The narrator of this second novel in Sulitzer's trilogy (after Money, French financial wunderkind Franz Cimballi, goes from a poor young man to a multi-millionaire in only four years. Cimballi's self-congratulationhe tells how he dazzled skeptics in Amsterdam and now is compared to a budding Howard Hughesis aggrandizement less pleasing to the reader than the writer (like his narrator, Sulitzer made himself wealthy as a young man). But the soap suds stir up: Cimballi has nearly ruined the rich Martin Yahl, and Yahl warns he will take revenge in kind. To complicate things further, Cimballi tiffs with his wife, in episodes that seem rather contrived. Yet his ingenuity with coffee beans, swampland and rooftop real estate (a scheme called Tennis in the Sky) sparkles. As he at last uncovers the points of attack on his empire, and his unseen foe brings him closer to bankruptcy, the adventure becomes exciting. 20,000 first printing; $20,000 ad/promo. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
