Denial of Credit 

Mike Stanhope Mysteries 3

The prospect of ghost-writing an autobiography for a top executive appeals to journalist Mike Stanhope. He can use the money, and he knows the man’s business background well. What could possibly go wrong?

But Alan Treadwell is a tough taskmaster, imposing tight deadlines and taking a demanding slant on the way his book should be tackled. Soon Mike is wondering if he’s bitten off more than he can chew. He’d like to learn more from Joe, the original writer he’s been recruited to replace, but Joe is nowhere to be found. It doesn’t help when Mike starts finding out things about the great man that he’d rather not know: things that someone would prefer to keep quiet.

Meanwhile, Mike’s hard-won relationship with his girlfriend is faltering badly, and his repeated absences aren’t helping. When he’s drawn to an attractive new woman he starts to question everything about his old life, but he soon realises that changing course could come at a high cost. Before he knows it he’s lunging towards a crisis on all fronts. 

Credit where it’s due?

“Credit” can mean a lot of things. In Mike’s case, it mostly means credit for the work he’s doing on Alan Treadwell’s autobiography. It Iooks as though he won’t get any; Treadwell wants to keep the glory to himself. It could also be credit for Mike’s attempts to uncover an overlooked conspiracy. Quite separately, however, “credit” can mean access to finance. In the course of Denial of Credit, several characters find their credit has been compromised. The meaning of this teasing term continually vacillates as the story unfolds.

Insider trading

Insider trading – exploiting privileged knowledge to profit from buying and selling shares – features as a possibility in Denial of Credit. The practice is frowned upon, and in some cases it’s illegal, yet reportedly it is not uncommon in the real world, and people seem to get away with it surprisingly often.

From the reviews

“I read the first 63 chapters (there are 90 of them) before I could put the book down; it was just that good ...”

“Personally I feel that this is the best yet. ... The writing is tighter yet more descriptive in this third novel. ...

“Believable dialogue and well written prose ... The fast pace is well suited to the plot and it also has a thrilling ending, very suitable to the story! ...”

“Well written and fast paced ...”
 

KINDLE E-BOOK OR PAPERBACK