Stone's Fall by Iain Pears

This was a fascinating book.  I loved the way that the author brought the entire story together in 3 discrete sections.  Each section was told by a different character.  The story began in the “present” (within the book this is 1909) and then moved backwards in time with each new character.  This was an interesting technique as each subsequent character knew a little bit more about the mystery than the first (with the last character being Stone, the man who fell and therefore we finally find out the actual why behind the fall).  Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed (surprisingly) was the insight it provided into the corporate and financial world.  The author provided details in a way that made it central to the story and so you really immersed yourself in those details.  While only the first character can be viewed as truly likeable, Pears still creates characters with whom you engage and in many instances sympathize.

On the whole, I highly recommend this read.  Just be prepared to devote a fair chunk of time to it.  Thanks to Jackie at Farm Lane Books for putting me on to this one.

4/5 Stars