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Over the course of the last several years, Christian Gillette has evolved into one of contemporary fiction's most intriguing protagonists. He heads Everest Capital, a wildly successful investment firm that owns 30 different companies, 18 of which are chaired by Gillette. He's a tough, brilliant negotiator who has his eye on the bottom line. Stephen Frey, in order to keep his character from seeming too amoral, has given him some soft areas while keeping Gillette's surface appearance as a hard-nosed businessman intact.
The danger with Gillette is that, at times, he has almost seemed too smart, the result being that any financial battles he might face would appear to have a preordained conclusion. In THE POWER BROKER, Frey injects a brilliant stroke into the proceedings: bring in somebody --- in this case, a few somebodies --- who is smarter and more powerful than Gillette. The result is an intriguing and fast-paced read.
At the commencement of the novel Gillette is facing adversaries from all sides. He's having trouble getting licensed for a new casino; he can't seem to sell an oil company that should have been snapped right up; and, perhaps worst of all, the FTC is snooping around one of his companies. Unbeknownst to Gillette, his troubles stem from a single source: the Order, a shadowy group of nine men who have brought their power and influence to bear in order to change the course of history. Samuel Hewitt, the current master of the Order, wants Gillette to become one of them, not only to infuse new and younger blood into the group but also to complete a tie to the group that Gillette has but does not know exists.
Complicating matters is that a presidential candidate, one opposed by some members of the Order, is about to ask Gillette to run as his vice-president. The Order wants to demonstrate its power and influence to Gillette, and ups the pressure on him to bring him to ground. Meanwhile, Gillette has no idea who to trust, as he finds that both Allison Wallace --- hired by Gillette in Frey's 2005 novel THE PROTÉGÉ --- and Nigel Faraday --- Gillette's friend and one of Everest's managing partners --- may be betraying him. Accordingly, Gillette must commit a balancing act, trying to keep Everest intact as it is beset from multiple sides while deciding if he wants to enter the world of politics.
Frey keeps things moving rapidly throughout THE POWER BROKER, though the multiple plates spin for almost too long. The end comes all too quickly and seems a bit rushed, considering all of the problems that Gillette has faced for the balance of the book. However, Frey keeps enough issues open and unresolved that Gillette will have plenty to deal with by the time the next installment in the series is published.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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