The Insiders: A Thriller Paperback – January 28, 2009

I'm a fan of corporate thrillers, so when I saw all the 5-star reviews for this one I just had to get it. This is a decent financial-conspiracy-type corporate thriller. However, after reading it, I was a little surprised by all the "greatest book ever" type reviews. So, I just went back and looked at them, and this time discovered most of them are by reviewers who have only reviewed this one book or 'kid reviewers' hiding their identity. I'm not sure what that means - but it's definitely not usual. And though I enjoyed the book in general, it didn't live up to all of it's hype for me. (It's also, now that I started looking, featured on a lot of Listmania's with books from exceptional writers - which may have enticed me into purchasing it in the first place - and is a pretty well known scam of new authors.)In any event, the premise of a young man trying to bring down a cladestine organization of the most powerful businessmen in the country is interesting. There's a lot of action - right from the start. However, on the downside it could have used some better editing. (it's a long book, unnecessarily so on occasion. It's also almost as if there's too much the author wants to convey. The backstory and current story cast of characters is also a bit long and occasionally unwieldy).Bottom Line: A decent thriller. Those who like conspiracy theories and tales of the wealthy taking advantage of the masses will probably enjoy this one more than I. For those that prefer general financial corporate thrillers more - I'd recommend one of Joseph Finder's or  Naked Option  first.

Normally you wouldn't expect a book about business ethics to be a real nail-biter in the realm of "thriller" fiction, but The Insiders is just that - and more.As an avid consumer of the crime and thriller genre of books, I was initially a little unsure about a book written by an author who was better known as a writer of non-fiction business books. But it only took a couple of pages of this story to grab me and take me right into the middle of a thriller equal to or better than any Ludlum or Clancy cold war story. The narrative of The Insiders makes business practices as exciting to follow as any hard-boiled cop/killer book. It was a pleasant surprise to find a bunch of tycoons who truly were beautifully-crafted villains.When you find yourself wishing that you could read even faster than you do in anticipation of what's coming next, you know that your choice of book was a great selection. The main character in this great read turns into a real economic superhero, if such a protagonist can exist.There are quite a few reviews of this book, so I won't reinvent the wheel here by going over the storyline again for you. Just get this great read for yourself and within a few pages, you'll see what really good fiction can be when it works right. Get it.

I met Craig because of his business book writing. I liked the way he thought immediately and decided to give his thriller The Insider a read. When agents and publishers say that you can't switch from being a business book author to a novelist - Craig Hickman proved them all wrong. I am a fan of Follet, Baldacci, Archer, and now Hickman. In my book he is equally talented. The benefit to Hickman is that in life he understands the complexity of business and the human element of how these people behave because of his day job. As the reader you get the benefit from his insights.When I started reading The Insiders I was in Venice, Italy and as luck would have it more than one of the scenes took place their. Craig did a great job making the city come alive without boring you with the details. He keeps you hanging on throughout the book. Don't start this book unless you have the entire day free because you will be canceling meetings just to get to the finish line. Oh yea, don't start at night because you will not get to sleep! This is a page turner. Don't miss it!

Really enjoyed this book, even though up until now, I have paid very little attention to the corporate and financial world. Book was so well written, that even a novice to this subject, I understood everything that was happening. The suspense and mystery involved was top notch. I read a lot of that genre, and this book kept me guessing. Can't wait for the sequel. Will pass this book on to my husband (his name will appear as the writer of this review), and also, my son-in-law. I hope they take away the same lesson I did from this book. Our corporations and CEOs need to start working for the people and not just for profit. Our politicians need to start working together for the common good of the people, and not corporate greed or getting re-elected. But, you might get a different message from the book. So, even if you don't like my political slant on the topic, read the book! Excellent marriage of subject matter and suspense. Robert's wife, Betty Riedner (aka Grandma Mimi)

Very good read enjoyed the plots and it shows how much the wealthy people can influence the way the stock market can be taken insider trading has nothing on this.