The Deal

Adam Gittlin
Oceanview Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9781933515137
Reviewed by Nikki Pringle for Reader Views (5/08)


In “The Deal” author Adam Gittlin lures his readers into the fast-paced, high-adrenaline world of commercial real estate with a main character, Jonah Gray, whom you can’t help but root for to come out on top in the end. Jonah is still young, but he is already one of the top brokers in one of the most prestigious firms in Manhattan. He seems to have it all; a skyrocketing career, a Park Avenue penthouse, great friends, and all of the money, sex and drugs he wants when he wants them.

When what could be the biggest deal of his career seemingly falls in his lap through his connection with a childhood friend, Jonah and his team get right to work without questioning why such a large deal needs to happen so quickly. They see the dollar signs and the name recognition that closing this deal can bring to each of them individually as well as to their firm and go on the attack to get the buyer what he wants. During the whirlwind three weeks they spend trying to nail things down, Jonah meets Angie, a girl who turns out to be more than he bargained for, and that same night unknowingly comes into possession of an item that someone wants back, no matter the cost.

In between constant calls from Angie, run-ins with the law, guns being pointed in his face and he himself pointing guns at other people, Jonah starts to put together the pieces of the puzzle his life has become and starts trying to figure out who has been setting him up, and for what.

After a slow start, Gittlin gets things moving along quite nicely. He does a great job writing the dialogue between his characters in such a way you can almost hear the conversation playing out as it appears on the pages. Jonah does and says a lot of things that should be out of character for such an upstanding citizen, but they make him all the more realistic. The twists and turns are many, the action is non-stop, and Gittlin does a nice job tying things together.

The ending felt like it came out of nowhere. After Jonah finally figured everything out, he was frantic to take the next step he had mapped out for himself and the ending was written in such a way that you could really feel that frantic pace. Gittlin left things a little vague, but perhaps it was written that way so that there could be more for us, the readers, to learn about Jonah Gray in future novels. I am hopeful that will be the case. Fans of fast-paced suspense and lots of dialogue, especially those that have enjoyed the works of Stephen Frey, will enjoy all “The Deal” has to offer.

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