PARANOIA by Joseph Finder
PARANOIA by Joseph Finder is a slick and tricky novel about the corporate world. Hitchcock-style it takes a young everyman and plops him down in the middle of a mass of corporate intrigue. The reader is never sure of who is zooming who and that makes the flavor of the book rich and the tension of the story palpable.
Adam Cassidy is a slacker. He has a good job at Wyatt Telecom but he doesn't make even a half-hearted effort to excel at it. He'd rather work on not working. This is a work ethic he and his best friend Seth share. Adam also likes practical jokes and he pulls one at Wyatt Telecom that backfires on him. He ends up facing the possibility of a stiff prison sentence.
In order not to go to jail, he agrees to be a spy for Wyatt at the offices of their main competitor, Trion. After they manage to get him a job there, Adam gets deeply involved with the CEO of Trion, Jock Goddard. Adam comes to think of him as a father figure and this inhibits his ability to spy successfully.
Everything in this book is complex, and everything in this book is explained before it is over. It is hard to see where all the twists and turns are leading but author Joseph Finder has a clear view of the road ahead at all times.
PARANOIA is the kind of book you just enjoy reading for entertainment's sake. It is lightweight but still substantive in all the right places. You won't learn much in the way of shared knowledge but you will have a fun time from start to finish.
Finder knows just how to punch the right buttons to keep the reader glued to the page as he spins his web of devious deception. No one is to be trusted in this book and that is what the title is all about. Paranoia is all about watching your step, your back and your friends.
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If you want to have a good time with a book, this is the one to choose. Adam Cassidy gets a taste of the good life but his reason for being invited to the party is enough to give him indigestion.
PARANOIA is published by St Martin's Press. It contains 424 pages and sells for $24.95.