The Inner Sanctum

by Stephen W. Frey

David Mitchell, fast-rising portfolio manager at the exclusive Sagamore Investment Managing Group, has just been handed his future on a golden platter. If all goes according to plan, a struggling plane-manufacturing company will win a coveted government defense contract . . . and David himself will become very, very rich. Gaining the trust of IRS agent Jesse Hayes is a crucial part of the scheme. But the unwitting recruit has troubles of her own. Her boss has been found dead, and incriminating tax files level suspicion at a high-profile senatorial candidate.

As the pieces of an explosive puzzle fall into place, David and Jesse realize they are pawns in a top-secret billion-dollar conspiracy stretching from the frenzy of Wall Street to the darkest corridors of Washington D.C., where a shocking military secret lies hidden.

With tensions mounting, the lines between money and politics, and life and death, become razor-thin. . . .

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Political Thriller

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

For the last 15 years I’ve been lucky enough to be a novelist. Until recently the books were set in the worlds of Wall Street and Washington. In addition to writing, I’ve also had a career in finance with specialties including merger & acquisition advisory and private equity at firms like J.P. Morgan in New York City and Winston Partners just outside D.C. in northern Virginia.

So, it seemed natural to write about those two worlds and, fortunately, the publishing industry agreed. My first book was published in 1995, The Takeover; about a secret group of men who were trying to destroy the U.S. monetary system by engineering a massive corporate takeover. I have followed The Takeover with 13 more novels all set in high-level finance and national politics.

Recently, I decided to alter the theme. The novels will still have a financial focus, but Wall Street won’t be the backdrop. We’ll get out into the world more. And there will be a man versus nature element for the hero in every novel. Hell’s Gate, available August 2009, is set in Montana and involves forest fires and why many of them start.

I live in southwest Florida with my wife, Diana, and we have since 2004 after moving down here from northern Virginia. Given the new direction of my books, it seems like a hurricane ought to make an appearance in a novel sometime soon.

Reviews

[Johnny G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a taut political thriller, but this book is basically just a bunch of young college graduates running around double dealing, trying to get a leg up in a Washington investment company that is corrupt. The dialogue is so cliche and unoriginal I thought that this was a script from a fifth grade play. There are a couple side stories, the one with the assassin I enjoyed, but others are not necessary in this book. I don't know whole lot about Steven Frey but I will not be reading any more of his books in the near future.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first couple hundred pages of this one were a mess of confusion - too many characters, too many settings, characters sometimes called by their first name and sometimes by their last, and characters interacting in different settings with different characters. I found myself at one point saying, "Hey, there are two characters named David?" and I had to go back and reread a section to figure out that they were the same character. And it's not like I spread the reading out too long - it took me 11 days to read this book.

There's no discernible protagonist or antagonist through the first half, either. You think the protagonist is Jesse, but she's barely in it.

But if you can get past the first two hundred pages or so, it starts picking up steam and actually gets pretty good. The characters begin to take shape and Frey sticks with the same characters steadily.

I'd rate it 2.5 stars, but I rounded up because it had a strong ending.

[Andrew Langert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an older book (1997) by an author who does a reasonable job of creating a setting in a business environment. This is a thriller with clear good guys, clear bad guys and a couple of characters you are never sure about. An investment fund is manipulating government and Defense Department officials to ensure fat profits for their fund (and themselves). They are knocking off anyone in their way, except for one female IRS agent who is attempting to get to the bottom of this scheme while staying alive in the process.
The flow of this book is quite choppy as the scene shifts from chapter to chapter. There are quite a few characters also, further adding to the confusion. You don’t really get to know any of the characters except to know whether they are good guys or bad guys (plus the two or three characters you aren’t sure about).
The hijinks in this book were too over-the-top for me. I hope things aren’t as corrupt as portrayed here. This never felt realistic to me.

[Joel Ungar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I eagerly looked forward to reading this novel after having read two other works by Stephen Frey. This one was definitely a disappointment. Frey has also stepped partially away from the financial world with this one and seems to be on somewhat unfamiliar ground.

Once again the main characters come from impoverished backgrounds that they prefer to hide - where have we heard that before? David Mitchell is almost a cookie cutter copy of Andrew Falcon and Mace McClain, although a bit more suspicious. At least the ending was a bit different from the Frey formula of the previous two books.

I would have given this book 1 star except the last 100 pages or so were pretty gripping.

[Grada (BoekenTrol)]

This book has been sitting on my shelf way too long.
And now I started it, I can't get into it.
Started, put it away, started again, same result. I'm giving up, although the teaser " Grisham meets Ludlum" really should mean this is a book I would probably like.

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this almost exactly sixteen years ago, and don't really remember it. I wrote then: An okay conspiracy thriller about an investment managing firm, defense department contracts, and who gets caught in the middle.

[Justine Van Wyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Inner Sanctum" by Stephen Frey is a riveting thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The story follows David Mitchell, a talented portfolio manager, as he becomes entangled in a high-stakes scheme that could make him incredibly wealthy. The intricate plot involves government defense contracts, IRS investigations, and a political scandal that reaches the highest echelons of power.

Frey's masterful storytelling weaves a complex web of intrigue, where characters like David and IRS agent Jesse Hayes find themselves unwittingly caught in a billion-dollar conspiracy. The book skillfully blends elements of finance, politics, and suspense, creating a gripping narrative that explores the fine line between wealth and power.

As the tension mounts, the characters must navigate a treacherous path where the boundaries between money, politics, and life itself blur into a thrilling and thought-provoking tale. "The Inner Sanctum" is a page-turner that will leave you eagerly anticipating each twist and turn. Stephen Frey delivers a five-star thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

[Monzenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Low four stars, high three stars at times. The amount of financial info to others is the lowest here among the Frey books I've read so far. Further, the Twilight-esque love triangle wasn't really doing much for the story, and the reactions seemed a bit over the top at times. Still, I found the main characters and villains competent enough, and what lacked in financial fiction goodness was made up by the twists and turns.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, you just need to hunker down with a classic Wall Street thriller full of deception, corruption, political greed and lots of wondering things like ... Who in the world is telling the truth? Who's the good guy? and Who can we trust? You get just that with this one! A solid fast reading mystery!!

[Helene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good political thriller, tight, twisty plotting.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

very exciting read!

[Debby Ledonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read...lots to learn about the financial world. Timely in this age of greed & power.

Things wrapped up too neatly at the end.

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting read, eerily along the same lines as the Stacey Abrams book, even though from 1997. Prescient re the important role of the Capitol Police

[Sharyn Wheatley]

very good

[Melissa Jaillet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok Book

[tiberius · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really interesting but quite hard to get into considering the fact that there's a new character in every chapter. Literally, I was jotting their names down on the desk, trying to keep up with it.
I also didn't want Todd to die, even if he did turned out to be a selfish jerk. Oh well.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fourth Frey book and I have scored each one 5*. The plot is superbly structured and gathers momentum towards the final thrilling finale. The storyline is similar to other of his books (that I have read so far) in that 1 or 2 central characters from the financial world become involved in some high powered skullduggery, this time by senior political figures. Michael Palmer writes similar structured plots, but his involves medical characters instead of financial ones. Provided that you can accept that ordinary people can suddenly face up to the professional bad guys then you're in for a treat.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice read, a thriller form the odd time span between end of the cold war and before 9/11.
The story revolves around financial high risk investment and political manipulation. The "heroes" in Frey's entertaining novel are a ambitious young IRS agent and a not less ambitious portfolio manager working for a prestigious investment company.
It goes without saying that the story is full of twists, and you are not likely to spot all of them beforehand.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

His third time out, The Inner Sanctum is a 1997 financial thriller from Stephen Frey.

Thriller - IRS agent Jesse Hayes receives a message warning her of senatorial candidate Elbridge Coleman. Hayes has the information to derail him, but a killer is on her trail. David Mitchell works for an investment firm and hopes a company he backed wins a huge contract. They meet, are attracted, and then seemingly wind up on opposite sides.

[Gerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Normally I rate books as "Page turners" or "Page flippers" the later meaning books that are full of pages which add very litle or nothing to the actual story, basically very long descriptions or meaningless dialogues, were you flipp through the pages.
I've found most of Stephen Freys books to be page turners, however this one is very much a "Page Flipper". The plot is interesting but there's too much bla bla. Definitively it's not the best of Mr. Frey

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows a high level cabal of money managers and politicians seeking to make money from insider deals. David Mitchell a money manager and Jesse Hayes a young IRS agent are caught up in it. Can they escape with their lives and break up the cabal. Very similar to The Takeover Ok read

[Rupesh Goenka · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is a story of corruption, blackmail, betrayal & scams on the Wall Street coinciding with the election campaign. Multiple stories run parallel together & culminate in the end. The confusion of characterization & an ailing end makes the book an average read. Best Line --- MONEY TALKS & BULLSHIT WALKS...

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wheeling and dealing in the Senate/pentagon/money markets to award DOD contracts through black budgets. Murder and mayhem abound.
Intricate plot (I got lost in a little bit of it) but well-written. Okay if you like this kind of story.

[Rohit Enghakat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would rate this as 4 since the book was fast paced and the plot was good. Initially when I read some of the reviews out here I was skeptical and feared the worst. But the book belied all my expectations. In fact the suspense is good right till the end and the plot was decent.

[Gay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Are Stephen W. Frey and Stephen Frey the same guy? I am confused. Plus the stories do tend to run together. I don't read these; I listen to them.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really fun read, but pretty predictable and a bit of a quick and simple ending.

[Weslyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining beach book This will make you question just what government is really capable of doing and hope you're wrong.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who'd a thunk an exciting, plot driven thriller would emerge from financial analysts at the IRS...a gritty young female IRS agent uncovers a Military-Industrial cabal rigging elections...fun read

[Tommy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Complete waste of time. Not clever or smart. What a disappointment!