The Set-Up

Among financial thriller writers, Erdman (Zero Coupon) rules not only as the first (The Billion Dollar Sure Thing, 1973) but also as the most adept at demystifying both the secrets of money and the minds of those who know those secrets. The manipulation of money through secrets is at the heart of the case of Charles Black, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Arrested in Switzerland, Black is charged with amassing a fortune through perfectly timed financial speculations based on knowledge that only a few possess--specifically, the men who meet monthly for the Swiss-based Bank for Institutional Settlements. Erdman explains the details behind Black's alleged actions with the same loving detail that techno-thriller writers lavish on weapons of mass destruction. But he leaves no doubt that Black is being framed. The only question is how, which Erdman answers by goingback four years to reveal both the culprits and their actions. When one of the villains approaches Black's wife with an offer to engineer Black's escape from prison, the plot ratchets up in complexity, though its pacing never quite achieves high gear. There's a connect-the-dots feel to the climax, too, and Erdman doesn't bring to his humans the same attention he does to finances. Still, readers partial to monetary mayhem will find this a satisfying way to spend, or even to invest, a few hours of their time. (Apr.) FYI: Like his protagonist, Erdman spent time in prison on financial criminal charges. It was behind Swiss bars, in fact, that Erdman wrote The Billion Dollar Sure Thing.