Author: Chris Coffman

Publisher: ODYSSEUS PRESS

ISBN: 978-1-7367391-0-5

Chris Coffman, the author of Crisis Deluxe, knows a thing or two about the mystery and confusion surrounding the world of mergers and acquisitions. Stakes are high, and you need nerves of steel to put through many of these deals, especially when dealing with sharks that have no qualms in cutting your throat. He is an expatriate American who has perfected his expertise as an investment banker in Europe, the UK, the United States, Asia, and Australia.

In the opening chapter of the novel, readers are introduced to Alexander "Dusty" Street. Dusty is an investment banker employed by Coldstream Holdings of New York. While stationed in Buenos Aires, Dusty receives a call from one of his superiors in New York, Jim Walmsley. He is ordered to immediately hop on a plane and fly to Hong Kong. His assignment was to complete the deal whereby Coldstream would acquire the investment bank TransPac, an international company based in Hong Kong. 

TransPac's principal attraction is its potent presence in the Asian market and its bond portfolio, headed by a dynamic bond trader, Sebastien Nin. For almost a year, Coldstream negotiated with TransPac as part of its strategic expansion into the Asian markets. 

At the same time Dusty is given his assignment, he witnesses Asian markets in turbulence, and TransPac is in serious trouble. His directives are to cut Coldstream's offer to TransPac by twenty-five percent and cram it down the throats of their shareholders. Dusty realizes that letting the TransPac deal fail would mean that traders will move everything they can get their hands on, stocks, bonds, and currency. This may lead to the eventual bankruptcy of Asian markets in places like Indonesia, the Philippines, and Korea. Not a pretty picture!

Nothing is kept back when Dusty first meets with the executives and principal shareholders of TransPac. They are told that their equity may have been roughly one billion US dollars at the outset of the negotiations. However, with recent developments, it is now worth less than half of that. You can easily imagine the backlash of these shareholders when it is pointed out to them that the value of their immense holdings is rapidly dropping down the toilet! They had counted on Coldstream stepping in and reversing the devastation as it affected their personal wealth and positions. And as we will learn, this is merely the beginning of a stormy few days of discussions, which requires several restructuring of the assessment model by Coldstream's experts.

Dusty is pleasantly astonished when he first meets Nin. He discovers that Nin is the little brother of a schoolgirl he had a platonic relationship with over twenty years ago in Hong Kong. Nin and Dusty recount their former conflicts and some of the bad blood between them as kids. Will this enter into play with the negotiations? And Jacqueline, who, by the way, reappears in Hong Kong. How will she fit into the narrative? Supposedly, both Jacqueline and Dusty are happily wed to their respective spouses, but both have the hots for each other.

Dusty is not assured that Coldstream should move forward with the acquisition, even though he continues working his creative skills to figure out a plan to close the transaction. Not simply is the Asian market tanking, but he finds out from an acquaintance in Hong Kong that Nin's venture seems to be founded on gaining new Asian borrowers. These are characters who could not borrow money before and who may not be delightful people.

Dusty also realizes that if he cannot culminate the deal, it will mean the end of his career, not only for his old friend Nin but likewise for himself. They would both be stripped of their reputations and the hard-earned equity they had developed  in their partner's accounts with their companies. `

Coffman takes his time to capture the chilling world of high finance that is replete with uncertainty. He effectively captures bewilderment, hope, and greed, brought about by economic catastrophe, all of which will keep you turning the pages until the end. Above all, the suspense in this yarn lies in character development, which is tricky to pull off in a novel. We are concerned for Dusty and wonder whether he will be able to pull it off or will he fail and end up with his tail between his legs.