A Golden Fleecing

by Robert Upton

Book Overview

a Golden Fleecing explores computerized piracy in the violent world of international finance through the bemused eyes of a charming protagonist. Reporter Malcolm Shalcross is fired from a promising... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312337302
• ISBN13: 9780312337308
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 242 Pages

Customer Reviews

What a Read - - and then read . . . !

What a Read - - and then read . . . ! Like reading Morgan Robertson's prophetic novel," THE WRECK OF THE TITAN/FUTILITY" (1) while watching the construction of the Titanic, one must keep a split vision on the daily happenings while reading "A GOLDEN FLEECING" (2) by Robert Upton, and remember that this book was written in 1979! Despite a few improbable contrivances and literary conveniences, it is one of the best financial-dealings suspense novels I have read in a long time - - surpassed only by John Grisham's "THE BROKER" (3) - - and truly keeping me on the edge as I mentally plotted out each chapter and scene in the sure-to-be upcoming movie. For whom, upon reading this delicious and fictitious chronicle in Hollywood-Land, would not salivate at the thought of making it into one? Envisioning this, one must find this surely not for an "Arnold" type, but more a Kevin Costner protagonist and, as his cohort/co-star, perhaps, Julia Roberts, with Gary Busey as the vain and intimidating Kurt Hoffman, John Travolta or even Dennis Farina (Get Shorty), as the steaming-with-inferred-violence Dominic Ponzi, and - - given the slight comedic bent - - for "effet parfait," perhaps Julia Louis Dreyfus as Delores, the after-dinner dancer in the mock bullfighting ring, salacious and semi-pseudo-salsa, scene - - and I'm really being semantically liberal in that description. I know this is an older book, complete with the obligatory and stereotypic Swiss funicular ride, but there is so much magic in these older tomes I often find myself engrossed in and drawn to them for diversion from the peripatetic demands of my contemporary life. For a book written in 1979, the depth of computer linguistics and financial particulars are as timely to me as my work at my computer an hour ago. In fact, it is brilliant in that one must keep reminding oneself of the temporal origin of this book. Stunning in its remarkably prophetic narrative, it is like science fiction come alive but without the funnel hat of Tom Terrific or Flash Gordon episodes that nowadays look so old-fashioned and even foolish. I marveled as I read and realized how up to date this all was despite it being almost thirty years from its inception and publication. I kept thinking it was written just a few years ago, and that is a palpably visceral sense as one reads this story. But, beyond all that it is also a simple, yet chillingly breathtaking, intriguing, and tender romp and narrative of those fighting the darker side of financial misdealings - - which also seem to be right out of today's climate. The temporal expanse is stunning and fun, and I recommend such journeys to anyone who takes a broad view of literary excursions, and who wants a bit of escape from - - or improvement to - - the atmosphere of their particular carbon footprint. The only thing I would fault this publication for is the introduction of the secondary character, Peggity Marley, with her "tumbling mane of copper-colored hair,"