This thriller is a little like a throw-back to the 1970s. The trouble is, the author's heart doesn't seem to be in it. Long lectures about financial matters, culled from financial journals, the internet or The Economist really don't make for a good novel, thriller or no. This story meanders slowly and predictably through a kidnap plot, adding a South American flavour, but none of this livens up a very tired idea. A disappointment.