Harlequin

Paul Desmond admires his close friend George Harlequin for his impeccable European breeding. Head of a prestigious Swiss bank, Harlequin belongs to a vanishing class of gentlemen whose handshake is their bond. Then their gilded world is blown apart. A computer printout identifies the Harlequin et Cie bank as the target of a gigantic takeover. The mastermind is Basil Yanko, a ruthless financial genius whose instruments are fraud, blackmail and terror. As the conflict moves from Zurich to London, New York and Mexico, Harlequin must become a 'villain by necessity'. Can Desmond help his friend save his bank-and his family?

Morris West was one of the great storytellers of the twentieth century. He wrote 28 novels, several of which were made into films, as well as plays and non-fiction. Australian-born, his books have sold nearly 70 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 28 languages. He is best known for his novels The Devil's Advocate, The Shoes of the Fisherman and The Clowns of God.