Date first published	1974
ISBN Number	0 246 13535 2
Page Count	h/b 409
h/b= hardback : p/b= paperback
Originally published under the pseudonym Jonathan Ryder

Storyline

Andrew Trevayne, watched his father lose everything and become destitute. Determined not to end up like his father he has become a millionaire, and can now do as he pleases. He refuses to be corrupted or to take any nonsense from anyone.

Washington is in a state of flux, and just recovering from Watergate. The Senate has proposed a new anti corruption investigation into the defence contracts, and Trevayne is tasked with looking into the matter.

From the outset Trevayne makes waves, refusing to use the staff suggested by Washington, those waves start spreading as he looks into the morass of goverment contracts, and picks out Genessee Industries, a nationwide conglomerate, that appeared to have no logical control, and whose cost overruns were enormous.

The investigation continues, with Trevayne, going after individuals, rather than trying to wade through the morass of paper that Genessee has produced.

The investigation getting closer panics, the money men, and they try direct attacks on the investigation team, including Trevayne. However Trevayne has a guardian angel, who hates what he is and what he's doing, but his call to duty is stronger, and an unlikely alliance is formed.

The book finishes with the work of the committee only partially complete, but with Trevayne elevated to President, but can he make a difference?

Review

I picked up this book with some trepidation, as my memories from the first reading were, that it was appalling. The second reading however has shown that the book, is not as bad as I remembered it. However it is nowhere near his best. However as it was published in 1974, it should be regarded as one of his earlier works.

The problem I found was the book is that it has a fairly sedentry pace, it is what the book describes, an investigation into corporate corruption, there is very little action, and a great deal of talk. It is one of the weaknesses of the Ludlum books that on the whole his dialogue is not the most interesting, as a lot of it is made up of characters shouting and screaming at each other - it is something that niggles with me every time.

The book has also lost a lot of it's context. I don't remember the Watergate scandal, (I was only 6 at the time), however this book was written following the scandal, and as Ludlums' response to the situation. I'm not sure that the story has much resonance now. Politics has become a cesspool, with every one lying just to stay in office. Corruption at the highest levels seems to be accepted by everyone as the norm.

Characterisation is fairly weak. We only know what drives Trevayne, we get no real indication of what drives the other team members, especially after strange things happen to them, why continue after the threats start? The only other character that gets any sort of sketch is Paul Bonner the military liason officer, a not particuarly pleasant character, but he does put duty before personal gain.

The book runs out of steam with the end of the investigation, and I had become thoroughly board by the time he became President. The political machinations just don't interest me (as politics on the whole no longer interest me), and I found myself skimming the last three chapters.

I'm giving the book a 2 'bookies' which is up from what I would have previously given it, probably a one.

Only get this book if you have read all his other works, and want to put off reading the 'Road to ...' stories.

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