What do you think?
Rate this book
Unleashed
In his seventh gripping historical fiction thriller, author F. Mark Granato digs into his own career files to follow the journey of a young disillusioned corporate executive who has stumbled upon a treasonous conspiracy led by a ruthless CEO and his brutally loyal management team. There's something odd about the Chairman's laissez-faire reaction to a horrifying international tragedy that gets under Kevin Keller's skin. An unwitting discovery and his own naive sense of justice in a corporate world that makes its own rules puts his entire family at risk. He knows too much, and for his wife and children to survive, he must die. Set in the age of powerful, cold blooded international conglomerates run by high-octane, "Take no prisoner" CEO's, this edge-of-your-seat page-turner offers shocking glimpses into the the savage world where Fortune 50 corporations routinely ignored or crushed any impediment to "increased share owner value" while lining the pockets of insiders with obscene financial rewards. No excess was out of reach for the Pinstriped suit brigade that controlled Wall Street and the corporate Board Rooms of America. This is a story that will make the Millennial generation cringe.
ebook
Published December 11, 2015
4 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 12, 2016
To anyone who wandered the rarefied halls of corporate America in the late 1980s and 1990s, F. Mark Granato’s latest book feels eerily like “home.” The title, Unleashed, implies a nod to a corporate expression describing the perceived relationship of an executive team to the chief executive officer: “So and so keeps them on a tight leash,” meaning there isn’t much room for dissent or even discussion. The title is also, obviously, a reference to the force of fury after it’s built up – presumably with the implications of the previous nod as its tinder.
The book opens with the explosion of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, at the end of 1988. All 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground died. Of the victims of this first major and perceptibly rare of international terrorist attacks affecting the United States, 192 were Americans and Canadians. Thirty-five were Syracuse University students returning home for the holidays following a study-abroad program. Enter Kevin Keller, a middle-level executive employed by the cultish General Industries Corp. (GIC), a Hartford, Conn.-based holding company where members of the executive team retire or die but never ever leave. A GIC division is a provider of aerospace components to the downed aircraft and Keller, whose motto has been throughout his career, “Do your job,” is one of the GIC recipients of the news at a corporate Christmas party, where it seems people’s first reaction is to the imminent downing of the stock price.
Keller’s motto and personal motivation has always been a means to provide for his family and to keep them safe. So far, he’s been materially rewarded for it, with stock options, bonuses, promotions and perks. These have left him well heeled, if not at least modestly wealthy, at this tipping point in his career.
It is learned that one of the victims of the bombing was a GIC employee returning from a business trip. At this point, it’s also discovered -- perhaps to the surprise of Keller himself -- that while he has a motto, he also has a conscience.
It’s difficult to say much more about Unleashed without spoilers, so I’ll say that I have felt that Granato gets better with every book he writes, and this is, I don’t hesitate to say, his best yet. He has built his body of work on historical research, but with each book he is able more deftly to weave the historical elements into a compelling plot, to the point where the story and characters interact seamlessly with the details of the context of the story’s timeline. It’s important in terms of the history of Unleashed to note that these were the days before the world wide web began to stitch together a global market, when workplace denizens still thought email was really neat, and the rise of the corporate mogul to near rock star status had yet to happen. The early 90s heralded the rise of the 401K, that boondoggle of corporate scams designed to replace solid pensions. It began a time when even the average worker became convinced that he or she, too, could be a Wall Street tycoon. Business coverage in the media moved from the Wall Street Journal’s arcane pages to, well, everywhere. Terrorism seemed a remote factor, at least from the U.S. point of view, it was difficult to know what was really happening inside corporate American, and the world really did seem like an oyster.
That is initially the world of Kevin Keller and his family until his conscience starts to nag him. Then he begins to stretch his own leash to a breaking point.
Unleashed is an incisive, accurate portrayal of the human condition and the relationships that define us all. What happens to Keller and, later, to the other protagonist in the book, Tom Pulling, reminds me of a conversation between the comic book characters The Punisher and Daredevil (I pull out this analogy because I’m the father of an 18-year-old Marvel fan, but it’s apt). As the anti-hero tells the hero, “You’re just one bad day away from being me.”
The book opens with the explosion of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, at the end of 1988. All 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground died. Of the victims of this first major and perceptibly rare of international terrorist attacks affecting the United States, 192 were Americans and Canadians. Thirty-five were Syracuse University students returning home for the holidays following a study-abroad program. Enter Kevin Keller, a middle-level executive employed by the cultish General Industries Corp. (GIC), a Hartford, Conn.-based holding company where members of the executive team retire or die but never ever leave. A GIC division is a provider of aerospace components to the downed aircraft and Keller, whose motto has been throughout his career, “Do your job,” is one of the GIC recipients of the news at a corporate Christmas party, where it seems people’s first reaction is to the imminent downing of the stock price.
Keller’s motto and personal motivation has always been a means to provide for his family and to keep them safe. So far, he’s been materially rewarded for it, with stock options, bonuses, promotions and perks. These have left him well heeled, if not at least modestly wealthy, at this tipping point in his career.
It is learned that one of the victims of the bombing was a GIC employee returning from a business trip. At this point, it’s also discovered -- perhaps to the surprise of Keller himself -- that while he has a motto, he also has a conscience.
It’s difficult to say much more about Unleashed without spoilers, so I’ll say that I have felt that Granato gets better with every book he writes, and this is, I don’t hesitate to say, his best yet. He has built his body of work on historical research, but with each book he is able more deftly to weave the historical elements into a compelling plot, to the point where the story and characters interact seamlessly with the details of the context of the story’s timeline. It’s important in terms of the history of Unleashed to note that these were the days before the world wide web began to stitch together a global market, when workplace denizens still thought email was really neat, and the rise of the corporate mogul to near rock star status had yet to happen. The early 90s heralded the rise of the 401K, that boondoggle of corporate scams designed to replace solid pensions. It began a time when even the average worker became convinced that he or she, too, could be a Wall Street tycoon. Business coverage in the media moved from the Wall Street Journal’s arcane pages to, well, everywhere. Terrorism seemed a remote factor, at least from the U.S. point of view, it was difficult to know what was really happening inside corporate American, and the world really did seem like an oyster.
That is initially the world of Kevin Keller and his family until his conscience starts to nag him. Then he begins to stretch his own leash to a breaking point.
Unleashed is an incisive, accurate portrayal of the human condition and the relationships that define us all. What happens to Keller and, later, to the other protagonist in the book, Tom Pulling, reminds me of a conversation between the comic book characters The Punisher and Daredevil (I pull out this analogy because I’m the father of an 18-year-old Marvel fan, but it’s apt). As the anti-hero tells the hero, “You’re just one bad day away from being me.”
March 16, 2016
A top executive at General Industries Corporation shares a thought with his highly paid assistant:
"It's all about the money, Kevin. And when you've made enough of that, it's all about the power."
Corporate greed and corruption may be at the center of "Unleashed", but while the corporation is the catalyst, the heart of Mark Granato's newest work--and the real story--lies in Kevin Keller's response:
"But at what price?"
Kevin Keller knows he's already paying a price. He's beginning to understand exactly what his salary, stock options, benefit packages and all his corporate perks are costing him. His marriage is deteriorating, his children are growing distant, and he is so consumed with self loathing that he can almost feel his soul being shredded.
But it isn't until Kevin confronts his bosses about GIC's illegal and unethical practices that Kevin's professional and personal crises come to a head. Spurred into action, Keller can no longer stay silent.
And here, as Granato shifts focus from corporate offices to Kevin Keller's imperfect humanity, begins the meat and the meaning of "Unleashed".
Suddenly, "Unleashed" morphs into a highly readable, fast paced suspense novel. Tense and action-packed, it becomes a story of personal struggle and survival...one that we can all--on some level--relate to. No MBA is required to identify with Kevin Keller's anger, frustration and fear. No degree in business is necessary to appreciate the evolution of Keller's psyche amid the almost palpable suspense.
I truly enjoyed and recommend "Unleashed". The events are timely, believable, and downright frightening. But it is Granato's insight to his characters, particularly Keller, that makes the novel resonate and come to life.
"It's all about the money, Kevin. And when you've made enough of that, it's all about the power."
Corporate greed and corruption may be at the center of "Unleashed", but while the corporation is the catalyst, the heart of Mark Granato's newest work--and the real story--lies in Kevin Keller's response:
"But at what price?"
Kevin Keller knows he's already paying a price. He's beginning to understand exactly what his salary, stock options, benefit packages and all his corporate perks are costing him. His marriage is deteriorating, his children are growing distant, and he is so consumed with self loathing that he can almost feel his soul being shredded.
But it isn't until Kevin confronts his bosses about GIC's illegal and unethical practices that Kevin's professional and personal crises come to a head. Spurred into action, Keller can no longer stay silent.
And here, as Granato shifts focus from corporate offices to Kevin Keller's imperfect humanity, begins the meat and the meaning of "Unleashed".
Suddenly, "Unleashed" morphs into a highly readable, fast paced suspense novel. Tense and action-packed, it becomes a story of personal struggle and survival...one that we can all--on some level--relate to. No MBA is required to identify with Kevin Keller's anger, frustration and fear. No degree in business is necessary to appreciate the evolution of Keller's psyche amid the almost palpable suspense.
I truly enjoyed and recommend "Unleashed". The events are timely, believable, and downright frightening. But it is Granato's insight to his characters, particularly Keller, that makes the novel resonate and come to life.
March 21, 2016
F. Mark Granato's seventh book, Unleashed, takes readers on a historical fiction adventure through corporate greed, international relations, unrestrained power and the cost of exposing the truth. Unleashed keeps readers on the edge of their seats, chasing justice through a sticky web of hidden connections and vengeance.
Unleashed's action kicks off from the very beginning of the story when protagonist Kevin Keller discovers a shameful secret, that if left to its own devices, has the power to destroy families, communities, businesses and global safety worldwide. Keller steps into a mission seeking to right what has gone wrong, not realizing how far the ripples from one action can truly travel.
Readers of Unleashed will enjoy a page-turning experience on this mission for truth and justice. While reading, you'll find yourself holding your breath, anticipating the next step and rooting for unlikely heroes and alliances to conquer the enemy. F. Mark Granato's incomparable talent of weaving factual details from the tragic 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, into this fiction thriller is a standout quality that will quickly move this book to the top of your favorites list. Newcomers and veteran-Granato readers alike will find this book difficult to put down. Unleashed is a powerful story that stays with the reader long after the final page has been turned.
Unleashed's action kicks off from the very beginning of the story when protagonist Kevin Keller discovers a shameful secret, that if left to its own devices, has the power to destroy families, communities, businesses and global safety worldwide. Keller steps into a mission seeking to right what has gone wrong, not realizing how far the ripples from one action can truly travel.
Readers of Unleashed will enjoy a page-turning experience on this mission for truth and justice. While reading, you'll find yourself holding your breath, anticipating the next step and rooting for unlikely heroes and alliances to conquer the enemy. F. Mark Granato's incomparable talent of weaving factual details from the tragic 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, into this fiction thriller is a standout quality that will quickly move this book to the top of your favorites list. Newcomers and veteran-Granato readers alike will find this book difficult to put down. Unleashed is a powerful story that stays with the reader long after the final page has been turned.
March 18, 2018
Riveting
So much of this can be true. There are always ruthless people in corporate America. Workers are the ones who lose the most. Author did a great job of keeping the reader's attention and exciting story..
So much of this can be true. There are always ruthless people in corporate America. Workers are the ones who lose the most. Author did a great job of keeping the reader's attention and exciting story..
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews