Review: The Multima Scheme

Don't worry, you don't have to rush out and pick up a copy of Gary D. McGugan's debut novel, Three Weeks Less A Day before reading his second in the Multima series, The Multima Scheme.

McGugan crafts a pretty good follow-up and avoids falling into the trap of recreating the original plot, although he effectively builds on it. In the second novel, he chooses to develop his characters more fully and he includes more extensive theme progressions. These themes involve human trafficking, the darker corners of organized crime and their penetration into corporate America, the development of technology as a means to cause havoc in our financial system, and the extent to which unsavory characters will stoop to gain power.

Once again, the narrative focuses on Multima corporation and its three business units, Supermarkets, Financial Services, and Solutions, as well as their respective presidents, Suzanne Simpson, James Fitzgerald, and Douglas Whitfield. We also learn the many secrets affecting the lives of each of these well-drawn characters. And there are some unusual surprises! There is also the matter of the CEO, John George Mortimer's cancer, which the prognosis does not look too encouraging.

Readers are briefly brought up to speed on what transpired in the previous novel when we learn more about Howard Knight, who is now in hiding. He was a director of Multima as well as president of Venture Capital Investments (VCI), which is part of organized crime. As he is no longer a director of Multima, VCI  is determined to having him replaced by one of their own.

Knight is in the bad books of VCI and is on the run due to his dreadful deal in purchasing the logistics division on behalf of The Organization. The result of the fiasco caused The Organization to lose a considerable amount of money. All of this was the result of being outsmarted by the CEO of Multima, the wily old fox, Mortimer. By the way, Knight was also romantically involved with Fidelia Morales who helps him in his escape.

Another ramification of the disastrous deal was the disappearance of Wendal Randall, who had been the president of logistics and The Organization's choice to replace Mortimer. Under arrest by the FBI and they have managed to extract from him some fascinating information concerning Knight and VCI. They also have arrested a close associate of Randall, Frau Schäffer who turns out to be quite a surprise.

Mortimer appoints Douglas Whitfield at the new division of Multima Solutions. We read some astounding disclosures concerning Whitfield's activities as they relate to Multima. These involve its personnel, VCI, and some very chilling software that the division had developed, which would have profound effects on the banking system.

When Mortimer begins to dig deeper into the operations of VCI and how they are going about penetrating Multimea, he begins to suspect one of its employees, Janet Weissel as being a mole. She works in corporate and investor affairs, and Mortimer believes she is associated in some way to VCI and Howard Knight.

Neatly woven into the narrative is the relationship between Simpson and Mortimer and the shocking revelation that she is his daughter as a result of his week-end of passionate love-making in Québec City with her mother, Louise Marcotte. Simpson discovers that Multima has some connection with her mother and her estate and is adamant that Mortimer reveals all to her.

She also finds out that her mother, before her death, was receiving secret monthly payments to her bank account by a subsidiary of a company she managed. Also, Mortimer had granted to Simpson's mother preferred shares that eventually helped him in blocking Knight from replacing him with Randall. And there is also the matter of the suspicious deaths of Simpson's mother and that of murder of the Notaire, who had been handling Marcotte's estate, as well as that of his wife and son. It seems that the Notaire and his son were sticking their noses into the machinations of VCI -something "The Organization" would not tolerate.

The challenge that McGugan faces in creating this second novel is to stay true to the more significant plot-line of the series. There is also the added problem to create a sequel that would be complete enough that readers could just read the follow up without being lost. It becomes a balancing act, which McGugan has admirably pulled off. He also has appreciated what it was about the first book that captivates his readership, and thus, he more fully develops these themes in The Multima Scheme.

Although, I must admit this second novel is quite busy, perhaps too busy, yet McGugan manages to give his readers something new. You have to realize that authors always take a risk when writing a sequel as very often readers end up disappointed. On the other hand, if you are lucky, they could love the sequel even more. In the case of The Multima Scheme readers will not be disappointed and I am certain will patiently wait to read the third one in the series, Unrelenting Peril. Stay tuned.

Follow Here To Read Norm's Interview With Gary D. McGugan As He Discusses The Multima Scheme