Ossining resident Greg Adams has been a private and public company Chief Financial Officer for over 25 years. He’s now at American Management Association, which is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to teach employees and leaders to harness their business skills. His novel Green Shade$: Accountants Aren’t Supposed To Die This Way, published by Telemachus Press, centers on a NYC accountant investigating the mysterious death of a good friend and colleague whose body is washed up on an Australia beach after a routine overseas audit.
Amazon reviews find Green Shade$ highly entertaining and engaging, with a compelling blend of suspenseful storytelling that keeps readers guessing with its twists spanning four continents. In 2025 the NYS Society of CPAs named Green Shade$ “Best Book in Excellence in Financial Journalism.”
River Journal asked Adams to tell us a little more about his novel, what inspired the story, and the need for young professionals to develop soft skills.
River Journal: What sparked the idea to write Green Shade$? Why now?
Greg Adams: My goals were twofold: first to entertain by telling a great story and second, to enlighten young students as to the dynamic career that accounting can be. I am no longer satisfied with the stereotype of a pencil pushing accountant but rather I wanted to shed light on the exciting career opportunities that the profession holds, often filled with travel, meeting interesting people and learning how businesses and industries operate.
I sought to elevate the perception of the accounting career so that students seeking advice would look to a major in accounting as a fulfilling choice, sit for the CPA exam and begin to fill the pipeline of CPAs which has decreased 40% since the year 2000 and is running dry.
RJ: You noted that you worked in Sydney for three years, a main backdrop for your novel, and that the workforce was very different than the U.S. Explain?
GA: My experience in Australia was that the people I worked with seemed to enjoy a better life work balance, with a general tendency for a “work to live” mentality. They valued their time off and were more collaborative working with “mates” in the workplace. This was a big eye opener for me coming from New York where typically young accountants and finance professionals “live to work”.
RJ: Let’s talk more about the need for young professionals to develop soft skills.
GA: Great leaders are measured by their ability to communicate, motivate people and shape business microcultures. These are the “power skills” or soft skills that many individuals struggle to develop because they are not emphasized in the standard accounting curriculum. In my book through storytelling, I illustrate how his soft skills propel the protagonist to uncover an international scheme of fraud and political espionage.
RJ: Do you belong to a local organization and where can people learn more about you and Green Shade$?
GA: I have been a member of the board of trustees at Teatown Lake Reservation since 2014. My family and I appreciate the fellowship of a nature focused life that we find at Teatown. We enjoy their hiking trails and educational events. More information about Green Shade$ is also available on my author’s website CPA-Author.com. This year thank your favorite tax preparer with a copy of Green Shade$: Accountants Aren’t Supposed to Die This Way. They’ll enjoy the journey.
Green Shade$: Accountants Aren’t Supposed To Die This Way: A Novel
By Greg Adams
Telemachus Press – May 2025
Price: $14.99
