25-11-2021 at 22:34;

Business Sharks. John Lynch’s literary debut is a story about a business which, led by iron-hearted people, is capable of ruining anyone. Even those who do not want to be ruined. The world of big money can be a dangerous one, and the profit-driven machine often goes astray, smelling of scams, unclear connections, and eventually (perhaps) even crime.

‘The Ark’ by John Lynch, despite being a literary fiction, very well captures the realism of these truths, facilitated by the author in a sensational way, which would not be the shame of many film scriptwriters. ‘The Ark’ is a thriller-crime story about business crimes during the financial crisis at the beginning of the 21st century. The story is inspired by real events from the author’s life.

The outline of the story is quite simple. Young, ambitious, full of ideas American fashion designer Truman Chase arrives in Poland to save his family’s business and give the failing clothing company a new lease on life. Here he finds love and begins to prosper. Things get complicated when a cutthroat and dangerous investor appears on the horizon – the ‘ARK’ global investment fund, represented by the uncouth Latino Fernando. Fernando conducts under-the-counter business between Eastern Europe and Latin America, with corrupt Ukrainian politicians and the FBI standing in his way. To pay off the debt created by his bad investments, Fernando decides to stage a hostile takeover and appropriate Truman’s flourishing Polish company.

Are the lives of Truman and his loved ones in danger?

Will he manage to solve the mystery and save the company?

The book rivets very strongly. From the point of view of the plot and the pace of the narrative, there is absolutely nothing to reproach it for. Lynch skilfully guides the reader through the successive twists and turns of the plot, which lead to an escalation of suspension. Everything is like a domino effect, in which one wrong decision leads to another, bringing about a real threat not only to the business operations of the main characters, but also to their lives.

The characters of ‘The Ark’ are a separate issue worth paying attention to. On the pages of the book, we meet a whole gallery of interesting characters, without whom the story probably would not have an opportunity to ‘work’. Both positive characters and bad guys have their own character and depth, and they are complemented by no less interesting supporting characters. You can see that it was well thought out.

Lynch’s debut is worth taking note of and reaching for ‘The Ark’. The author himself is also worth a look, and to do so with the hope that this debut is only the beginning of what Lynch is able to offer us literarily. Recommended!

John Lynch, the author of the book, has been living in Poland for 25 years. He tells his moving story during motivational speeches, e.g., on TEDx Talks. He has been awarded the highest civilian honor in Poland, the Golden Cross of Merit, from President Bronislaw Komorowski for his contribution to building free market democracy in Poland. ‘The Ark’ is his literary debut.

Thank you to Ringier Axel Springer Poland for the review copy.