The Takeover, by Stephen W. Frey
By Peter on Mar 26, 2009 in Stephen W. Frey, Thriller, book review
Stephen Frey is an interesting author. In “real life” he is a principal at a Northern Virginia private equity firm. He previously worked in mergers and acquisitions at J. P. Morgan. He has also been a vice president of corporate finance at an international bank in Midtown Manhattan. Thus Frey is an author that really know what he is talking about when he writes about finance, mergers, and the corporate world, which pretty much is what his thrillers are all about. So far he has written 11 books. The Takeover is the first of his books.
The Takeover is a thriller set in the world of high finance. 
In a very short period of time he puts together a $35 billion take over deal. However, not having been in a position where he could pick and choose, Falcon has stumbled onto the secret power of a shadowy organization known as The Sevens. He discovers a scheme interwoven in financial and political sabotage. The scheme is excellently designed and huge.
The book definitely is not the best written by Frey. The plot is good, but his communication of financial information to the reader is not. In this book, Frey is a little too much the financial analyst, and not enough the author. An even larger problem is his characters. They tend to be a little shallow and stereotyped. None of them are likeable, and as a result I never sympatized with any of them. This, of course, reduces the reading experience. The hero, Andrew Falcon, comes across as totally self-centered, selfish and amoral.
Overall, this is an interesting read. Well worth the time for readers who like me are interested in financial thrillers!
Read interview with Stephen Frey at www.bookreporter.com.
and 
You must be logged in to post a comment.