From Publishers Weekly
Setting his tale of high-level financial machinations against the volatile background of the Far East, Leib ( Fire Arrow ) puts a clever twist on a timely thriller. The story opens with Holden Chambers, one of the "lions" in the wide-open Hong Kong financial world of the early 1980s, clinging to the driver of a speeding motorcycle that is carrying them across the Malaysian landscape--with police in hot pursuit. That wild flight is merely prologue, however; the plot then flashes back to the recent arrival in Hong Kong of Barbara Ramsey, wife of one of Chambers's banking rivals, a woman intent upon joining the lions in their den. She and Ramsey are immediately drawn to each other, even as Ramsey convinces the heretofore reluctant government of Singapore to float an enormous bond, setting off a bitter business struggle. Then the mysterious informant known as Sea Lion begins circulating rumors of a forthcoming political upheaval, frightening traders in New York and London. Leib, himself the former officer of a Manhattan bank's Asian subsidiary, overcomes some stilted dialogue and awkward writing with authentic detail and local color. Most readers will stay for the long haul, wanting to learn at last whose fine hand is behind the diabolical power play.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Lured by great wealth waiting to be plucked by daring financiers, major American and European banks grapple for profits in the glass towers of Hong Kong and its neighbors. One of the most respected "Lions" is Holden Chambers, who has a subtle appreciation of Asian inscrutabilities. Coming on strong as a challenger is Barbara Ramsay, whose financial wiles may just barely exceed her sexual ones. The underlying boy-meets-girl plot is encrusted with merchant banking lore, which at times nearly defeats the entertainment value of Leib's third novel ( Fire Arrow, LJ 9/15/88; Fire Dream) . He zests things up with spicy sex and a sparkling travelog, but even so this may be best enjoyed in larger fiction collections. At its heart lies an intricate political-financial scam that is occasionally swamped by too many complications and details. With some pruning and shaping, however, Leib may ride the Pacific Rim wave to a new genre of banking fiction. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/90 . -- Barbara Conaty, Library of Congress
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
