Promotional Information

A gripping thriller of greed, murder and corporate cover-ups, from the bestselling author of Jurassic Park.

About the Author

Born in Chicago in 1942, Michael Crichton first trained as a doctor before going on to become one of the most successful writers in the world. In 1994 he achieved a feat unmatched by any other writer- by having simultaneously a number one TV series, book and movie with, respectively, ER (which he created), Disclosure and Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, on its release the highest-grossing film of all time. He also directed several movies, including The Great Railway Robbery with Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland. His high-concept thrillers were international bestsellers, and in total his books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. He died in 2008.

Reviews

Dazzling ... A bravura performance ... As well built a thrill machine as a suspense novel can be
*New York Times*

The combination of Japan-bashing and murder mystery makes for provocative reading
*Daily Mail*

Crichton pulls off a slick thriller at a cracking pace
*Daily Telegraph*

Engrossing and memorably exciting
*Evening Standard*

A young American model is murdered in the corporate boardroom of Los Angeles's Nakomoto Tower on the new skyscraper's gala opening night. Murdered, that is, unless she was strangled while enjoying sadomasochistic sex that went too far. Nakomoto, a Japanese electronics giant, tries to hush up the embarrassing incident, setting in motion a murder investigation that serves Crichton ( Jurassic Park ) as the platform for a clever, tough-talking harangue on the dangers of Japanese economic competition and influence-peddling in the U.S. Divorced LAPD lieutenant Peter Smith, who has custody of his two-year-old daughter, and hard-boiled detective John Connor, who says things like ``For a Japanese, consistent behavior is not possible,'' pursue the killer in a winding plot involving Japan's attempt to gain control of the U.S. computer industry. Although Crichton's didactic aims are often at cross-purposes with his storytelling, his entertaining, well-researched thriller cannot be easily dismissed as Japan-bashing because it raises important questions about that country's adversarial trade strategy and our inadequate response to it. He also provides a fascinating perspective on how he thinks the Japanese view Americans--as illiterate, childish, lazy people obsessed with TV, violence and aggressive litigation. 225,000 first printing; BOMC main selection. (Mar.)

Dazzling ... A bravura performance ... As well built a thrill machine as a suspense novel can be * New York Times *
The combination of Japan-bashing and murder mystery makes for provocative reading -- Marilyn Wilson * Daily Mail *
Crichton pulls off a slick thriller at a cracking pace -- Mike Ripley * Daily Telegraph *
Engrossing and memorably exciting -- Anthony Quinton * Evening Standard *