The Ropespinner Conspiracy

Even though the climax of Thomas's latest financial thriller hinges upon some rather unbelievable twists, it remains to the end an entertaining and often fascinating tale of intrigue at the highest levels of the banking world. Taking its cue from Lenin's line about capitalism selling the rope with which it will hang, the novel traces a long and complex plot, the brainchild of a Communist and an American economist, in which the underpinnings of the Western economy will be undermined from within. In this context, Thomas attempts to show that the history of banking since the '30s, especially the deregulation and economic policies of the current administration, fit neatly into a plot that will eventually send Western capitalism into a violent and fatal tailspin. The author of Green Monday and Hard Money, Thomas is terrific when it comes to simplifying the intricacies of economics to suit his plot and he manages to keep the story rolling along at a compelling clip while at the same time issuing a cautionary tale about the self-destructive avarice of the financial world. 75,000 first printing; 75,000 ad/promo. (January 19)