Jeffrey Marshall, USA

Interviewed by Linda Thompson
Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Squeeze Plays

  • Political Fiction
Fiction
Image

Synopsis

Squeeze Plays combines finance, intrigue and a closely detailed look and the rich and privileged in New York and London. Two powerful men, a bank chief executive and a tabloid publisher, are at odds over a loan that would keep the publisher afloat. A cunning Russian oligarch appears with an offer of a financial life raft to the publisher - a gambit uncovered by an intrepid financial reporter who senses a big story.

The novel is a character-driven tale that one professional reviewer called the best character-driven book he'd read in a year. The actions and foibles of the main characters - and strong female characters - are played out at length, and the squeeze plays include financial and sexual blackmail, sabotage and more. The settings are rendered in vivid detail, and the tone is often brisk and satirical, showing how vanity and hubris can humble the powerful.