Moscow Madness

Harper, a journalist who writes about Russian business, tells the hard-luck story of Rick Grajirena, a determined entrepreneur from Tampa, Fla. According to Grajirena, ""Moscow Madness"" is the tendency of Westerners to abandon moderation when confronted with standard Russian benchmarks (e.g., a bottle of vodka). But Grajirena, the title's man in pursuit of profit, is himself prone to a different sort of madness--the belief that he can prosper in the new Russia while dismissing those standards. Grajirena is a self-avowed straight arrow; for him that means no late-night networking, no boozy deal-making, no mafia involvement and no tricks with customs and tax agents. As the sole distributor of Miller beer in Moscow in the 1990s, such scruples proved to be a handicap. After three years as an entrepreneurial pioneer, Grajirena's dream of riches flowing from a beer keg in a society weaned on harder drink ended in bankruptcy. In telling Grajirena's story, Harper draws on a colorful cast of characters--including a would-be supplier of ""heavy equipment"" to the Syrian government, a legendary Moscow restaurateur from New Jersey and a battalion of young Russian coeds who form the first Miller ""Cold Patrol"" in Moscow--evoking a sense of the realities of the new Russia. However, he would have done well to end his tale with the demise of Grajirena's beer distribution company instead of forging ahead with a somewhat tedious account of his next venture. Perhaps the author couldn't resist one final gem of irony--the beer man went on to peddle a line of hangover remedies to his former customers. (May)