Month of the Leopard [Paperback]

James Harland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 2002

Financial thriller for the 21st century Tom is a financial trader. When his Estonian wife, Tatyana, goes missing with no warning, he investigates, only to find himself drawn into the biggest financial story of the millennium. With the help of Sarah, a financial analyst whose father was ruined by the all-powerful Leopard Fund, he chases - and is chased - across Europe to discover the secrets behind Swiss accounts in his wife's name, containing hundreds of millions of dollars. The answers to this riddle lie in the past, but Tom and Sarah's present and future depend upon their success in thinking one jump ahead of the world's keenest financial and criminal minds.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Thrillers are not customarily fought out on computer screens, but when the powerful and ruthless Jean-Pierre Telmont, who controls the trillion-dollar Leopard Fund, determines to gain control of the world's capital, cyberspace proves to be as exciting an arena as any. Tom Bracewell, an economist working for an investment bank, must face and defeat Telmont to avert a world economic disaster. As the novel begins, Tom's Estonian-born wife of only three years, Tatyana, has just left him-or has she been kidnapped?-but Tom finds an attractive ally in Sarah Turnbull, who works for Telmont. As Tom searches for evidence that might explain his wife's departure, he discovers that she has been leading a secret life, has lied about her background and has access to three unbelievably large Swiss bank accounts. Meanwhile, Sarah is uncovering disquieting information about the Leopard Fund. After she and Tom meet, the action shifts across the capitals of Europe, as Telmont causes one government after another to collapse. The secret of the Swiss bank accounts is revealed at the climax, in an abandoned Red Army outpost in Estonia, where Tatyana, tracked by Tom, has been forcibly brought. The pseudonymous Harland, "a well-known financial journalist," describes the field of international finance with authority. There are problems: flat characterizations, gratuitous violence, unconvincing motivation for Telmont and a too-hasty denouement. But the book is a page-turner for anyone interested in high-stakes financial shenanigans.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

"James Harland" is the pseudonym of a well-known financial journalist who has worked on the Sunday Times and Sunday Business, as well as TV programmes. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (July 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743234634
• ISBN-13: 978-0743234634
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,713,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Financial Thriller, December 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Month of the Leopard (Paperback)

Unlike many of the thrillers around, this digs slightly deeper into financial markets and its instruments. The novel is the story of Tom Bracewell, an economist at the largest European Bank. One day, his wife left unexpectadely and had only left a letter telling him not to follow her. After investigating the matter, his leads to a financial conspiracy involving one of the largest hedge funds, headed by a Soros-like Frenchman who is trying to manipulate the Global Markets by creating a crash in Eastern Europe. What links Bracewell's wife and this hedge fund is an interesting and catchy tale of many twists and turns, and a rhythm that brings Grisham into mind.