Company Man

A Novel

By: Joseph Finder

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Joseph Finder's New York Times best seller Paranoia was hailed by critics as "jet-propelled," the "Page Turner of the Year," and "the archetype of the thriller in its contemporary form."

Now Finder returns with Company Man - a heart-stopping thriller about ambition, betrayal, and the price of secrets.

Nick Conover, the son of a factory worker, is the CEO of a major corporation in a company town. Nick, once the most admired man in Fenwick, Michigan, is now, having presided over massive layoffs, the most despised. A single parent since the recent death of his wife, he's struggling to insulate his 10-year-old daughter and angry 16-year-old son from the town's hostility.

When his family is threatened by a nameless stalker, events spin quickly out of control and Nick is faced with a dead body and damning circumstances. To protect his family, he must cover up the homicide with the help of his old friend and corporate security director.

Now Audrey Rhimes, a police investigator with an agenda of her own, is determined to connect Nick to the homicide. In the meantime, Nick begins to unravel a web of intrigue within his own corporation, involving his closest colleagues, that threatens to gut the company and bring him down with it. With everything he spent his life working for hanging in the balance, Nick Conover discovers that life at the top is just one small step away from a long plunge to the bottom.

©2005 Joseph Finder (P)2005 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"A frightfully good suspense thriller." (Booklist)
"Mr. Finder's Company Man confirms what his Paranoia made clear: he has unusually keen instincts for back-stabbing in the business world. And somehow or other, exotica about the workings of a company that manufactures office furniture become unnaturally interesting here." (The New York Times)

Good book!

Very good book--I've loved all of Joseph Finders books that I've listened to so far. The only problem I have with the books are there's a lot of foul language in them. I wish there didn't need to be so much of that--otherwise they're super good books!!

It seemed like a great book, if it were all there

I have read Finder before, and found his books deeply engrossing; if not paranoia-inducing. I was deeply engrossed in this one; then, an hour before the end of part 1, it automatically started again at the beginning. I deleted, redownloaded, etc., to no avail. I wrote tech support and they told me to redownload, which i did yet again. A chunk more was available; but it broke up again. It did the same on my iPad and iPhone; and I have downloaded literally hundreds of books without this problem. The tech even told me to download in a different format (which I don't want), then told me I can listen to it on my computer by streaming. That is NOT why I get audiobooks--to be tied to my computer! So, I went onto part 2 with a big patch of the plot missing. Then, at the precipice of the conclusion to the mystery, it suddenly started at the beginning again; again about an hour before the end of part 2. I'll bet it was good; but incredibly annoying that I'll never know.

Scott Brick

While hesitating to purchsase this book, I saw that Scott Brick had narrated it. That made up my mind. I was instantly mesmerized; Scott's incredible vocalizations makes any book he reads come alive in a way that no other narrator can.

Company Man kept me awake, especially towards the end. The amazing twists and turns were completely unexpected. There aren't enough stars to rate it fairly. Thanks for a wonderful "read."

Excellent Listen

I am a big fan of Joseph Finder ever since I listened to Paranoia (a must listen as well if you have not already done so) and I really enjoyed this title. I enjoyed the narration by Scott Brick, as always and I like Finder's ability to create a "young" corporate thriller that captures the business landscape that many of us find ourselves in. Often times corporate dramas are set in old, dark and dry settings whereas his backdrops effortlessly weave small town America with big money, high stakes corporations. His protagonists are always well developed and likable and leave you rooting for them to pull through. Well done and a must listen!

Abussive Language

This book was very good. However, I did find the the swear words to be very offending throughout the book. I do not need to hear the "F" word in about every other paragraph. If you are disturbed by bad language please do not purchase this title. The story line was very good, however I would not recommend this to any of my friends because of the constant profound swearing throughout the book.

A Classic

This is really a good book. A good plot. Well etched characters. The book is superbly read.

If you like a good mystery with thrills...do not think too much..use your credit on this.

Flawed investigation

Good story but flawed by a massive gap in the investigation procedure. I wont give this away, but when you listen, note the very last step of the investigation. Why did it take so long to get there? Anyway, its a good listen notwithstanding, and the nattation by Scott Brick is excellent.

Unexpected twist

It was impossible to predict how this story was going to turn out -- you are rooting both for the murderer and the investigator and can't see how both could possibly win in the end. The characters always stay "in character," so it seems an unresolvable situation. Then, an unexpected twist. I enjoyed it...And also enjoyed the unexpected treat of having Tom Perotta interview Joseph Finder at the end of the book. Almost missed it because I usually turn the books off immediately once I hear "This concludes..."

Company Man

Any additional comments?

Company Man has been around for quite a while. This audiobook version, read by Scott Brick, was released over ten years ago. Unabridged, approximately eighteen hours of listening. The story centers on a Michigan manufacturer, the CEO burdened with unprecedented layoffs. It’s often overlooked how dreadfully difficult it is for the decision maker in layoffs situations. Believe it, the guy that must lay off you or a loved one will likely puke his guts out that night. The boss hates the job as much as anybody, and he has a boss too.

Anyway, to Company Man. Once an admired member of the community and now a despised pariah that has idled a large percentage of the town is caught in a spider web of murder and a relentless female cop. Harboring all the ramifications of the recent death of his wife, dealing with an obnoxious teenaged son and an innocent, trusting daughter, a budding romance, office skulduggery, Nick Conover makes for a likable character. This is a fun story because the people are real, your neighbors, relatives; the events could all happen.

Scott Brick’s performance is, as usual, stellar. Just the right tempo, pacing. Nicely done. Creative story telling. Enjoy!

He Does it Again

I loved "Paranoia" the last of Finder's books. But this novel far surpasses it. There are many characters in this book and they are all well drawn. I loved many of them even if they were working against eachother.
It is exciting from the beginning: heart pouding. So well written that I thoroughly enjoyed the way he brought instant life into every scene
After I finished it I felt the way I did after Hoag's "To kill the Messanger" - Satisfied!