Market Forces by Richard Morgan
The title has a double meaning. It's about the U.K. 40 or 50 years from now which has adopted a "free market economy". It also refers to financial corporations funding "armed forces" involved in military conflicts around the world as a form of investment with a high monetary return rate.
England is portrayed as an even more economically divided nation. Most of the population lives in run-down areas cordoned off from affluent areas. It is necessary to be admitted through a checkpoint to cross from one area to another. The poor areas have gangs, acts of pointless destruction and little law enforcement.
The affluent areas we are shown are where the top financial professionals live. While they live in comfort, they drive specially built cars with armor and projections that give a new meaning to the term "road warrior". As a matter of fact, it is treated as normal that younger financial professionals get promotions by running more senior professionals off the road and killing them. These events are reported on radio and TV business reports with congratulations to the newly promoted individuals. It is considered to show how serious they are about their work and how they are willing to do whatever is needed to bring in more money.
The particular financial professionals the book focusing on work in "conflict investment". There are always civil wars going on somewhere in the world, and maybe even some border wars. Financial firms study the situation, estimate the chances of success for the contenders, how much it would cost to fund each contender, how much profit would be made if a particular contender won - then they arrange an investment deal with one of the contenders. It's a violent business and a professional who is willing to kill his career rivals is thought to be especially well suited to work in "conflict investment". It is also possible that different financial firms will come into conflict over which contenders they wish to back or whether the contender one firm is funding is causing another firm to lose the money it invested in a competing contender.
Chris is a financial professional who recently switched from one company to another, and is now working in conflict investment. He has a different background than most of them - he grew up in the poor zones and has managed to struggle his way out. His loyalties and goals are being pulled in different directions. His background makes him see some of the ruthlessness as unnecessary. His wife is a mechanic and her father writes articles about the injustices in this society. They are trying to get Chris to change careers to something less immoral / amoral. Chris knows his new company paid a lot of money to hire him and they won't quietly let him leave - and they play rough. A United Nations human rights monitoring group is willing to hire him in exchange for information he has, but Chris sees them as impotent to enforce their policies. There is a conspiracy by others in the company against him. His marriage is crumbling and he is attracted to another woman. There are complications with the small wars on which he is managing the investments. Chris finds a leftist guerilla leader in one conflict to be appealing. But Chris is also attracted to the excitement and power of the finance job...
The book moves with a good pace. The story line swerves this way and that as these various forces come into play. It should keep your interest and present you with a view of a potential future society.
This is not a tech-oriented book. Considering it takes place 40+ years in the future, there's not much tech being used by the affluent that isn't available today. It's a story about society. The image of socially-condoned killing of co-workers for promotions shows this is an exaggerated extrapolation of a future "free market" society, but it does give the flavor of the greedier and more aggressive business trends we see today..