Thrillers have been set in many different milieux, but by setting Conflict of Interest in the cut-throat world of corporate PR, David Michie has created a unique setting for his highly accomplished narrative.Chris Teiger thinks that he"s landed the job of a lifetime: £120,000 a year, a top-of-the-range company BMW and the opportunity to work alongside billionaire Nathan Strauss, top dog of the sportswear business. But as Chris prepares for his new job, catastrophe ensues when Strauss kills himself by jumping off the balcony of his ninth floor hotel suite. Forced to continue in the job with Lombard, the UK"s most powerful PR firm, Chris is obliged to report to Nathan"s brother Jacob. There Chris encounters Nathan"s sinister spin doctor, who appears to be obsessively loyal to his employer.There"s enough compulsive plotting to keep the reader thoroughly entranced but the introduction of a new plot line, involving Chris"s former lover, journalist Judith Laing, adds another powerful hold. Judith is investigating the unusual death of a leading financial analyst and she finds that he was on the verge of giving highly damaging evidence about Chris Teiger"s firm. Chris is at first reluctant to believe this--until another death occurs.In a novel that always possesses a clear-eyed, cynical view of modern corporate PR, Michie never allows the labyrinthine twists of his tale to overshadow the assiduously detailed characterisation of his principals. As Chris begins to suspect that he has become part of a multinational cover-up, and both his own life and Judith"s are on the line, the uncertainity of their survival is just as engrossing as the energetic unfolding of the central mystery. Marshalling his smoothly written prose with maximum efficiency, Michie demonstrates that John Grisham has a rival in the realm of corporate thrillers: After a few minutes out on the balcony, leaning on the rail and soaking up the tranquility of the view, he stepped back inside the cottage. And froze. Two hooded strangers were in the sitting room. The one closer to him was holding a hunting knife with a seven inch blade directly to his face. --Barry Forshaw