Book Review: Company Man

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Company Man     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Joseph Finder
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
St. Martin’s, Apr 2005, $24.95, 528 pp.

In Fenwick, Michigan, Fairfield Equity has taken over Stratton Corporation. The new owners order Stratton CEO Nick Conover to lay off 5000 employees, which makes the local resident the most detested person in the area; his nickname the Slasher". On top of his pressure at work, Nick struggles with the recent accidental death of his wife Laura and raising two children alone.

However, someone is stalking Nick and his children, entering his home, and recently upped the ante by brutally killing his family dog. His friend, Stratton security chief, Eddie Rinaldi, installs a burglar alarm that leads to Nick killing an intruder. Eddie convinces a reluctant Nick to hide the corpse. Meanwhile Detective Audrey Rhimes investigates the homicide and its links to Nick, who is already unglued with his neighbors’ feelings, his wife’s death, his distraught children, and now a murder. Worse he does not trust Fairfield to destroy him as culpable fodder for the masses.

This is a terrific thriller that focuses on the gimmicks and misdeeds of the modern day corporation as much as it does on a police investigation. The story line is action-packed, but insures the audience understands how much Nick’s world is collapsing. Although why Nick would hide the body when he was in the right seems stretched for a sensible albeit beleaguered guy, fans will want to find out what happens to this COMPANY MAN under siege from family, friends, cops, and employers.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner