The Palace

Antihero Danny Lehman is making a modest income off a coin shop cum currency exchange business when this novel opens in 1964. By the 1986 ending, he has capitalized on numerous fortuitous circumstances to become a multimillionaire. The author, an economist with several financially fixated bestsellers to his credit, including The Panic of '89 ( LJ 3/1/87), takes the reader behind many closed doors to reveal the machinations of money laundering, casino operations, and investment banking. The tale is enticing for a few chapters, but the plot turns leaden behind sluggish prose and dull characterization. Only for those who appreciate intricate money mongering more than good writing. Literary Guild Dual Main Selection. Will Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo Libs. **Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.** ***--Library Journal*** Erdman's reputation as king of the financial thriller, won with such bestsellers as The Billion Dollar Sure Thing and The Panic of '89, is reconfirmed by this engrossing tale of profit skimming, money laundering and insider trading centered on the world of casinos. Danny Lehman may be plump, unlettered and without class, but (in addition to being mysteriously attractive to women) he knows what life is all about, or thinks he does. The crucial component is money, and Danny proves he has the skills to acquire it in vast amounts. From owning a modest coin shop he goes to bullion trading, to fencing the skim-offs from a Las Vegas casino, to owning the casino himself, to making it a dazzling success (after picking up a few tips from Europe). Eventually, he becomes the first to cash in on the gambling potential of Atlantic City. As if to the manner born, Danny dances through the minefield laid for him by the FBI, the mob and his own associates, and is not averse to arranging a rub-out or two on the way. Erdman's knowledgeability about high-flying international financial operations and his sardonic matter-of-fact tone combine to give the reader the chilling sense that his story is not by any means all fiction. 150,000 ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club dual main selections; author tour. **Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.** ***--Publishers Weekly***