AGENT OF INFLUENCE

by David Aaron ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 15, 1988

Aaron's first thriller, State Scarlet (1987), hummed along from one cliffhanger to another on the strength of its author's savvy about the very real threat of nuclear blackmail. For his second, though, this former member of Carter's National Security Council switches gears to serve up a financial thriller that offers precious little suspense. One big problem is Aaron's hero, Wall St. merger-specialist Jayson Lyman--a dour, greedy, and self-important chap who's so busy working his deals that he'd rather park in red zones and pay the fines than spend a minute looking for a legal parking spot. With a protagonist like that, it's tough to work up a sweat when Jayson runs into snags orchestrating the takeover of American media conglomerate News/Worldweek by mysterious, maybe-French media-mogul Marcel Bresson--even though Jayson will lose a $30 million fee if the deal falls through. Things brighten a bit when US Senate Intelligence Committee gumshoe Heidi Bruce, a sexy brain who sees a Commie under every balance sheet, enters Lyman's life on a Concorde flight to Paris. She ends up smelling a Russian rat in Bresson, and, patriot that she is, risks life and limb charging around Europe, pursued by Bresson's goons, to shed light on the financier's misty past (he is, as she slowly learns but we know all along, a KGB plant--an agent of influence who plans to sway US politics via control of US media). Meanwhile, Jayson--despite growing doubts about Bresson, and despite hot sex with Heidi--rides in limos, buys portable computers, and stays up all night working that deal. Finally, Jayson catches on to Bresson's game, but by then the Russian has over 50% of the News/Worldweek stock and it seems to be too late. . . Suffocating slatherings of deal-making detail (practically Finance 101 in novel form) and sharp takes on the cutthroat world of Wall St. add authenticity but not body to a drawn-out plot that's a queasy blend of high finance and low spy stuff, all wrapped around a singularly inane and unpleasant hero. A real letdown.

Pub Date: Feb. 15, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1988

Categories: FICTION