Norb Vonnegut Books In Order

Publication Order of Grove O'Rourke Books

Publication Order of Jack Legare Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Author Norb Vonnegut was born April 24, 1958 in Lake Charles, Louisiana and writes Wall Street thriller novels; he has a blog, where he talks about financial matters which is called Acrimoney. He is author Kurt Vonnegut’s fourth cousin, but only got to know him when he was an adult. He got a MBA (in the year 1986) and a bachelor’s degree (in the year 1980) from Harvard University and he also graduated from Phillips Exeter in the year 1976.

Vonnegut started his business career in the Philippines, and it has taken him Rhode Island, Australia, and South Carolina. He later settled into a spot in wealth management in New York City which he did for many different firms, one of which was Morgan Stanley. He also worked with a registered investment adviser in New York City. Vonnegut felt that all of the people on Wall Street, clients too, good or bad, smart or goofy, would make great characters in different books.

His debut novel (which is called “Top Producer”) was released in the year 2009 and got positive reviews from USA Today, NBC Today show, and a starred review from Publishers Weekly (he was even interviewed by them too).

He would tell clients his stories, and they would tell him that he should write a novel, as they enjoyed hearing him tell any stories that he had to tell. Vonnegut still feels like he was living in an all day soap opera, so much so, that he could write for the next fifty years off of that material he thinks.

He has found, too that if a writer can imagine it, then it is probably happening in real life. His first novel was submitted in late 2007 and was about a Ponzi scheme done in the public markets. It would be twelve more months before Madoff came apart.

He loves books on tape and riding his bicycle. He is also a Trustee for the American Foundation for the Blind.

“Top Producer” is the first novel in the “Grove O’ Rourke” series and was released in the year 2009. Top producers must make snap decisions while thinking three steps ahead, as they live in a fast world of finance. They live in a blurred version of reality, it will conceal certain moves just like it rewards the courageous ones. Scams can just as easily be made to look like success, and some mistake plotting for having killer instincts. There is nothing that will cover up vulnerability like success does, well except someone’s friendships, which Grove O’Rourke discovers.

This is about people, and Grove O’Rourke, who works as a top producer at Sachs, Kidder, and Carnegie (an investment firm). It is also about Charlie Keelman, Grove’s best friend, who is killed in spectacular fashion. And Charlie’s wife who comes to Grove after Charlie is killed. She does so, even though she is hiding a deep and dark secret. Huge amounts of money are capable of covering up obvious imperfections in people’s relationships and serve to fool everyone. Just about everyone, anyway.

Fans of the novel found that the novel displayed Vonnegut’s ability to use first person perspective, as you really get to see inside of Grove’s mind. This is a complex character that some would like to read more about. It was obvious that Vonnegut knew just what he was talking about here in this book. You still feel as though you are a part of the world of Wall Street, and after about the two third mark, it becomes hard to put down. He paints a picture that show high finance to be a world where money is the king of it all. Here are some characters that are well drawn, completely believable and full of their own agenda. They also want to make their money, and are more worried about that than who killed Charlie.

“The Trust” is the second novel in the “Grove O’ Rourke” series andwas released in the year 2012. In Charleston, South Carolina, Palmer Kincaid’s (a real estate mogul) dead body washes onto the shore one morning, after he apparently drowned. His daughter calls Grove O’Rourke to help her get things in order. Palmer mentored Grove and one of his clients, someone who opened up things to a world beyond just Charleston.

Grove becomes the temporary head of the organization that Palmer made to get people to donate. It is called the Palmetto Foundation. Such foundations are conduits; as different philanthropists give money, and then recommend how best to use the money. Donors lose full control when they exchange certain benefits like: investment services, anonymity, and favorable tax treatment. The funds come in and the community’s foundations can do what they want.

For many years, Palmer showed a lot of sensitivity to the people that donated, honoring which charities they wanted to donate their funds to. It was this that made him a respected pillar of the community in Charleston. Something is terribly wrong, however, when Grove approves a 25 million dollar transfer that a priest wants from the Catholic Fund.

Biscuit Hughes calls him, as he represents an entire town (Fayetteville, North Carolina) that is against a sex superstore opening in their town. The lawyer traced the store’s money source back to an unlikely place: the Catholic Fund. Both Biscuit and Grove start up an investigation into the fund and the further they dig, the more they find that the funding is not going to support impoverished, but something a lot more sinister.

Someone close to Grove goes missing and FBI start to breath down his neck. He has to figure out who is controlling things. And he must do so before the person in control gets to him.

This was a well written book, with a lot more action than some counted on; things moved at such a pace where things never got boring for an instant. Fans of the novel felt this novel held their attention throughout, and it has everything a good thriller should: humor, suspense, both good and bad guys. You get pulled in, right from the start, and it never wavers at all. Some wish they could read more about Grove after this one; from the start, he is likable, brilliant, and fun.