The Fear Index is a 2011 novel by British author Robert Harris. It is set in a period of roughly 24 hours from the 6 May 2010—the date of the British general election and the Flash Crash. It follows the interactions of a group of employees at Hoffmann Investment Technologies, a fictional hedge fund operating in Geneva.
Excellent thriller writing. For most of the first third I was gripped with the unfolding drama, and then once the culprit was relatively obvious the rest of the book is interesting as to how it will all end. It certainly kept me turning the pages.
For a 2011 story this really does do the topic justice. Even though big money is a topic hard for most, the characterisation never felt over my head and i really enjoyed the work from beginning to end.
