There is so much masterfully crafted suspense in this twisting tale of corporate espionage that the blurbs of praise on the back cover are actually justified. Joseph Finder ("High Crimes") takes his 26-year old, low-level-employee hero Adam Cassidy into the rarefied atmosphere of the high tech empire known as the Trion Corporation, then gets him blackmailed into becoming a spy for their biggest competitor.

On this mission, which is not without its extreme dangers and dreamy conquests, we learn a thing or two about how executives at the top of the food chain operate, and the premium that a big business puts on harnessing the cutting edge of computer technology. There's much, too, about the intricacies of spycraft between and among lofty circles of finance.

For all his training and preparation, Cassidy is over his head in a competitive, paranoid culture that challenges him for proof that he's as good as his carefully crafted reputation. Skillfully using the knowledge imparted to him by his handlers in order to convince the doubters of his credentials and expertise, his job as "junior products line manager for routers" at Wyatt Telecom gets "upgraded." He's as surprised as anyone to find himself the major contributor to their famed Lucid Project--exactly the goal of the spy game.

But inner conflicts and ethical doubts about what brought him his sudden rise are shaded by the political resentments in the boardroom when CEO Jock Goddard takes to his no-bullshit honesty and appoints him his personal assistant. Insight and quick intelligence become his lifelines as he squirms and swims among the sharks.

A dazzlingly well-researched piece of thriller virtuosity without a serial killer or detective in sight. It's already optioned as a film.