of wolf traps."
---Newsday

Praise for THE 500:

"Gripping...the action never lets up for a second, and the pages cannot be turned fast enough."
---Associated Press

About the Author

Matthew Quirk studied history and literature at Harvard College. After graduation, he spent five years at The Atlantic, reporting on a variety of subjects, including crime, private military contractors, the opium trade, terrorism prosecutions, and international gangs. He lives in San Diego.