Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Pitch by Kerry Hilton

The Pitch (Independently published, 2023) by advertising executive Kerry Hilton is an over-the-top thriller about the unseen maneuverings and machinations of the glitzy top-tier New York advertising agencies. Theft, greed, and corporate espionage abound behind the flashy exterior.

Brandt Murdoch, the charismatic jerk who leads CSM Advertising, spends money faster than the firm can bring it in. He’s spent a fortune on an ostentatious new headquarters. He jets from one office to another in a private plane. In a chronic adrenaline rush fueled by drugs and alcohol and requiring little sleep, he expects staff to work around the clock to maximize client billable hours but even that isn’t enough. The banks refuse to extend the company’s credit. Suppliers are beginning to cut the firm off due to late payments, and the accountants aren’t sure that the next payroll can be met.

So when the invitation to bid on Euphoria Airlines’ new $120 million marketing campaign is extended, Murdoch sees the lucrative account as essential to his firm’s survival. All he has to do is create the winning strategy and to find a way to stay afloat until the bids are in and the account is awarded. Nothing will get in his way. Nothing!

While his creative staff design CSM’s offer, Murdoch sets out to undermine the competition in one jaw-dropping ethical and legal transgression after another. He has a small team of computer experts who can tap phones and break into private networks with abandon while he seeks to obtain information through personal persuasion.

I was pulled into the story from the first pages and found it a compulsive and compelling read. The plot unfolds at a breakneck pace. Even the disjointed timeline did not disrupt the action. The momentum does seem to slow a bit about two-thirds into the book. Anyone who has worked in the corporate world will recognize the psychopaths and sycophants on the page along with the hard-working people who are their roadkill; I certainly did. Hilton captures the environment perfectly.

What Hilton did not do is use a professional editor. The book is full of misplaced punctuation and misused words. I was jerked out of the story at least a half dozen times due to technical errors. It was plain he relied on spellcheck and a few of the word substitutions are roll-on-the-floor funny. Some readers will find these flaws enough to set the book down and I understand.

The ending was as unexpected as it was perfect. Overall, I loved it. Fans of the television drama Breaking Bad will enjoy this book.

·         ASIN: ‎B0C47NFZHL

·         Publisher: ‎Independently published (May 7, 2023)

·         Language: English

·         Paperback: ‎369 pages

·         ISBN-13: ‎979-8393814953

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023

 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.