With very public corporate fiascos such as the Enron scandal dominating news headlines in today's world, corporate corruption has not only become a hot topic, but an everyday reality. In fact, the plot of Jack Eadon's novel, "The Armstrong Solution," may even sound plausible to many readers, which makes for an all the more exciting read. "The Armstrong Solution" paints a vivid and realistic picture of corporate corruption, strengthened by Eadon and his wife's own experiences within the corporate world, where competition and a desire to get ahead are prevalent. Kathy is no exception, as she struggles to rise above the arrogant, male-dominated corporation. Her attempts to break through this deceitful glass ceiling in Eadon's perfectly cinematic story will hold readers captivated in suspense all the way to the surprising and unpredictable grand finale. The epilogue is even better and closes the novel in a wonderfully quiet, but satisfying, way.

The Armstrong Solution

Jack Eadon
Eloquence Press (2005)
ISBN 0975330012
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (1/07)


Paralleling Jack Eadon’s book “Latent Image,” with the main character Marcus Ramsay, “The Armstrong Solution” takes the reader on a journey with his ex-wife Kathy. After reading “Latent Image” one wonders what happened to Kathy – this story certainly tells it all.

Kathy Armstrong (taking her maiden name after the divorce) is the marketing director of Pepe’s Café based in Irvine, CA, a national chain of tacos, where “the skirt” has no place within the chauvinistic Executive Committee.   Unbeknown to Kathy, the Executive Committee promised the parent company, with headquarters in New York, high yielding numbers.  Their mission was to receive their bonuses and stock options whatever it took. 

The “whatever it took” was contracting a dubious hot sauce supplier in Tijuana, Mexico.  The hot sauce contained a secret ingredient causing addictive behaviors which enticed the customers to buy more tacos. Only the CEO and one of his committee members knew of the ingredient.   Sales soared, however customers both young and old also started dying after eating tacos.

While the CEO was in London, Kathy, suspicious that the hot sauce may be the catalyst of the deaths, ventures to the Tijuana plant.  There she finds her mysteriously vanished co-worker, held hostage, as well as confirmation of the toxic secret ingredient in the hot sauce.  Kathy, too, becomes hostage.

The page turner keeps the reader wondering what will happen next.  Will the two women escape?  Will they be killed as planned?  Will the corrupt CEO of Pepe’s Café own up to knowing of the toxic ingredients? 

As the plot unravels and takes the reader from beginning to the end of the story, it’s not predicable what will happen next.  Eadon’s characters all take a life of their own, vividly described, and integral to the story. Although this book is fiction I wonder if there is more ruthless corrupt upper management in large corporations than we would like to think there are.  The story is plausible and describes how greed and desire for wealth, power and control take over all logical and ethical thinking at the expense of others. Eadon’s book, “The Armstrong Solution” is corporate intrigue at its best. 

By the way, the epilogue is totally unpredictable and unexpected. It caught me by surprise.