This was the second novel written by Paul Erdman, it was written after he fled Switzerland when he was released on bail. It is his first novel outside of jail (The Billion Dollar Killing was written whilst incarcerated).

The novel is well constructed, although having read some of his other works you can see a definite evolution in complexity and plots in the later novels.

Unlike some books where the author tries to bumble their way through knowledge gaps with generalisations it is clear the author has a good understanding of the topic at hand. One would presume so after all considering he did go to jail for his part in the collapse of Salik Bank after it took large losses speculating in the cocoa market.

The story basically covers a group of Americans who decide to open a Swiss bank to hide their money. They get drawn into a deal on an Iranian silver mine amidst a skyrocketing silver price which then makes their new bank a target for a shady corporate take over by a billionaire who is trying to corner the silver market.

An enjoyable read on the commodity markets with some international finance intrigue thrown in, if you enjoy this I'd highly recommend The Crash of '79, Last Days of America and The Panic of '89 - these are later Erdman books which are slightly more refined and very enjoyable. ( )

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