Acquisitions

Wow it is like, as the French say, "La grande bouffe.!" (Incidentally, our author also likes to sprinkle in French expressions.)

The underlying theme of all of these exploits and one that is constantly repeated throughout the book is that "greed is good."

Barr's inspiration probably finds its roots in her working experiences with a Fortune 500 company as a developer of high-tech solutions that were used to support corporate mergers and acquisitions.

I am not quite sure how much of her own first hand knowledge Barr had experienced pertaining to the subject matter of unfriendly takeovers.
There is mention in the "Acknowledgments" that she did seek out insight from others into how mergers play out. However, I would have to admit, there is nothing to replace being present in the boardrooms and watching the drama.

The central theme of the story revolves around two chief executive officers, one of whom is faced with the unwanted takeover of his telecommunications company by the other.

As the story unfolds we learn of the unsavoury behaviour of these two CEO'S as well as their assistants, who strongly believe, "greed is good."
To a limited degree the author maintains interest in her tale by pandering to our voyeuristic tendencies.
However, unfortunately, the weak dialogue of the characters does not enhance their believability.
Elements that perfectly describe or typify characters and scenes are lacking. In other words, there is an absence of the quintessential that is necessary if you want to create credible protagonists and scenes.

Notwithstanding all of the above comments, I would have to admit that Barr shows great promise as a good storyteller with a very vivid imagination. Once she masters her craft, she will be an author to be on the lookout for.

This review first appeared on the reviewer's own site