Eat What You Kill (Scofield)

Eat What You Kill 
Ted Scofield, 2014
St. Martin's Press
304 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250021823


Summary
Evan Stoess is a struggling young Wall Street analyst obsessed with fortune and fame. A trailer park kid who attended an exclusive prep school through a lucky twist of fate, Evan’s unusual past leaves him an alien in both worlds, an outsider who desperately wants to belong.

When a small stock he discovers becomes an overnight sensation, he is poised to make millions and land the girl of his dreams, but disaster strikes and he loses everything.

Two years later a mysterious firm offers Evan a chance for redemption, and he jumps at the opportunity. His new job is to short stocks—to bet against the market. But when the stock goes up and he finds himself on the brink of ruin once again, another option presents itself: murder. At a moral crossroads, Evan must ask himself—how far will a man go for money and revenge? (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Where—Louisville, Kentucky, USA
• Education—B.A., J.D., M.B.A. Vanderbilt University
• Currently—lives in New York, New York


Ted Scofield is an author, securities attorney, and entrepreneur.

Ted serves as the General Counsel of Icebreaker Entertainment, LLC, a New York-based company that creates and markets consumer products under multiple brands. In his role as an attorney, Ted advises entrepreneurs, emerging companies, and established corporations on the private and public sales of both equity and debt.

After graduating from Vanderbilt University, Ted started a political consulting firm. During this time period, he wrote essay-length features for a weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky, where Ted was born and raised.

In 1994 Ted returned to Vanderbilt University, where he earned a JD and MBA in finance.  In New York, he worked for Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP before launching his own private practice and joining his current firm.

Ted has extensive media experience including appearances as a political commentator on WPIX Channel 11 in New York City.  He has been quoted in USA Today, the New York Times, BusinessWeek and dozens of other regional and national publications.

Ted lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with his wife, Christi, their palm tree, Spike, and their little money tree, Benjamin. (From the author.)

Visit the author's website.
Follow Ted on Facebook.

Book Reviews
Stephen Frey fans will welcome Scofield’s debut, a financial thriller that accessibly conveys the intricacies of a world in which a company can make millions on other companies whose stocks decline in value.
Publishers Weekly


Surprisingly, Stoess is a sympathetic character despite his murderous ways, which makes this debut novel an emotional rollercoaster of a read.  Recommend it to fans of financial thrillers, especially those by Christopher Reich and Joseph Finder.
Booklist


Scofield’s debut novel, a financial thriller, introduces readers to a main character so difficult and full of malice that he makes Hannibal Lector seem like a kindly old uncle with quirky dietary habits.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
1. Let’s start with the title. What does “eat what you kill” mean, as it relates to the book?  Do you believe an “eat what you kill” mentality is beneficial for an individual?  Is it positive for society in general?

2. A reviewer for Booklist said “Stoess is a sympathetic character despite his murderous ways.”  Do you agree?  Did you sympathize with Evan?  Did you find yourself rooting for him? Why or why not?

3. Evan describes himself as a “disciple” of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of objectivism. What does he mean by this? How does objectivism influence his thoughts and actions?

4. The ability to sell stocks short: A good thing or bad thing? Why?

5. Why is Evan attracted to Albert Camus? What aspects of Camus’s philosophy and life appeal to Evan, and why?

6. Do violent video games “breed evil”?  Are video game players more likely to engage in criminal or antisocial behavior? If so, what should we, as a society, do about it?

7. What roles do pop culture and literature play in the book? Why does Evan so often quote movies, books and television shows?

8. Eat What You Kill has been described as American Psycho meets Wall Street. Do you agree with this description? Is Evan more Patrick Bateman, or Bud Fox?

9. Were you surprised by the revelation in the final chapter about the relationship between Evan and another character? If not, when did you figure it out?

10. What is next for Evan Stoess? And who should play him in the movie? 
(Questions courtesy of the author.)

top of page (summary)