The Insiders: A Portfolio of Stories from High Finance
In this remarkable debut collection, David Charters reveals the secretive world of international bankers, brokers, and business executives with an insider's acuity. Sharp suits, fast cars, lavish expense accounts, and exclusive clubs are the comforts of lives lived at a furious pace, where betrayal and blackmail are paths to success, extramarital sex is an equal opportunity job perk, and an initial public offering might be a matter of life or death. An ambitious middle manager offers his wife to his new boss. An overheard conversation between two powerful executives leads to unexpected consequences for the eavesdropper. A cocky young investment banker is sent to Moscow on his first big opportunity---and finds more than he bargained for. A Ferrari-driving businesswoman plays a wicked prank after an anonymous sexual encounter. These and other characters are brought to life with a few deft brushstrokes, as each story veers through twists and turns to a surprising end. David Charters is a keen-eyed observer and denizen of this world, and the stories of "The Insiders" are witty, suspenseful, entertaining---and too close to truth for comfort.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0312333811
ISBN13:9780312333812
Release Date:November 2004
Publisher:St. Martin's Press
Length:176 Pages
Weight:0.55 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.4" x 7.2"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Delightful tales of business characters
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Thoroughly enjoyable collection of short stories on the lives of people involved with the financial world. Sensitive perspective of ambitions,busyness,pressure, competition, bitterness and deceit of employees of all levels and big tycoons of The City of London, which are also found in any other major financial district in the world. I highly recommend its reading.
An enjoyable snapshot of the seedier side of finance
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
The Insiders provides an amusingly enjoyable collection of short vignettes profiling sticky situations investment bankers, corporate executives, and other denziens of the high-powered financial world find themselves in. Though all of the characters are fictional, readers who have worked on Wall Street or other places like are bound to recongize some of the tales as hitting suspiciously close to home. David Charters is a Brit, and as such all of the stories are set in the City of London (England's version of Wall Street), but the behaviors displayed by the characters are just like stories we've all heard coming out of the United States' financial corridors. So much for cultural differences! Overall, The Insiders is a highly enjoyable, lighthearded read that will bring a smile to your lips. It's great for a long plane ride or a quiet weekend (when you aren't stuck at the office working on your next transaction, that is). Whether you work in the world of "High Finance" or are simply interested in it, don't miss this great little book!
My flight home
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
Facing a long boring flight home from London to Newark in December of 2002 I found Mr. Charters book in a book shop in Heathrow, having spent my entire business life in the international investment banking industry I bought it, more out of curiosity then any thing else. What a pleasant surprise, I laughed out loud at some of the tales in the collection, the people in the business section of the Continental flight might have been disturbed by my laughter but I could not help my self. This is a real laugh out loud enjoyable collection of stories, if you are involved in the financial world they will hit closer to home then you might care to admit, if you are from outside the financial world you will find them outrageously funny any way! Enjoy this cleverly written book, I did!
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