Paul Erdman wrote two seminal financial thrillers in 1973 (Billion Dollar Sure Thing) and 1974 (Silver Bears) based loosely on his own banking career and imprisonment in Switzerland. The plots are clever and the detail accurate. They require no previous knowledge of finance and the necessary explanations never get in the way of the story. They created a new genre with many imitators, some of whom were much better writers, but few of whom could match Erdman's plots and financial knowledge.

The characters in this novel are strongly drawn, but two dimensional and they don't develop. They act as necessary to advance the plot, not out of believable motivation. The action is driven by clever overlapping con schemes by different characters, not by psychology.

Silver Bears is less dated than Billion Dollar Sure Thing, and is a much lighter book (perhaps because Billion Dollar Sure Thing was started while the author was in solitary confinement, while Silver Bears was written after he had managed to flee Switzerland to avoid a nine-year sentence and had the success of the first book, including an Edgar Award).

Anyway, it's a fun read and educational as well. It's not great writing, but it's good enough for a thriller backed by insider expertise.

This is a solid tale where you're likely to feel for the characters and maybe learn a little history. Erdman is a talented writer, and this has pretty good pacing and a good plot. Recommended.

I really appreciate the copy for review!!