Customer Reviews

Last Train from Mendrisio

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Last Train From Mendrisio is an epic adventure novel set in the treacherous world of international finance and Offshore Trusts. With a colorful cast of characters and a fast-moving, inventive plot, it should appeal to a wide general readership. The labyrinthine logic of the international stock market has always been fertile territory for the thriller writer. In this case, the strength of the story lies in the time and trouble that the authors have evidently taken to establish an authentic backdrop. They also take great care not to swamp the narrative with superfluous information, incorporating enough financial material to provide the characters with credible motivation, without spoiling the flow of the plot. In this respect, as in most others, the authors prove themselves to be taut, economical writers--every line of prose is used to advance the narrative a little further and they exercise an impressive degree of control over character development and realization. Sam, the thoughtful, introspective history professor, is perhaps the most intriguing and fully-realized character. His obsessive dedication to discovering the truth about the shipwreck provides a nice counterpoint to the main action. By the same token, I felt that the sub-plot involving Charles Fountain and the Old Captain adds greatly to the sense of intrigue and danger that is always lurking below the surface. The story of an old-fashioned paternalistic entrepreneur who dies in mysterious circumstances, leaving a tangled financial legacy, is very much a parable for our times and over the course of the manuscript, the authors skillfully exploit this rich seam, making full use of dramatic possibilities that it undoubtedly contains. It is very tempting to talk about the authors' work in cinematic terms. They clearly have a highly visual imagination and a sense of timing that would stand them in good stead as screenwriters. The marvelously flamboyant set-piece finale is a case in point, with its clever religious symbolism and imaginative use of color and scenery. Equally, the taut, snappy dialogue that the authors give to the characters is very much in keeping with the bold, sweeping style of the piece. It would, clearly, translate into a first rate screenplay, combining a witty commentary on the foibles of the financial classes with a keenly observed portrait of social conditions in the Caribbean. On the whole, then, I found much to enjoy in Last Train From Mendrisio. It has a distinctly playful and tongue-in-cheek feel that makes it enormous fun to read but, at the same time, it is blessed with a solidly-constructed plot, and a range of credible and entertaining characters.

Though "Last Train from Mendrisio" succeeds in making strong moral arguments against greed, I value it most as a wonderful adventure/mystery story peopled by fascinating and memorable characters. The locales -- Santa Fe, the Caribbean, Switzerland -- are superbly drawn, the protagonists as colorful and interesting as any you're likely to meet in exotic backgrounds. The story is a page-turner, a book you may be tempted to re-read within days after finishing it. For me, it was most cinematic, evoking powerful images, and left me with the conviction that it'd make a great movie.