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Stephen Frey

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The Chairman: A Novel (Christian Gillette) Paperback – December 27, 2005

by Stephen Frey (Author)

4.3 564 ratings

Book 1 of 4: Christian Gillette

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No one knows the dark side of “The Street” better than master storyteller Stephen Frey, author of such riveting novels as Shadow Account and The Day Trader. Now, in his most ambitious work to date, Frey proves that no writer can put a high-powered hero at greater risk, nor offer readers more thrilling rewards.
A towering legend among New York private equity partnerships, Everest Capital is aptly named. When its founder meets an untimely death, thirty-six-year-old superstar Christian Gillette gets the top job. But with the power and prestige come risks. The day he narrowly escapes a fiery explosion that consumes his limo and takes two innocent lives, Gillette instantly understands how intense those risks are.

It comes as no surprise to him that he has enemies in the world of multibillion—dollar deals. But now that he controls Everest, he’s not going to let those enemies keep him from taking the firm–and himself–to even greater heights. Gillette has never hesitated to be aggressive, even ruthless, in his pursuit of success. This time will be no exception.

But in order to forge the alliances necessary to achieve his goals, Gillette forsakes a cardinal rule: Never trust anyone. The only certainties are the insidious campaign of corporate sabotage that could cost Gillette his job and the relentless assassination attempts that could cost him his life. To break a deadly conspiracy of greed, he’ll be forced to walk–then run–an ever-blurring line between loyalty and betrayal, attack and retreat, survival and destruction . . . in the ultimate game of profit and loss.

With The Chairman, Stephen Frey presides with intensified skill over the market he has so dramatically cornered–sharpening his patented brand of hard-boiled high-finance intrigue to its keenest cutting edge yet.

Book 1 of 4

Christian Gillette
Print length

432 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Fawcett
Publication date

December 27, 2005
Dimensions

5.75 x 1.25 x 6.75 inches
ISBN-10

0345457617
ISBN-13

978-0345457615
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Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR STEPHEN FREY

The Chairman
“A great read all the way. Wall Street’s dark side is brilliantly portrayed by Stephen Frey. This is a high-stakes power play at its most ferocious level. Read it!”
–DONALD J. TRUMP

Shadow Account
“Action-packed . . . Bookkeeping chicanery, insider trading, and other big-business conspiracies abound.”
–The Wall Street Journal

“This is the sort of fiction that skates dangerously close to truth.”
–Los Angeles Times

“Deft suspense . . . wickedly good.”
–Forbes

Silent Partner
“Fast-moving, zestful, stirring . . . full of twists and surprises . . . compelling characters.”
–Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Danger and deception dominate. . . . A worthy counterpart to Frey’s previous bestselling novels.”
–New York Daily News

“Springs plenty of surprises . . . In Silent Partner, the villains are seldom what they seem–nor are the heroes.”
–Orlando Sentinel

About the Author

STEPHEN FREY is a managing director at a northern Virginia private equity firm. He previously worked in mergers and acquisitions at J. P. Morgan and as a vice president of corporate finance at an international bank in Manhattan. Frey is also the bestselling author of Shadow Account, Silent Partner, The Day Trader, Trust Fund, The Insider, The Legacy, The Inner Sanctum, The Vulture Fund, and The Takeover.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The chairman of a large private equity firm is the ultimate decision maker. Which companies to buy. How many billions to pay. Who to hire as CEO. How many millions to pay.

If his judgment is flawed, the chairman loses everything. Maybe even his freedom. But if he negotiates the lies, lawsuits, and vendettas that haunt his world, he becomes one of the richest and most powerful men on earth.

Christian Gillette gazed out from the pulpit at a grim-faced congregation, then down on an open coffin—and Bill Donovan’s face. Until two days ago, Donovan had been the chairman.

Gillette was just thirty-six, but suddenly that enormous responsibility had been thrust upon him, the decision to promote him made by a razor-thin majority of Everest Capital investors late yesterday at the climax of an emotionally charged meeting held in a conference room overlooking Wall Street. The controversial vote had come within three days of Donovan’s death—as stipulated in the partnership’s operating agreement.

“The world has lost a great man,” Gillette declared, ending his brief eulogy. Donovan wouldn’t have wanted something long and drawn out. He’d been obsessive about efficiency—and the lesson had been learned.

As Gillette stepped down from the pulpit, he heard the muffled sobs of family, the stony silence of enemies. Donovan had touched many lives for better and worse. It was the inevitable consequence of being chairman.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Ann,” Gillette said quietly, getting down on one knee before the veiled widow in the front pew. “We all admired Bill very much.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Gillette rose and moved deliberately up the cathedral’s center aisle, pausing to acknowledge high-profile guests: George Stockman, U.S. senator from New York; Richard Harris, CEO of U.S. Petroleum; Jeremy Cole, quarterback of the New York Giants; Miles Whitman, chief investment officer of North America Guaranty & Life; Thomas Warfield, president of J.P. Morgan Chase. Each one standing up well before Gillette reached him. Pledging their loyalty and assistance in low voices after taking one of his hands in both of theirs. Each with a different agenda, but all focused on one thing: Gillette’s sudden control of billions.

Gillette gave them a subtle nod in return, studying their expressions with his piercing gray eyes. Gauging their sincerity. For the first time truly experiencing the power he now wielded. The three men who until yesterday had been his equals—Troy Mason, Ben Cohen, and Nigel Faraday—trailing him at a respectful distance as he worked his way up the maroon carpet. Not until Gillette had made it to the back of the church did the congregation begin filing out.

Dark clouds hung low over New York City and raw November gusts whipped trash and newspapers down Park Avenue as Gillette moved through the church’s arched double doorway. It had been a warm autumn—until the day of Donovan’s death.

Gillette paused at the top of the marble steps leading to the sidewalk, taking in the scents of wood smoke and caramel wafting from a street vendor’s cart. Taking in the moment. He’d dedicated the last ten years of his life to Everest—the powerful Manhattan-based private equity firm Donovan had founded two decades ago with just $25 million of limited partner commitments. Typically logging eighty hours a week for the firm. Rarely taking a vacation day. Suddenly, that sacrifice had paid the ultimate dividend.

A pretty blond woman walking past the church flashed Gillette a coy smile. He watched her move down the sidewalk, looking away when she glanced at him again over her shoulder. He’d been seriously involved with just two women during the last ten years, both of whom had left after only a few months when they realized they’d always come in second to Everest. The lack of companionship only made his desire that much stronger.

As the woman neared the limousine waiting to take him to the cemetery, Gillette allowed himself a final glimpse.

“Come on, Chris,” Cohen urged, clasping Gillette’s elbow and pulling him down the stairs. “You don’t have time for eye candy right now. We’ve got to get you to the cemetery.”

Until yesterday, Cohen and Gillette had been equals. Together with Mason and Faraday, they’d formed the managing partner team supporting Donovan. But now he’d risen above them. Now he had absolute power. There would be jealousy, maybe worse.

“Take your hand off me,” Gillette ordered. “And, Ben, from now on call me Christian.” He watched Cohen’s demeanor chill, but he didn’t care. He was going to establish dominance quickly. “Understand?”

“Is that a sine qua non?” Cohen asked solemnly.

Gillette’s right hand contracted slowly into a fist. He hated Cohen’s habit of using Latin. “Dead languages don’t impress me.” He’d been waiting a long time to say that.

Cohen’s lower lip quivered ever so slightly. “So it starts already?”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Cohen hesitated. “Christian.”

As they reached the bottom step, a heavyset chauffeur emerged from the limousine and lumbered toward the back. The instant the chauffeur lifted the passenger door handle, the limousine exploded in a brilliant flash of white and yellow light, killing him and the blond woman walking past. The massive concussion spewed jagged metal fragments hundreds of feet in all directions.

Gillette brought his arms to his face but he was a fraction of a second too late.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fawcett; Reprint edition (December 27, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0345457617
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0345457615
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1.25 x 6.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,466,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8,966 in Political Thrillers (Books)
- #55,977 in Suspense Thrillers
- #284,510 in Genre Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.3 564 ratings

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Stephen Frey

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Stephen Frey has written 18 novels. The latest, a political thriller entitled, ARCTIC FIRE, was published by Thomas & Mercer (Amazon Publishing) in October 2012. The sequel to ARCTIC FIRE, entitled RED CELL SEVEN, is scheduled for release by Thomas & Mercer in January 2014. The series follows the activities of RED CELL SEVEN, a top-secret intelligence group which has no formal reporting responsibilities to anyone inside the United States government and funds itself entirely with private sector money. Stephen is currently working on the third book in the series, KODIAK SKY, which is scheduled for release by Thomas & Mercer in January 2015.

Stephen began his career in finance, working at JP Morgan's New York City office in the mergers and acquisitions department before moving to Washington, DC in 1999 to work at Winston Partners in the group's private equity business. At Winston he led the investment into and chaired three of the firm's portfolio companies.

His first 14 novels involved the financial world, beginning with THE TAKEOVER which was published by Penguin Putnam in 1995.

In order, his other works are: THE VULTURE FUND (1996), THE INNER SANCTUM (1997), THE LEGACY (1998), THE INSIDER (1999), TRUST FUND (2001), THE DAY TRADER (2002), SILENT PARTNER (2003), SHADOW ACCOUNT (2004), THE CHAIRMAN (2005), THE PROTEGE (2005), THE POWER BROKER (2006); THE SUCCESSOR (2007), THE FOURTH ORDER (2007), FORCED OUT (2008), HELL'S GATE (2009) and HEAVEN'S FURY (2010). The first four novels were published by Penguin Putnam, the next 10 by Random House, the next 3 by Simon & Schuster and Stephen is published by Thomas & Mercer.

Stephen lives in northern Virginia, is an avid fisherman and has three wonderful daughters: Christina, Ashley and Gabriella.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

564 global ratings

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Larry

wow!

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024

Verified Purchase

A great read. Lots of angles with a different threat at each one. It started a little slow but picked up fast and I couldn’t put it down. I never knew what was coming next.

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Jake Hill

You think you know what is going on, but you don't really.

Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The author occasionally throw in little surprises to keep the story interesting. Many times when a story jumps from character to character I find it difficult to keep track of the storyline. Although Stephen Frey jumped from character to character often I found it easy to follow the storyline and it kept any part of the story from getting boring. Looking forward to reading another Stephen Frey book to see if he can keep me as interested in the story as he did in The Chairman.

One person found this helpful

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Michael L. Slavin

Very Good Frey

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2006

Verified Purchase

Christian Gillette,just 36, is promoted by a narrow vote to be The Chairman of Everest Capital, a premier private equity firm in New York City following the untimely death of his predecessor. Lot's of excitement comes from the plot. Including parts played by some of his former colleagues who had been managing partners in the firm,a U.S. Senator with Presidential ambitions,a chief investment officer of the country's largest insurance company, two brothers ex FBI agents offering worldwide security services and a competitor from another large equity firm. Did the former chairman die of natural causes? Who was attempting to murder Christian Gillette and why? You'll find out as you quickly turn these pages.

2 people found this helpful

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Mark Werlein

Not Too Deep

Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2012

Verified Purchase

Good light reading. Some good surprises and not a lot of dropped material. His inner battles are presented in a somewhat melodramatic way.

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M. R.

Thank you Stephen Frey

Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2010

Verified Purchase

I spent my Hawaiian vacation with Stephen Frey! Well, with his books, that is.

This is exactly the type of book I like to read.... one that grabs my attention, and demands that I ignore everything (and everyone)else. And even better, it's part of a series of books... so I know what I'm going to read next. I've shared this book with friends and family, who have enjoyed it equally.

One person found this helpful

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Eric hornquist

Great read!

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2016

Verified Purchase

This should definitely become a movie! It has a beautiful plot and more twists and turns to count. You can not tell exactly who to root for as the story unfolds and the focus shifts from one direction to the next. I loved every second reading it! Super job!

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

The Chairman

Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2018

Verified Purchase

Extraordinary
Seldom read a so captivating, well written thriller.
Realistic and describing corporate cultures where competition mixes with regulations and human qualities.
I go on with this author and thanks to kindle!

One person found this helpful

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Farmer

Power of money

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

I like the thrust of Frey's books and the fact that you might not be able to guess the outcome until the last few pages, but they are starting to get a little wordy and splintered. In this book as with many of Frey's books people do almost anything for money and power. Even your "best
friend can become your foe if offered enough money.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Ken

Good read.

Reviewed in Canada on October 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

An interesting read especially if you ever wonder how the politics of wall street is driven by power and money and certainly not the clients it claims to serve. Entertaining with unpredictable twists and turns.

greg

Excellent read. Written by someone who understands how high ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2017

Verified Purchase

Excellent read. Written by someone who understands how high level corporate really works and can weave it into an entertaining novel. Even contains a few worthwile tips for real world management of high achieving protegees.

Harsh Pande

A Disappointing Financial Thriller

Reviewed in India on November 13, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is a "Financial Thriller". This book is about a private equity firm Everest Capital. The book begins with the death (murder?) of its Chairman Donovan. There are four partners left and they fight for becoming the new chairman. Gillette gets the job after Board of Directors meeting. Other three are jealous. They all conspire against each other. But Gillette is very shrewd. He catches (or conspires to catch?) one of the partners in a compromising position with a woman and fires him. Everest’s main competitor is Apex Capital. There are other players in the book – a Senator (Stockman), a congressman, a security company and its two founders. Stockman announces his candidacy for President of United States and he wants Everest Capital to endorse him and give him. Everest owns a media company. Stockman wants to control this media company. There are too many things going on all around. Everyone wants to screw everyone else. No one can be trusted. It is all about money and control. All women are shown as sexual objects. A new fund is being launched. The Senator Stockman plays the two private equity firms against each other. There is an oil exploration company that is exploring some oil fields in Alaska. They find a huge oil reserve, but the owner does not want anyone to know before IPO and kills the engineer who found the deposit. Anyway, there is too much action including some murders, shootings, bomb explosions etc. While it is a page turner and I had to know what happens in the end, but I did not care for the author's writing style, the characters, their dialogues etc. I thought I have found a new financial thriller writer and will read more of his books. But I don't think that I will.