Power Play

Jake Landry, a junior executive at the Hammond Aerospace Corporation, reluctantly attends a corporate retreat when his boss falls ill at the last minute. The retreat brings together Hammond's new CEO and her top executives at a remote lodge in British Columbia. The gathering takes an unexpected turn when armed men infiltrate the lodge and take the executives hostage. With millions in ransom at stake and lives on the line, Jake's hidden past and unique skills become crucial to the group's survival. The story moves between the present crisis and flashbacks that reveal Jake's complicated history, while corporate power dynamics and personal rivalries continue to simmer beneath the surface of the hostage situation. The isolation of the wilderness lodge and the harsh weather add mounting pressure to an already tense scenario. This thriller explores themes of identity, power, and how people's true nature emerges in moments of extreme crisis. The corporate world serves as both setting and metaphor, as hierarchies and appearances prove meaningless when survival is at stake.

Readers describe Power Play as a fast-paced corporate thriller that keeps them engaged through a single-day timeline. Many readers finished it in one sitting. Readers appreciated: - Quick pace and building tension - Realistic corporate politics and dynamics - Clear, straightforward writing style - Jake Landry as a relatable protagonist - Accurate technical and aviation details Common criticisms: - Predictable plot twists - Underdeveloped supporting characters - Rushed ending - Some found the premise implausible Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (5,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (280+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.7/5 (150+ ratings) Sample reader comments: "Couldn't put it down but the ending felt too convenient" - Goodreads reviewer "The corporate setting feels authentic but the action scenes strain credibility" - Amazon reviewer "Great airplane read but not much substance" - LibraryThing reviewer

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🔹 Joseph Finder spent three years researching cutting-edge security technology and interviewing CEOs, security experts, and hostage negotiators to create the authentic corporate thriller atmosphere in Power Play. 🔹 The book's setting, a remote corporate retreat in the wilderness, was inspired by actual executive team-building programs used by major companies like Microsoft and Goldman Sachs. 🔹 The average ransom demand in real-life executive kidnapping cases (upon which parts of the plot are based) is approximately $2 million, though some have exceeded $30 million. 🔹 Author Joseph Finder previously worked for the CIA and has been called "the CEO of the corporate thriller" by Publishers Weekly. 🔹 The book's depiction of executive security measures reflects a real trend - Fortune 500 companies spend an average of $126,000 annually on security for each top executive.