Black and White Smoke: C-Suite Woes: Subtlety has limits

Multiple Award-winning corporate/financial thriller: Recipient of PenMasters, Firebird, Four Seasons, Literary Titan, and Outstanding Creator awards. The CEO is gone. Two Executives want his chair. Someone in the shadows wants much more. Threats are mounting against an innovative business intelligence firm. AI is shaking things up, and acquiring datacenter capabilities is critical. The firm's CFO, Jon Kiza, a behind-the-scenes operator, hasn't been in the spotlight. But he's thrust into an unexpected race for the top job when the CEO vanishes at the same time as a game-changing deal starts unraveling. In his way stands Paxton Stump, the firm's charismatic rainmaker. A duel between the chess-minded quant and the warrior poet ensues.Guile and patient positioning are pitted against charm and flamboyant thrusts. While on a trip, Jon is put in the crosshairs of alluring forces he didn't see coming. A smear campaign takes shape, and he realizes that far more dangerous threats lurk in the shadows. Cornered, he fights back. Meanwhile, Paxton bags a game-changing deal with a client prospect, but obstacles follow, and the goalposts keep shifting. In this cutthroat world, information is the ultimate leverage. Of the two, who will sway the board? With action spread across Boston, New Haven, London, and Zurich; Black and White Smoke is an international, fast-paced thriller packed with boardroom intrigue, corporate espionage, and unexpected twists and turns. It's perfect for fans of the Succession mini-series, and Reich's The First Billion.