A former Russian spy works to bring down the current world government and the leading corporations who run it. Alexei Kedrov isn't just a former Russian assassin and spy. His parents were former scientists working at Chernobyl who were executed for treason. Kedrov's heart has been removed and replaced by a machine that allows him to "play dead" on demand. Oh, and he wants to destroy the company that controls much of the world's resources.
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Kedrov changes his identity, emigrates to the U.S. and begins secretly training orphans as killers in a plan he hopes will ultimately lead to the destruction of the current political system and the collapse of Pearl Knight Industries, the company that seems to control just about everything. One of his assassins kills the company CEO, another infiltrates Pearl Knight's drone program and destroys a complex that has been controlling a small African country. Small steps, but each one another move in a long chess game he hopes with ultimately overturn the status quo.
He recruits a genius teen named Florian Lasker and grooms him to infiltrate Pearl Knight and ultimately become a top executive at the company. But Lasker is headstrong ultimately rejects Kedrov's ideas. He does take control of Pearl Knight and is responsible for the raid that kills Kedrov and scatters his proteges into a number of mysterious military prisons. But just as he is poised to get everything he wants, he realizes that Kedrov was right and he is meant for more than being an evil CEO. He throws the presidential election and allows a minor protest candidate to win. Afterwards, he negotiates with the new president and is allowed to reassemble Kedrov's training regime in preparation for the day when the killers will be needed to foil the next political or economic crisis.
Best part of story, including ending:
The premise of the story was unique, especially the part in which U.S. citizens trade their votes for the chance for a good job. It seems unlikely, but certainly possible in today's world.
Best scene in story:
One of the best scenes in the book is the one in which Lasker realizes his mistake and throws the election before anyone else at Pearl Knight can stop him. It's certainly the downside of having a monopoly.
Opinion about the main character:
Neither Kedrov or Lasker are particularly well-rounded characters. They seem to just be there to move the complex plot forward and neither one of them is three-dimensional or at all believable.
