Assets and Liabilities

The financial backdrop added a real tension to the plot, but I'm curious whether this setting was chosen for authenticity or symbolism. Did the author have personal experience or research that fueled this choice?

I appreciated the detail, but at times I wondered if it detracted from the suspense. Was this a deliberate choice to build authenticity or just the author's style?

Some revelations felt very well-timed, but I’m curious if the story was plotted out in detail beforehand or if it evolved during writing. What led to the pacing of these reveals?