Customer Reviews

The Protege (Audio Editions Mystery Masters)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this second Christian Gillette novel, Frey does an outstanding job with all the plot twists and turns. The story will keep you enthralled.
It's not necessary that you read "The Chairman" before reading this novel, but I would recommend that you do.
Stephen Frey has been on my 'must read' list for a couple years now and with this latest financial thriller, he'll be staying there.

Highly recommended.

Christian Gillette excels at leading Everest, his private equity firm. It is a high stakes business that comes with great risks. Christian quickly decides to promote young superstar David Wright within the company. David is hiding a secret that he is desperate to keep under lock and key. However, enemies of Gillette's manage to obtain key evidence against him and thus are able to keep David on a very short leash. Allison Wallace enters the scene wanting to give Gillette's firm five billion dollars in exchange for a seat as managing partner. Like Faith, Gillette's girlfriend, one cannot help but question her motives or intentions. Intermingled throughout his dealings is Gillette's need to find out what happened to his parents. His vulnerable side emerges for his friends and those who honestly need him. This novel has a well-written, exciting storyline; with non-stop action and intriguing characters.

Mr. Frey has done a ecellent job with this book it is the continuation from the previous book " The Chairman " I would definitely recommend that you read that book first. Be forewarned that if you continue with this reveiw i will be giving away some info from the chairman book.

Christian Gillette is saga continues in this work of fiction,he is the CEO of Everest Capital a private equity fund Mr. gillette assumed this position after the founder and former chairman is killed in a plot to takeover Everst Capital there was a attempt on christian life also but was foiled.

The chairman seems to have everything going for him he is one of the youngest Ceo has just put the finishing touchs on the biggest private equity funds ever 15 billion dollars, named one of the top fifty bachelors in peoples magazine and has a hot popstar girlfriend and of course all kinds of money. But they do not realize all the stress and problems that come with running this firm. But mr. gillette has some help with a real up and comer David wright who is on his way to becoming partner but unknown to christian david has a dark secret that could prove to be the demise of he equity funds. Then there is Allison Wallace who comes from a mega-rich family who wants to invest 5 billion into the new fund with the stipulation that Allison is made a partner, she seems hell bent on being the next Ceo.

Christian is also approached by a couple of men from a secret goverment agency who want to hide a company that is specializing in nanotechnology research in one of the companies owned by Everst Capital and in exchange for this they will deliverinfromation on the suspicious plane crash that resulted in the death of his U.S. Senator father and they all so have information on his the where abouts of his birth mother.

All these events are on a collsion course along with other events that make this book really moving it seems that a few too many story lines but they are brought together in a real well. SO give this a read but again i recommend that you read The Chairman first.

Christian Gillette is a billionaire investor who runs Everest, one of the most successful investment companies in the world. He has it all--including a pop star girl friend who is jealous of a beautiful heiress whose family has just invested five billion dollars in Everest, which makes her a managing partner.

Then there's another managing partner whose secret addiction has him feeding the mob information they can use against Christian, plus a shadowy government agency that promises to help Christian find out the truth about his U.S. Senator father's death in a plane crash.

And all of this in the first chapter!

This fast-paced book will have you turning the pages to see if Quentin Stiles, the man in charge of Christian's protection, can really keep him safe, whether Christian can really sort through all the people surrounding him to learn who really can be trusted--and who cannot! Frey paints believable characters that you can love one minute and hate the next. Christian is a powerful man who wants to do what's right--if he can only figure that out.

Frey allows you to feel the world Christian has so carefully built spin out of control as everything accelerates and those that he trusts most are isolated from him.

Armchair Interviews says: If you want to see good triumph over evil--even though there is a price to be paid--then this book is a must read.

I don't want to give anything away so I will keep this very short.

I was eagerly awaiting this release ever since I finished The Chairman six months ago. I have got to say that I am a little disappointed. The Chairman detailed more of the inner workings of Everist and high-finance. This book is more action and less-plausible events, such as secret government agencies secretly killing Harvard scientists.

Overall, though, it is a short book and it was easy to finish. So if you don't like it, you won't feel like you wasted too much of your time...

Christian Gillette, a multimillionaire and succesful CEO of Everest Capital is get caught up in a conspiracy when he received a proposal of a FBI agency to use one of his companies like a cover up to develop "some inventions" in the nanotechnology sector. As Gillette went deepening in his investigatiion about this proposal, he find out that his person and company are victims of a very dangerous conspiracy on the part of that FBI agency that doesn't hesitate to use the Mafia as their executioners in the blackmail, murder and deceits to carry out their purposes.
A very dynamic novel developed in the world of the high finances with intrigues, industrial espionage, conspiracy and murders as main ingredients of the plot.

If you enjoyed the Chairman, you will like this book. I gave the Chairman 5 stars because it seemed like it was a bit darker and more unique with regards to it's development of supporting characters like Coen, and Nigel Faraday, who, unfortunately, is downplayed in the next 2 books.

Since taking over for the murdered CHAIRMAN Bill Donovan ten months ago, Everest Capital CEO Christian Gillette has several incredible successful ventures already. However, THE PROTÉGÉ David Wright accidentally killed a prostitute during a bondage session. Complicating matters for the guilt laden second in command is that the Carbone mob has pictures that they use to blackmail him into revealing insider information on the CEO even as he wonders whether the gang wants control of the Vegas NFL team owned by Everest.

At the same time, Christian uses his opposition to try to leverage information about his father a senator who died in a mysterious plane crash sixteen years ago. His efforts lead him to defrocked former CIA agent Norman Boyd who sells him a bill of goods as to what happened while in reality working for the Carbone crowd. Of course he still has a few deals to make worth millions to the company.

Though too much is going on between the lead protagonist's personal life and business lie and that of some of his subordinates especially the person he has been mentoring, fans will marvel how well everything ties together in this tense financial thriller. In spite of too many subplots, the action-packed story line moves at a fast pace, which is a tribute to the talent of Stephen Frey. Overall this is a fine thriller from the moment the hooker's neck accidentally snaps with a haunting descriptive popping sound until the final crackling confrontation.

Harriet Klausner

Another day on the beach in Maui, spent with Stephen Frey.

Would recommend you read The Chairman first, it will add to your enjoyment of this book. They are both great reads! Good guys, really bad guys... smart bad guys (the best kind).. and a timely storyline. Money, power, corruption... oh my!!

I enjoyed the first novel in this series but it seems like every new book has simply been a step down in quality. The plots get more and more unbelievable and the characters less and less worth knowing.