Charles J. Thayer

Charles, an Amazon best-selling mystery writer, blends fifty years of banking, corporate, and investment experience with his contemporary murder mysteries. His "Bank Director Survival Guide" continues to be the best-selling bank director book on Amazon, and he was a frequent contributor to financial and board publications during his business career. Paperback mysteries were constant companions on return flights from board meetings and these "airplane books" sparked his shift to writing novels when he retired. Today, he enjoys writing mysteries and cruising the coast of Maine on a custom lobster boat with his wife, Molly, and their rescue dog, Scupper. His characters enjoy cruising and their stories mix financial shenanigans with murder. His newest novel features Harrison Steele, a corporate lawyer who becomes entangled in a murder investigation while on a sailing sabbatical in the Caribbean. The Paradox Murder Mysteries, featuring Steve and Amanda, were born on his post-retirement cruise from Florida to Maine. Charles and Molly's favorite towns and marinas from the Caribbean to Maine provide many of the settings for his novels. Some of the local people and businesses described in his stories are real. Maps and photos help set the stage as you turn the pages to unravel the next mystery. Highlights of Thayer's fifty-year business career include: > Chairman of Chartwell Capital Ltd: Provided advisory services to board members and executive management of commercial banks, corporations, and institutional investors. > Chairman of the American Association of Bank Directors from 2007 until 2013 and served as Chairman Emeritus until 2019. > Lead Director of MainSource Financial Group [NASDAQ] in 2016, a banking institution with locations in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky. Served on the MainSource board of directors from 2011 until May 2017. MainSource was acquired by First Financial Corporation in 2018. > Designated a Board Leadership Fellow by the National Association of Corporate Directors in 2016 and served on the faculty for the NACD Masters Class. > Board of Trustees of the national Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Washington, DC, for 37 years. [1980 - 2017]. > Board of Directors of Republic Bancshares [NASDAQ], one of Florida's largest independent commercial banks, from 1999 until BB&T acquired Republic in 2004. > Board of Directors of CogenAmerica [NASDAQ], an independent power producer headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 1996 until its sale to Calpine in 1999. > Board of Directors of Sunbeam Corporation [NYSE] from 1990 until 1997. Elected Chairman & CEO in January 1993 to provide interim management until the election of a new CEO in August 1993. > Twenty-year career in commercial banking prior to organizing Chartwell Capital in 1990: Executive Vice President of PNC Financial [NYSE] with management responsibility for finance, merger and acquisitions, investor relations, strategic planning, and PNC's capital markets subsidiary. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Citizens Fidelity [NASDAQ], Kentucky's largest banking institution, prior to its acquisition by PNC in 1986. February 2025