The Deal: About Face (Deal Trilogy)

The Deal: About Face sees an author biting off more than he can comfortably chew. Like the juggler challenged to add yet another ball to those already in the air, we begin with the explanation of how our hero, New York high-end property investment manager, manages to acquire a new face and identity while on the run from the American authorities in Europe. Rumbling on in the background, there’s also a historical mystery surrounding the Russian royal family in the period immediately before the Revolution. This hinges on words inscribed on some Fabergé eggs. And then we have the current business transaction which takes our hero back to New York to close a deal on a major property.

So there are backstory chapters covering the nine years since he went on the run from America, some genuinely dangerous Russians also out to break the code on the eggs, and due diligence problems in New York. The question whether the New York deal is good holds interest as our hero slowly uncovers a criminal conspiracy, but the backstory lacks credibility, and the problem of the eggs is less than exciting. There are chases and bullets fly but it’s too complicated to impress.