4 out of 4 stars
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The Holiday Party (A Tale of a Corporate Takeover), by Richard Wanderer, is a fictional suspense novel set in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. The story was inspired by the author’s personal experience of facing a corporate takeover.
When Ballard Media Group, a media conglomerate, takes over Gladstone Publishing Company, a family-owned magazine company, the Gladstone employees suddenly find themselves under tyrannical rule. Daniel Davenport, an executive with the Ballard Media Group, sees it as a perfect opportunity for him to take over Gladstone Publishing Company as personal property. He enlists the help of Barbara, a fellow Wiccan coven member, to aid him in his plot for glory; however, Barbara has her own shady agenda. They won’t let anyone get in the way of their success, even if it means getting rid of all of the old employees. As Gladstone slowly starts to deteriorate, Forest Green, one of the few old employees left, is determined to set things straight and keep Gladstone from being run into the ground.
Reading this book was like being on a rollercoaster ride. The anticipation that built up between each scene kept me on the edge of my seat. Even after the climax of the story, I could feel my curiosity growing as each scene kept up its suspense. Moreover, the intricate plotline, as well as a few suspenseful scenes, kept me engaged in the book. The author’s inclusion of the Wiccan religion added a sense of secrecy and mystery as well.
Not only was the plot suspenseful, but the characters were well developed and dynamic. What I like the most about this book was how the author used the interactions and conflicts between the characters to show their personality. For example, Forest tries to be polite when communicating with his co-workers, Calista and Duko, but their emails and phone calls to each other are anything but pleasant. The greed and callousness of characters like Barbara shocked me and made me glad that I don’t work under someone like her. Also, some of the secondary characters seemed flat, but all were integral to the story.
The author states that he has worked in an advertising department, and this is apparent whenever the book goes into specific descriptions of what a publishing or advertising company does. I have absolutely no background on advertising, so I found it helpful that the author was able to incorporate a few explanations on what some of the advertising/publishing terminologies meant.
Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The suspenseful plot and the dynamic characters made this book an engaging read. There were a few grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, but they did not detract from the book. I recommend it to those who like reading suspenseful fictional novels.
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THE HOLIDAY PARTY (A Tale of a Corporate Takeover)
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