From the Publisher In A Christmas Carol, images of himself haunt Ebenezer Scrooge, Charles Dickins' quintessential model of greed. He sees why he became greedy, how greedy he is, and where his greed will take him. These images then become his catalyst for change. In Hostile Target by Scott Siebels, Stuart Wilson knows he needs to change. As general counsel for a company specializing in hostile takeovers, Wilson has more money than he could spend. He has, however, fewer principles than the Scrooge himself. His life begins to turn as he is haunted by his own unique set of ghosts: a major international crime organization more than willing to kill him to keep their operations concealed. Stuart Wilson knows that Consolidated American Investments, which included himself, is about to taste a more bitter pill than the ones they have given out in ruined fortunes and lost jobs. After an attempt to takeover a seemingly benign Geneva-based financial services company, Wilson and his colleagues are head to head against a huge criminal cartel fuming from all the publicity caused by their unsolicited bid. Stuart Wilson suddenly finds himself questioning his incessant drive for financial success and finding that there are more things to live for than money alone. With his world crashing around him, Wilson has little choice but to fight back--to take a stand against the world that had created him in search for something bigger. Scott Siebels reveals a story of love as Wilson finds solace from his burgeoning troubles in a sensitive young attorney. In sensual encounters, they sometimes lose themselves but in the end they discover a deeper meaning in being together. A retired lawyer and senior officer for an international financial services company, Scott Siebels explores the world of corporate greed in Hostile Target. Inspired by his wife, his two young sons and the beautiful beaches of Palm Harbor, Florida, he offers us a well-written story about love and change, and their power to overcome lust and greed. Product Description Stuart Wilson thinks he’s seen it all in the high-stakes world of corporate mergers and acquisitions. As general counsel for a notorious Phoenix, Arizona-based corporate raider, he has more money than he can spend and after a nasty but successful hostile takeover of a large industrial company things are just about as good as they get for him, professionally. Of course, his personal life is a mess, but his job doesn’t leave him time for that anyway. All of this begins to change when Wilson’s employer chooses a financial holding company based in Geneva, Switzerland as its next target. The target turns out to be a front for a vicious, politically influential international criminal cartel, and the unsolicited bid and the scrutiny it could attract if rejected threaten to expose its operations. Its chairman moves quickly to crush the would-be acquirers, sparing none of the vast resources and influence at his disposal to defeat the threat, trusting that the connection to his enterprise will be forgotten in the spectacular diversion of the American company’s collapse. Stuart finds himself engulfed in the resulting firestorm of regulatory and media pressure, fighting a bewildering onslaught of accusations, the focus of a deadly new game he does not comprehend. His fight to save himself and his way of life takes him across the United States and to Switzerland, where he must defeat his enemies on their own terms and turf. Liz Rice, a beautiful young attorney, believes in Stuart and together they learn that real happiness doesn’t necessarily come from the things we count as most precious. About the Author Scott A. Siebels lives in Palm Harbor, Florida with his wife Jane, and his two sons, John and Christopher. Prior to his retirement, he was a lawyer and senior officer for an international financial services company. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. He stared, open-mouthed at L