Synopses & Reviews
Just when we really need it, a scathingly funny novel that skewers the ego-driven, morally bankrupt world of The Big Deal
Billionaire Robert Maxx is a king in the world of real estate. Prestigious buildings bear his name, the press treats him like royalty, and beautiful women are thrilled to be seen on his arm. Ruthless, bullying, vengeful, and yet, at times, improbably endearing, Maxx both repels and fascinates.
For writer David Collins, things are not so rosy. His novels didn't sell. His marriage fell apart. Scrabbling for a livelihood, he's turned to ghostwriting. When he gets the gig to crank out Maxx's next bestseller, he regards the assignment as nothing more than an easy payday.
But something happens. The storyteller in Collins takes over, and he realizes that this isn't one more hack job. It may be his last chance to write something of real value, reclaim his battered self-respect, and win back the ex-wife he still loves.
Against the all-too-real background of a cratering economy and the end of easy money, things start to fall apart for Maxx. As it becomes clear that his mighty empire was built on lies, hucksterism, and dubious accounting, the stage is set for deadly conflict between a fallen idol desperate to conceal the truth and a writer obsessed with an inside story that only he can tell.
Review
“Robert Maxx is a salacious figure...with outrageous scandal and over-the-top shenanigans to make this a juicy diversion.” Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
In this meta-novel, Collins offers a scathingly funny work that skewers the ego-driven, power-obsessed world of the Big Deal.
About the Author
David Collins is an award-winning, bestselling novelist and ghostwriter whose fiction has been much praised for its wit and whose social criticism has been compared to that of Thoreau and Veblen by the Wall Street Journal. His work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Glamour, Esquire, BusinessWeek, and the New York Times Magazine. He lives in the United States and has been a sometime investor in New York real estate.