Rating: 
Summary: Stephen Frey's best work...
Review: Mr. Frey outdid himself in this book. Andrew Falcon is the epitome of the hyper over-achieving investment bankers that control the pursestrings on Wall Street. A million dollar first year bonus? Not good enough for this investment banker. Falcon goes out and tries to start up an internet style company, which through various circumstances, including his former employer's tampering, fails. From there Frey weaves a trap for our hero Falcon, a trap that is ends up involving a Presidential assassination and a super secrete seven society from Harvard (presumably based on the UVA sevens.) While some elements of the story, and even Falcon's abilities, seem to be a bit to extraordinary, Frey still does a superb job in telling it. Of his work, this one is clearly Frey's best and most suspenseful. There were so many details that Frey dove into that made the book really enjoyable. My only real problem is not of this book, but of Frey's other works, which happen to mirror each other. If you have one financial thriller (doesn't that sound like an oxymoron?) to chose from, pick this one and you will be very well rewarded.
Rating: 
Summary: Nobody to like in this book
Review: My biggest problem with this book is that the characters are all shallow and stereotyped, and none of them are at all likeable. The supposed hero, Andrew Falcon, comes across as totally self-centered and selfish and amoral, just the kind of person anyone in their right mind would avoid having as a friend or lover. I'd prefer to read a book where I can identify with the hero. Another problem is that the book is unrealistic in its description of how top businessmen interact. There are descriptions of meetings at the Federal Reserve Bank, where the Chairman acts like a petty dictator and treats the other committee members like school children. These supposedly high-level, experienced and intelligent bankers accept the chairman's treatment submissively, like they were factory workers. This is totally crazy. Nobody gets to rise to the top of the business world with the kind of personality problems being described here. Finally there's a major plot problem at the end of the book. The "hero" and the bad guys both have incriminating evidence on each other, so the hero is prevented from sending the bad guys to prison. But then, after we're told that the bad guys have succeeded in toppling the President of the United States and bumping off one of the hero's girlfriends, then the hero does go to the authorities and gets the bad guys sent up. There's no explanation of why he couldn't have done that six months earlier and thus saved the President and his girlfriend. (Fortunately, he has a "reserve girlfriend" that he can spend his declining years with, so the loss of one girlfriend is no major problem.) There are some positive things in the book, for example the interesting information about how investment banking and especially a leveraged buyout work. It's also interesting to read about how the stock exchange, and Wall Street in general, functions. But this doesn't make up for the problems I've described above.
Rating: 
Summary: A good, fast, entertaining read, but...
Review: Ok, it's fiction, but you stick to reality as much as possible. Afterall, the description of Wall Street operations is almost real if not exact. The conspiracy & the Pleiade Project may be surreal but we have an idea how powerful people work & conspire against their enemies. Everyone has a shady history, Andrew Falcon inlcuded. The problem is everyone else's story is accounted for, except Andrew Falcon. Here is a guy who is so smart, becomes a partner of a high profile investment company, heading the M&A department. He also graduates from Harvard like the rest. BUT the history check ends there. Nothing is said about his past prior to the Harvard days...except that Andrew is also street smart & able to fight a G-man & his hitman at the former's turf. Now, how convenient & what a combination of skills. It may be the author's style to keep Andrew as mysterious as possible. But after reading the book from cover to cover, I could have been humored by a brief paragraph about his real background & how he managed to go to the authorities without implicating himself (which is another loophole in this book). In any case, The Takeover was an enjoyable read during an idle day. It could have been made better, but it was ok.
Rating: 
Summary: A little problem on the characterization
Review: Ok, it's fiction, but you stick to reality as much as possible. Afterall, the description of Wall Street operations is almost real if not exact. The conspiracy & the Pleiade Project may be surreal but we have an idea how powerful people work & conspire against their enemies. Everyone has a shady history, Andrew Falcon inlcuded. The problem is everyone else's story is accounted for, except Andrew Falcon. Here is a guy who is so smart, becomes a partner of a high profile investment company, heading the M&A department. He also graduates from Harvard like the rest. BUT the history check ends there. Nothing is said about his past prior to the Harvard days...except that Andrew is also street smart & able to fight a G-man & his hitman at the former's turf. Now, how convenient & what a combination of skills. It may be the author's style to keep Andrew as mysterious as possible. But after reading the book from cover to cover, I could have been humored by a brief paragraph about his real background & how he managed to go to the authorities without implicating himself (which is another loophole in this book). In any case, The Takeover was an enjoyable read during an idle day. It could have been made better, but it was ok.
Rating:
Summary: A Shallow Story...
Review: Poor in intelligence, uncontrolled in its development, unmoving -- in short, a disappointing read.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!!!!
Review: The novel pulls you in to this world of immense wealth and power with such seductive force you actually believe it may be for real. The author does a fine job of not revealing everything but strings you along like Andrew Falcon until the climax of the story and then wham!!! everything is disclosed and actually makes sense. The financial world is portrayed in readable details well within the grasp of the average layperson.
Rating:
Summary: A good, fast, entertaining read, but...
Review: the storyline, particularly the motive, were lacking. A very exciting scenario was built throughout the first half of the book, and then we find the motivation for this dastardly plot is...to avoid the estate tax when they die? Implausible. It took the air out of an otherwise fine story. Still worth a read, but this was disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: The Takeover is an excellent book you must read.
Review: The Takeover is a great book that has surprising twists and turns that make it interesting and impossible to put down. Frey does a great job in his first book. I have since read his other books since this first one was so great. You must read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Good exciting book and a fast read
Review: The Takeover was the first "Wallstreet" thriller I've read and it was very enjoyable. It was very suspenseful, but some of the dialog seemed far-fetched and unbelievable, especially when the main character and his secretary are confronted by his business partner. For the most part is was a very entertaining book.
Rating:
Summary: Frey Caught My Attention!
Review: This book grabbed my attention from the start, and kept it all the way through. In fact, I read it in one evening. His plot was good, the characters were conceivable, and you didn't know what to expect from them, or where they were going next. Certainly will read the rest of his books!
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