Power Play by Joseph Finder

The back drop to Joseph Finder's novel Power Play is the aerospace industry but it is populated by the kind of bullish, pompous characters that can be found in any corporate industry. Finder cleverly moves the action to a remote area where the tension between the characters mounts as they jockey for position. An elaborate hostage plan is then introduced which serves to expose the characters for who they really are. The hero in all of this is Jake Landry, more accidental hero than stereotypical action man and all the more interesting and engaging for it; Finder provides flashbacks to Jake's troubled past in order to make his resilience and skills more convincing but from the start of the novel he is a kind, likeable character. The action of the novel is offset by the fact that Jake finds himself forced into close proximity with an ex-girlfriend for whom he still has deep feelings. I found Power Play to be a very exciting and unpredictable read. Finder grabbed my interest from the very first page and I remained transfixed as he navigated me through the various twists and turns of the plot. This is the first Joseph Finder novel that I have read but it certainly won't be the last