Introduction
Many major bestselling novels have been written about the corporate scene and the intricacies and intrigue of the executive suite. The Unwilling Mistress zeroes in on the world of high finance and brutally exposes the banking business with its manipulation of men and money.
Some form of banking was conducted at the ancient temples of Egypt, Babylonia, and Greece. The Bible describes the money lenders and money changers in vivid terms as they wheeled and dealed with the less fortunate citizens of those early civilizations. Through all of history this economic fountainhead has played a major role in the lives of people.
Alma Werdon's story places the powerful bank vice-president Milton King under microscopic examination as he plays puppet master and moves his subordinates about the carpeted and chromed stage of his establishment. The strings he pulls affect the lives of half a dozen people. They include two of his employees whose future careers in the banking circles depend upon his personal acceptance or rejection.
Just as cattle, oxen, and other beasts of burden were used in early times for bartering and mediums of exchange, King uses his staff members to negotiate his needs and maintain the balance of power. The clinical world of income statements and balance sheets becomes a battleground for personal profit and gain.
The pyramid concept with the beneficent banker looking down from on high and watching over the funds and futures of his depositors is blasted to pieces as this empirical figure exercises his corporate responsibilities for his own personal benefit.
Intertwined with this financial wizardry is the downfall and demise of moral values and principle among the characters who are forced to participate in the banking game. The quest for promotion and success in the business world changes Jessica's life style forever. This sphere of influence encompasses her best friend and other peripheral acquaintances.
The price for climbing the corporate ladder of success is extremely high. Each rung requires another sacrifice, but it is a ritual that is being played throughout the world today. Organizational charts are structured and restructured on this basis. Members of the boards of directors for the many companies operating around the country play musical chairs constantly.
Just as the bestseller list of 1970 carried Love Story in the fiction category, Robert Townsend's nonfiction Up the Organization was included in this impressive rating. It revealed some of the innermost secrets of the business arena.
Dansk Blue Books believes its readers will find ample food for thought in The Unwilling Mistress. Although the characters are fictitious, you may well recognize your friendly bank manager, teller, or loan officer. And if you are climbing that ladder in the quest for financial security, you may find a message of interest that will be useful for future planning in playing "one-upsmanship" in the business world.
The Publishers