Corporate Thrillers: What's the Draw?

SUMMARY: In literary fiction, the portrayal of the minefields, dilemmas, and power dynamics in the C-Suite remains under-explored. Thus, the corporate thrillers genre is ripe for fiction writers’ contributions and readers’ indulgence.

Changing rules of the game, a volatile operating environment, cutthroat competition, and the need to adapt or perish; these are the harsh realities businesses face. High-stakes conflicts and power tussles are inevitable in these settings. Moreover, the often-incompatible needs and wants of insiders and the covetous appetites of outsiders can fuel internecine squabbles and lead to cauldrons of simmering plots and intrigue.

In this respect, companies can be where individual dreams are met or quashed. A whole bunch of fiction and non-fiction business-focused TV shows and movies have compellingly portrayed this reality. The Apprentice, Margin Call, Succession, Startup, Silicon Valley, and Inhuman Resources (featuring the famous ex-footballer Eric Cantona) come to mind, as do Dynasty, Dallas, and Falcon Crest from past decades.

Bizarrely, though, unlike political, legal, and medical thrillers, which have thrived by quenching their audiences’ thirst for witnessing human psychodrama, corporate thrillers aren't a widely recognized genre within literary fiction. That said, the relatively limited supply of business fiction books (e.g., The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, Call to Power, The Crash, Banker’s Wife, and many others listed on Goodreads) showcase the promise of the corporate thriller genre as do several gripping nonfiction books such as Liar’s Poker, The Big Short, and the Smartest Guys in the Room.

My book, ‘Black and White Smoke,’ is an addition to the growing corporate thriller genre. What’s different about it? Like other books in this genre, it reflects the murky waters, personal dilemmas, and dire consequences of the bungled and sometimes egregious decisions within corporate walls. However, it’s not another family business succession saga. It’s not about the blingy escapades of Wall Street and Glitz Street, nor is it primarily about the inexorable march to the top by pathologically wounded characters.  Rather, it is about characters hoisted into a battle for the soul of a modern AI-affected multinational firm. Their mettle is tested and their reputation imperiled by their failure to sniff the danger lurking in their environs.