Author Jack Brown follows a trail of dirty money from the corridors of power to the battlefields of Ukraine in this earnest indictment of war profiteering.

Alex Morgan is riding high as a neophyte financial advisor and self-described “Master of the Universe.” While spending his holidays with his wealthy family on the Caribbean island of Tortola, Alex overhears his father Todd scheming with a colleague to channel money through offshore shell companies to profit from the war in Ukraine.

Making war for money isn’t new, but Alex is rattled by his discovery nonetheless. Dubbed BOW for “Business of War,” the enterprise looks like an ordinary investment fund, but the money is funneled through shell companies into weapons, mercenaries, and seized resources—all to keep wars going until the profits run dry.

For a secret plan, it’s staffed like a boardroom. Ronald Langston, the disgraced U.S. president, brings in American investors, while his Russian counterpart supplies the troops. Alex’s father does Langston’s legwork, funneling U.S. money into the fund. Meanwhile, a host of bad actors with monikers like “Devil Bill” and “The Master Forger” keep the machine running—depositing new capital, paying out armies, and handing investors their staggering payouts.

Brown injects genuine urgency into Alex’s search for the truth, but credibility falters; for example, Alex is constantly narrating scenes that he never witnessed, a la Saving Private Ryan. On the surface, Alex looks like one of John Grisham’s idealistic young crusaders for justice. But just as often, he comes off as another hard-partying bro with no clear direction.

Passable writing and moral outrage only carry the book so far. The story eventually wanders off course, sidelining Alex just as the stakes are highest and burying the war-profiteering thread under far-fetched plot twists and long political rants that read more like manifestos than fiction.

For a thriller consumed with power and money, it ultimately comes up short on the only thing that matters: a real payoff.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.