From Publishers Weekly
Financial writer Boland hits pay dirt with this sparkling first novel featuring greed, vengeance and murder on Wall Street. In short order, Ben McCarthy, new partner in the respected portfolio-management firm of Canning & McCarthy, confronts a rash of problems: the burglary of the firm's office (although nothing seems to have been stolen); the disappearance of wise, cautious senior partner Jack Canning; and the discovery that Jack seems to have invested heavily and uncharacteristically in a near-bankrupt company whose stock suddenly shoots up at rumors of a takeover bid. The likelihood of SEC insider-trading charges almost ruins the firm; a broker friend of Canning's is murdered; the West Village townhouse Ben shares with his artist wife is vandalized. And all that is just for starters. Likable Ben uses wits and courage to thwart his unknown tormentors, attempting to spoil the coup he suspects they're planning. The wild rise of the ticker tape in the penultimate scene adds a suspenseful climax to this satisfying tale.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
A wry insider's view of stock fraud, corporate raiders, genteel brokerage houses, and Wall Street ethics. Young, upright Ben McCarthy is suddenly in big trouble when his senior partner, the fiscally prudent Jack Canning, disappears; their offices are burglarized; and all of the firm's assets are suddenly diverted to buy up stock in Dorchester Millinery--a questionable risk. Then Jack's postcard from the Bahamas arrives saying: Never trust a friend. While trying to keep business afloat during an SEC investigation and client defections, Ben and his uncle-in-law Gil are helped (and hindered) by curious goings-on with a stock called Trionix; Jack's good friend, the reputable George Finn; and irascible raider Lance Grendal (in his tax-free lair). When Jack's body is found and a friend of his is stabbed, Ben finds he must outmaneuver a champion stock-gamesman to catch the killer. Breathtakingly plausible, both in its Wall Street manipulations and in its emotional center. A trenchant, sly first novel--and cerebral fun throughout. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
