Final Venture [Paperback]

Michael Ridpath (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 8, 2000

After young venture capitalist Simon Ayot finds his father-in-law lying dead from a gunshot wound, and all the damning evidence points to Simon. With the police determined to prove his guilt, and even his grief-stricken wife beginning to suspect him, he races to clear his name and save his marriage-all too aware that the next murder may very well be his own....

Praise for bestselling author Michael Ridpath:

"Move over, John Grisham. A new star has entered the world of popular action fiction." -Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan

"Michael Ridpath plots his story tightly and smoothly and roams all his worlds, virtual and otherwise, with authority."-New York Times

"[Ridpath] makes you feel... the thrill of playing a hunch and getting it right."-Los Angeles Times

"Entertaining....Succeeds at becoming more than a thriller without breaking the mounting tensions of the story." -Newsday

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Michael Ridpath knows how to follow the money, something he did quite successfully in his previous financial thriller, The Market Maker. In Final Venture, his protagonist is Simon Ayot, a likable young British associate at Revere, a venture capital company whose senior managing partner, Frank Cook, is also Simon's father-in-law. Simon has just pulled off a major coup for the firm, so when Frank abruptly denies a life-or-death round of further investment in NetCo, Simon's most promising high-tech client, he's completely surprised. Could it be that Frank believes the rumors floating around that Simon's been having more than business meetings with a woman in the firm? Vowing to dispel the rumors and change Frank's mind about dumping NetCo, Simon goes to the Marshes, Frank's country house, only to find him murdered. The police don't believe Simon's alibi, and soon even Lisa, his wife, is suspicious.

Meanwhile, the firm is still reeling from Frank's death. Its biggest investment in BioOne, a biomedical research firm, is in trouble, and Simon's attempts to get to the bottom of it reveal a corrupt link between Revere, BioOne, and the pharmaceutical company where Lisa is employed, which suddenly becomes a takeover target. Ridpath does a good job of explaining the arcane details of venture capital financing, but makes little of his setting (Boston) and even less of character motivation. In the absence of enough evidence to arrest Simon, it's difficult to believe that Lisa would suddenly turn on her brand-new husband, and her lack of insight concerning her own father's private life seems strange in light of their supposed closeness. The writing is sometimes clumsy, but readers interested in the intricacies of high finance in the venture capital market will find this a good primer on the subject. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly

Life has been good for Simon Ayot: he enjoys working for a prominent venture capital firm in Boston and he loves his wife, Lisa. But near the beginning of this lackluster novel, Simon's world begins to crumble. First, his request for added funds for a company he has been championing is rejected by his colleagues. Then he goes to visit Lisa's father only to find him dead. Simon becomes the prime suspect, and soon the police find a pistol that they believe Simon used in the killing. Meanwhile, Lisa moves out and then loses her biotech research position as a result of funding arranged by Simon's employer. Simon manages to hang on to his job but spends most of his time playing sleuth as he tries to clear his name, traveling from Boston to New York to California. Although the behind-the-scenes look at how venture capitalists work is somewhat intriguing, Ridpath's (The Market Maker) plot is alternately predictable and implausible. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Signet (August 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451197534
• ISBN-13: 978-0451197535
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Surprise, March 1, 2001

By 

Paulo Renato Rey (Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Venture (Paperback)

It's my first Ridpath's book and it was a worderful surprise. His narrative is easy and very well organized, keeping the reader's attention on the focus of the thriller: Simon's innocence and the mass arround his life after his father in law's murder. The determination on keeping his marriage with his loved, but mistrustfull wife, is an important ingredient in the story. The end is unpredictable but is reasonable. I reccomend this book for those who like a good thriller and for venture capitalists, who will find a intersting reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, September 4, 2000

By 

"ricodenhollander" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Venture (Paperback)

I finished this book in three days time, most of it on sunday when I reached the second murder I knew I had to read to the end to find out who was causing havoc at Revere, the VC Company at the heart of Michael Ridpath's fourth novel.

Only one comment; when is Ridpath's next book being published?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Michael looks like losing his touch, November 6, 2000

By 

Kenny Thong - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Venture (Paperback)

Michael's Final Venture is not as exciting as I expected it to be. First, it lacks the thrill of a financial market background. While the whole story is built around the venture capital firm, but seriously, anyone can write such a story. I expect more on financial market story from Michael.

And how Simon solve the murder case seems to be too easy, with help just around the corner when he needs it. He seems to be able to rope in the person he needs to help him solved the murder case, which I think it is unlikely in real life (but this is a fiction anyway).

I hope that Michael will do better in his next book.