Play Money

If you want to understand the madness that overcame all of us during the .com era, read Play Money by Phillip Allen. The scene: New York, (Manhattan of course;) the actors, a roster of diverse figures anchored in that time and place. The hero looks "like the guy in the Ralph Lauren ads." Does anyone need more of a description? And fifty years from now, will anyone know what the author was trying to convey? This book is for today. I loved the diversity of the characters, particularly the young black investment banker, C.T., I loved the mannerisms of his speech that were so revealing of his conflicted personality. Many writers have difficulty handling ethnic characters for fear of being politically incorrect, but Phillip Allen is right on target and does not shy from any reality, be it greed, stupidity, laziness... Jews, Blacks, Wasps, Southerners people the pages of this novel and come to life. This book bears witness to the madness of our times and helps us understand the mania that overcame most of us. I recommend it heartily to anyone interested in finance, investment banking, stocks and money. Great read, could not put it down!

The story provides a unique take on the technology boom 1990s and the New York society scene. The characters are colorful (but real), the scenery well articulated, and the plot twists more creative than many of the mundane legal thrillers that currently dominate the NY Times best seller list.With similar future efforts, I would look to see Phillip Allen among the ranks of David Baldacci, or James Patterson in coming years. An excellent read.

Play Money is an intense and engaging novel set in the 1990s, about Wall Street's inexorable churn of commerce, the heady lure of the internet as a moneymaking resource, and the human lives swept up in the endless pursuit for wealth that is often all too precarious. Insightful, sharp-witted, and deftly written with a keen eye for the undercoating of greed that permeates human nature, Play Money clearly establishes Phillip Allen as a master storyteller of considerable skill and ability.