Black Friday

Black Friday is a thriller by James Patterson, published in 2000 in a slightly rewritten version; the novel had first appeared in the 1980s under the title Black Market. The rewritten version is the one that carries the title Black Friday, and it is the version most readers have.

The book follows two people: the lawyer Caitlin Dillon and the federal agent Archer Carroll. Between them they have to find a way to overcome a threat against Wall Street, and neither of them is in a position to do it on their own.

The threat comes from a secret militia group that has said it will destroy Wall Street with several explosions. What makes the group difficult is what it does not do: it issues no demands and refuses to negotiate, so there is nothing to trade for the city's safety.

The novel is one of Patterson's early thrillers, published before the series he became best known for, and it sets its two investigators against a plan rather than against a person.