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Free HomepageA Calculated Risk (1992). Much shorter and more humorous than
The Eight, A Calculated Risk is really a satire on the world
of banking. The heroine is Verity Banks, who is very similar to Catherine
Velis, but ten years older. Verity, formerly a computer expert in New
York (like Catherine), is now a vice-president of the Bank of the World in
San Francisco, in charge of Electronic Funds Transfer. When her boss
turns down her proposal for a tighter security system at the bank, Verity
decides to break through security, hide some money where no one will find
it, and then put it back, to show everyone how easily it can be done. But
then Verity's former mentor, Dr. Tor, who is almost identical to Nim in
The Eight, comes along with a challenge: to steal a billion
dollars, invest it to earn thrity million dollars in three months, and
then put the billion dollars back before anyone notices. Tor even gives
Verity an advantage: she can use a computer, but he can not. If Verity
wins, Tor will get her the job at the Federal Reserve for which she has
been rejected because of her boss' intervention; if Tor wins, Verity will
come to New York to work for him. The villains of the book are the
greedy, corrupt bankers at the Bank of the World, including Verity's boss
Kiwi and his boss, Lawrence. As it turns out, they have a plan of their
own, which Verity and Tor had not counted on. The exciting climax takes
place on a beautiful Greek island.
While I enjoyed A Calculated Risk very much, it is, in my
opinion, not nearly as good as The Eight. It certainly does not
have the incredible complexity of The Eight with its many puzzles
and parallel storylines. But I did appreciate the sense of humor in A
Calculated Risk, as well as
Neville's knowledge of her subject, although I have to admit that some of
Neville's more detailed descriptions went over my head. The gradually
changing relationship between Verity and Tor was also enjoyable to read
about.
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Copyright 1997 Vicki Kondelik.
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