Stephen Frey has found himself an interesting niche in the
suspense/thriller genre, crafting financial thrillers that don't
get too bogged down on the details of the how-to's, whys and
wherefores of day trading and futures and the minutia of
electronically moving boatloads of currency around the world in a
heartbeat. No, Frey gives his readers just enough so that they know
that he knows what he is talking about (and probably a lot more
that he doesn't talk about) and uses it as a framework for his
story. And what better setting for murder, mayhem and intrigue than
the world of high and lofty finance? It makes sense. Where there
are flowers, you will find bees; where there is money, you will
find thieves. It's the natural order of things and Frey takes full
advantage of it, once again, in SILENT PARTNER.

After a somewhat gratuitous Prologue, Frey settles in and
introduces us to Angela Day, a woman of humble beginnings who
married well, divorced poorly and who has worked herself into the
vice-presidency of Sumter Bank, a large regional financial
institution based in Richmond, Virginia. Day is summoned to the
secluded, heavily fortified mountain retreat of enigmatic Jake
Lawrence, one of the world's richest men. Lawrence ostensibly wants
to retain Day to perform a due diligence investigation concerning
Proxmire Technology, a company that he is considering for public
tender offer.

Day finds, however, that this is more than an ordinary
investigation. Her superiors at Sumter are quite concerned about
Lawrence. He already owns an interest in Sumter and there is
concern that he is retaining Day as a prelude to acquiring a
majority interest in the bank. Lawrence also has his share of
enemies and his life is constantly in danger. This puts those in
proximity to him, including Day, in danger as well. Day soon
discovers that Lawrence appears to have an agenda other than the
purchase of a business and that Lawrence, himself, is not at all
what he appears to be.

Frey does an amazing job of keeping his descriptions of complex
financial matters simple and to the point while deftly
incorporating them into a finely crafted thriller. Although his
overall plot lines do require some occasional suspensions of
disbelief, he propels you along at a fast enough pace that you
won't really notice, let alone care. Frey, with SILENT PARTNER,
continues the momentum he achieved with THE DAY TRADER and moves
into a higher gear.