Big: Crisis

Bryan’s lackluster second novel in the Big series (after Big: Beginnings) is filled with too many conference calls and meetings instead of action and thrills. As the new business intelligence consultant for Bingham Intelligence Group, Duncan Luke is charged with investigating whether a complicated West African oil deal is a good investment opportunity. At the same time, he’s fighting his ex-wife for custody of his autistic son. Ward Bingham, the president of BIG, enacts a plan to oust his stepmother, Ghislaine, from the company, which involves discrediting Duncan, whom she had hired. Meanwhile, Ghislaine is determined to keep her position as chairperson. As Duncan begins to find evidence that the oil deal is rife with corruption, Ward hits an unexpected snag in his plan and attempts to interfere with Duncan’s custody battle to distract him. Unfortunately, while the main characters were captivating in the first book, they are much more staid and predictable in this outing, which only exacerbates the uncomplicated plot’s plodding feel. Readers will expect more from the third novel. [em](BookLife) [/em]