Company Man

Very good read! I love this author!

This novel kept me looking forward to what happened next. The ending blew my mind.

Joseph Finder has combined his skill of writing detail about corporate dealings, boardroom meetings and business with a fast-paced, easy-read thriller. This book has several tangents that are interesting and work as threads that eventually weave together to present a great Finder tapestry. He delves into the cutthroat underworld of high corporate business and deceiptfulness of the protagonist's friends at work. Finder also gets into family, the loss of a loved one and how it affects others, psychology, abandonment, good versus evil (in both Nick Conover and the detective). By now, you've read the plot line. I won't go into that. Instead, I am more pleased with Finder's writing. The book is large.. some 500+ pages, but it reads like butter once you get into it. Some reviewer here said Finder was the "Grisham of the boardroom." Don't do that to Mr. Finder. Grisham writes in passive voice and trite plots. Company Man is a three-dimensional story that is enjoyable to read and it makes you think. It moved me enough to finish the book and then immediately come here to crow about it.

My first Finder novel was the masterpiece Paranoia so I decided to check out his other work. I was very disappointed with his previous novels, not due to their quality but because they were absolutely nothing subject wise like what Paranoia was. Company Man isn't the same either but it does return to the business world and is one all fans of the book Paranoia will enjoy as well. Nick Covenor is the CEO of small town Michigan company Stratton Corporation. He was once the most popular man in town but pressure from the owners to relocate factory work to China has meant 5000 of his workforce is now unemployed. 5000 of his workforce now hate him and most of the town knows at least one person who was laid off. So it is little wonder the local police do next to nothing when his home is constantly vandalised and broken into and are quite happy to let his young daughter stumble upon the family pet dog which has been butchered by some psycho. In fear for his family Nick upgrades his security with the help of Stratton head of security and unbeknownst to Nick ex corrupt cop Eddie. Meanwhile at the office Nick starts to realise he is being undermined and when the security system tells him there's an intruder one night his actions leave him with more than just the office to worry about. Sensational novel that will have you forgetting about TV until you've finished. If you haven't read Paranoia check it out as well.

Nick Conover has more than his share of troubles. As the CEO of Stratton Corporation, a major manufacturer of office furniture and cubicles, he was forced by his parent company to lay off five thousand workers. Now he is an outcast in his own hometown, since almost every resident was affected in some way by the layoffs. A disgruntled former employee has been breaking into his home and leaving threatening messages. The members of the board of his corporation appear to be acting behind his back and trying to force him out. He is a recent widower with a kitchen in the midst of a major remodeling and a teenage son who is having problems at home and in school. Sound bad? Well that's just the beginning. When he confronts the intruder who has been threatening him, things go very wrong, and soon he finds himself the target of a police investigation. As his problems mount, so does the tension. Nick has nowhere to hide. Finder has continued in the tradition of his last novel "Paranoia" with another fast-paced and suspenseful story. This time, however, it's a combination of corporate thriller and murder mystery. Instead of examining the world of high tech, it explores a manufacturer of more down-to-earth products like desk chairs. There are interesting details about the design and manufacture of office equipment, and it's obvious that Finder did his homework on the topic. Anyone who works in the corporate world or is close to someone who does will find that the ripple effects of Stratton's mammoth layoffs ring all too true. This makes Nick's "company man" portrayal a bit out of the ordinary, since he is a high level executive with a conscience about the corporate buyouts, force reductions, and labor outsourcing that have become an integral part of today's business practices. He even insists that top management work in a cubicle environment like the other workers instead of in posh corner offices. Besides Nick, there are many other well fleshed-out characters. One of them is police detective Audrey Rhimes, who struggles with racial and gender discrimination on the job and who must keep an open mind when investigating Nick even though Stratton laid off her husband. If you enjoyed "Paranoia" you will love "Company Man." If you haven't read "Paranoia" yet, then hurry up and read both of them! Eileen Rieback