The LAST BEST THING: A Classic Tale of Greed, Deception, and Mayhem in Silicon Valley

Dreams, schemes, and unusual characters abound as J.P McCorwin and his associates at J.P.'s new Silicon Valley company race to develop the "last best thing" in personal computers and rake in the millions

Lampooning the excesses and eccentricities of Silicon Valley's hi-tech moguls with up-to-the-minute detail, this tale of deception, greed, revenge, Internet hype and vaporware was serialized in the San Jose Mercury News and on an interactive site on the World Wide Web. It chronicles the chaotic rise of a new start-up company where, ironically, the only honest executives are in marketing. Maria Cisneros, who spruced up Intel's corporate image in earlier days and handled another successful IPO, is just as seduced by charismatic CEO J.P. McCorwin's maverick personality and visionary proclamations as are his spellbound investors when she joins the enterprise. Brad Roth, fired by Microsoft, is too desperate to be choosy. Both of them are in for a turbulent ride as they struggle to do their jobs without figuring out what it is this bewilderingly New Age operation and its massive R&D deployment are actually trying to create. Brad is drawn into an online affair with the mysterious "Rose D"?only to have one of the company's problematic laptops explode in his hands during a passionate exchange. Maria becomes embroiled with FBI investigators when someone sends an e-mail from her account suggesting Bill Gates as a Unabomber suspect. The novel's wacky twists and turns probably played out better in serial publication. Taken as a whole, the deliberately silly plot becomes tiresome and the characters unconvincing. Still, Dillon's trenchant depictions of high-tech players?both real and fictional?and their world are the attractions here, and they are entertaining and dead-on.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Dillon's first novel is a timely and entertaining look at Silicon Valley and its high-pressure, high-powered antics. The novel originally appeared in serial form on the World Wide Web and in the San Jose Mercury News. For those interested in computers and the Internet, this book is a fast-flowing, hard-to-put-down take on the quest for "the last best thing" in the technological revolution. We are introduced to a cast of characters who, for varying reasons, buy into the ideas of J.P. McCorwin, who endeavors to start a company to create the best computer application that the industry has ever seen. Dillon has crafted a tale of crazed greed, lust, and ambition that will be in demand in public library collections.?Patricia Curthoys, Chautaugua-Cattaraugus Lib. System, Jamestown, N.Y.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.