consolidation and merger of corporations

Avery Keene, a law clerk for the legendary Justice Howard Wynn, is doing her best to excel in an arduous job with the court while also dealing with a troubled family. When the news breaks that Justice Wynn--the cantankerous swing vote on many current high-profile cases--has slipped into a coma, Avery is notified that Justice Wynn has left instructions for her to serve as his legal guardian and power of attorney. Avery finds that Justice Wynn had been secretly researching one of the most controversial cases before the court: a proposed merger between an American biotech company and an Indian genetics firm. She comes to see that Wynn had a personal stake in the controversial case--and finding the truth will put Avery into harm's way.

Financial whiz Andrew Falcon agrees to handle the hostile takeover of a chemical company in anticipation of a fat fee, but he belatedly learns that he is the pawn of a secret group of power-brokers, The Sevens, who are more than ready to kill him for the knowledge he now holds.

Barbarians at the Gate has been called one of the most influential business books of all time -- the definitive account of the largest takeover in Wall Street history. Bryan Burrough and John Helyar's gripping account of the frenzy that overtook Wall Street in October and November of 1988 is the story of deal makers and publicity flaks, of strategy meetings and society dinners, of boardrooms and bedrooms -- giving us not only a detailed look at how financial operations at the highest levels are conducted but also a richly textured social history of wealth at the twilight of the Reagan era.

A biography of the businessman who started America Online, an Internet service provider, that merged with the largest entertainment company, Time Warner, in 2000.