A Man of Indeterminate Value

Jack Madson #1

by Ron Felber

In a world plagued by corrupt corporations and sinister forces that prowl the global landscape, John "Jack" Madson seeks salvation from deep within the man he is today and the man he aspires to be.

In the tradition of Raymond Chandler, John Grisham, and Michael Connelly, this crime fiction series launches with three noir thrillers bristling with authenticity, insight, and social commentary. From the boardrooms of Wall Street, to the steamy backstreets of Bangkok, to the secret Triads of Shanghai, award-winning author Ron Felber, originator of the FOX television series The Mob Doctor, takes his reader into the violent, surreal, and sex-crazed underbelly of 21st century America, the "empire in decline."

Witty, riveting, and diabolically clever, the heart-pounding pace, exotic locales, and unforgettable characters make the "Jack Madson" series a welcomed innovation within the genre of crime fiction.

A Man of Indeterminate Value (Book 1), introduces ex-cop Jack Madson as a disgraced Wall Street take-over artist and target of a failed suicide scam that leaves him the "most wanted" man in the Garden State of NJ. Madson is on a personal mission to take on corporate forces hell-bent on his destruction as they seek to IPO game-changing bio-medical technology to the Street worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Genres: Thriller

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

RON FELBER is the author of The Unwelcomed, to be released May 2024, the Jack Madson crime thriller trilogy, which includes Dark Angel|26169864], The Kafka Society|18173988], and A Man of Indeterminate Value|16291539]. Like his thriller protagonist Jack Madson, Felber worked as a federal marshal, transporting federal criminals, and fought Golden Gloves and hold a blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. The recipient of the UPI Award for fiction and the Albright Award for science fiction, he began his writing career with articles based on his experiences for True Detective magazine.

Felber was educated at Georgetown University, Loyola University of Chicago, and Drew University, where he earned his Doctorate. He currently teaches creative writing at Drew University's Caspersen School of Graduate Studies. Felber also the author of five non-fiction books including Mojave Incident and Il Dottore The Double Life of a Mafia Doctor, which was the basis for the FOX television drama The Mob Doctor. He lives in New Jersey with his dog Hemingway.

Reviews

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was recently asked to do a review on a new book by an author I’ve read before and reviewed. I was excited to say the least! Why? Mainly because Ron Felber’s “Il Dottore” is the first book I read that was True Crime, and I thoroughly enjoyed his writing!

Felber is back. This time with an action packed Thriller trilogy! His writing is gritty, truthful, in your face, and makes you feel like you’ve just experienced something not many do! ”A Man of Indeterminate Value” is about a business man caught up in a world that he did not necessarily plan to be in. Jack Madson, the man this story is completely about, had a rough childhood. Not the kind where he was beat up or abused. No, instead it’s one where his father worked hard and scraped together every penny for anything they had. Jack soon found himself involved with the underbelly of New Jersey. Before he knows it, he’s married (unhappily), has a daughter (whom he has no real relationship with) and works for a business that ruthlessly destroys other businesses that have fallen on hard times. And Jack is at the center of it all. He’s the man that gets called in to shake the businesses up. He soon realizes….he’s done. Jack decides to get out while the getting’s good. His road map out is full of obstacles, detours and stumbling blocks. Sex, drugs, alcohol, a faked death, murder, Chinese Criminal Syndicates, one ridiculously determined insurance investigator, and Mexico….just to mention a few of them. You find yourself rooting for the bad guy..because lets face it, even Jack knows he’s not that nice of a guy!

You have to wonder while reading this and knowing that Ron Felber is a successful business man, has written many books about true crimes, such as the dealings of the mob in New York, Jersey, and those south of the border, how much of this could really be true?! Not to say that Ron has written a story about any actual events, per se, more like Ron has the knowledge and experience to know that some of what he’s written here could honestly take place! Who would know better?! If nothing else, Felber’s book will make you question the media. It will make you question the stories you hear. Did that guy really die in the boating accident, or did he plan the scene to get away from a nasty lifestyle? How does he intend to fund his new life? How do people think of these things?! I have a hard enough time trying to decide what our weekly menu will be each Saturday, I can’t even begin to imagine what type of thought process would need to go into some of the things that Ron has written about!

This goes to show, Ron Felber does his research. He does not just throw down a bunch of words and expect people to buy it just because he was able to put together a few sentences! Bravo, Mr. Felber! I look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy. What has Jack Madson been up to?! I highly recommend this book to True Crime enthusiasts, Thriller seekers, and Ron Felber fans! Check out my blog to read more of my reviews here: www.fortheloveofbooksvirginia.com

[William Bentrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Man Of Indeterminate Value by Ron Felber

Jack Madson is a tortured soul. Jack can’t decide if he is fish or fowl, prey or predator. Trapped in a loveless life, soul simmering with resentment, shoulders bowed under misplaced responsibility, Jack attempts to escape his current reality. This story is a diary of despair.

Jack Madson is not particularly likeable. A corporate raider in the worse sense, Jack doesn’t build, he destroys. In many ways this novel is a blanket condemnation of a style of business that views short term rewards and ignores long term dissolution and destruction. The author paints such a dismal picture of a slice of corporate America that you wish it was pure fantasy. Sadly Felber is just holding up a mirror to some of the more despicable practices that have characterized recent Wall Street debacles.

The story is characterized by torturous introspection by the main character. Jack has to delve deeply into his past to find a single redeeming act that allows him to describe himself as a Man of Indeterminate Value rather than a soulless demon inflicting pain on all those around him.

The story has a twist at the end that either supports Jack’s deep seated feelings of positive worth or confirms society’s overall corruption.

I’m not sure I enjoyed the book as much as it made me think of how you can get carried away with a corporate culture and fall down an endless Lewis Carroll rabbit hole seeking your own demise.

I recommend the book, it should make you ponder your own reality.

Web Site: http://www.ronfelber.com/

[Wendy Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Man of Indeterminate Value caught me from the first page and didn't let go. It begins with Jack begging for sanctuary in a church and then beginning to write down his confession - before his death is proven accidental. From there, the reader is given the guts of what has transpired and then it picks up where Jack is until a energizing ending.

Jack isn't a character I could connect with, he's a real jackass, truth be told. But all life is valuable and Jack figures his has to be worth something. He hates his job, hates his wife and he hates all of the debt he's accumulated - so he decides to fake his own death. He figures he can get to Mexico and get the money he's been saving from selling intellect to China. There, he can start a new life. What he doesn't anticipate is his partner double crossing him.

Now, Jack tries to lay low and get back to the states and get more info to double his would-be money. But, his partner is still after him and he won't be satisfied until Jack is really dead. A fast-paced page-turner with compelling characters and nail-biting scenes, A Man of Indeterminate Value is one that I could easily see as a movie. It has all of the key elements and includes a birds eye view of corporate greed, which gives the novel relevance in today's society. If you're looking for a gritty thriller, pick this one up!

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Madson is in a tough bind. A corporate raider trapped in a hateful marriage with a retired mob-influenced federal judge for a father-in-law and facing huge debts that his wife has racked up…a desperate man in seek of a desperate solution. He devises a fool-proof plan to fake his own death and start over in another country. Of course no such plan is ever really fool proof and Jack finds himself digging himself in deeper and deeper.

This novel is the first in a trilogy and a nice discovery for yours truly. Most of the story is told from Jack’s first person POV as he writes a confession of sorts, detailing all that has come before. The writing style captured my attention from the first paragraph and despite a tendency to occasionally run off track in a stream-of-consciousness commentary on the evil at the root of man’s nature and the plague that is today’s corrupt corporations, my attention never wavered. Jack himself is not a good person. He lives life with a short term focus, over indulges in drugs and alcohol, and is very good at his job of vulture capitalism (taking over cash-strapped smaller companies with good products, laying off a third or more of the employees so as to increase cash flow in the short term, and then selling them again before anybody is the wiser). He has also committed various crimes and commits several more during the course of the novel, even serious ones. Despite his nature though, I still found myself rooting for him to turn it all around.

The ending seemed a little forced, as if the author had written himself into a corner. Jack’s situation had become so dire with less than 10 pages to go and yet…well, I won’t spoil it. But the mere fact that there are two more novels featuring this character tells you something.

I’m glad I “discovered” this author for he certainly has a way with putting words on paper. Looking forward to book 2, The Kafka Society.

[L.F. Falconer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tired of the unhappy mess his life has become, Jack Madson wants a "do-over." But the execution of his great escape is simpler in the planning than in reality where everything starts to go awry.

"A Man of Indeterminate Value" has an interesting storyline and kept me engaged to the end. Written in a "tough-guy" voice, it's filled with concrete details, bits of historic trivia and the occasional juicy sexcapade.

What failed to earn this novel more than three stars in my opinion is due to several important factors. First of all, the set-up is dreadfully slow, filled with so much corporate jargon I found myself wanting to skip over it. The way the story was conveyed seemed to strip it of much of its life. With the exception of two highly exciting scenes, most of the action was merely related, not lived and breathed, and lacked the necessary suspense. The supporting cast were paper-thin stereotypes, and Jack Madson, surely a man of indeterminate value, was hardly a likable guy. He came off as selfish, arrogant, and whiny--a man in a mid-life crisis, dependent upon booze and drugs, who idolized some murderous outlaws of the past, justifying their criminal behaviors (and his own) by looking at them as victims caught in unfortunate circumstances. Perhaps this is the way Felber intended his protagonist to be, but I, for one, do not see him as a character whose exploits I'd feel compelled to follow into future books.

Overall, a fair read that will entertain a certain audience.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Madson is sick and tired of the lie life he is living. He has long lost any form of affection from his wife, detests his influential father-in-law and definitely sick of the job he leads. He wants to leave everything behind and the only escape he can come up with is to fake his own death, move to Mexico and start a new life. Everything goes smoothly until he discovers that his partner double-crossed him. Every single cent he saved in a secret account – all gone. With nothing in his pockets, he strikes a deal with a Chinese investor to get an important bio-med file from his former office in exchange for a hefty amount of money that will surely make his new life better. Add to that, Martin Phials, an investigator from his insurance company is hot on Jack’s tracks trying to prove that the death of Jack Madson is no accident nor a suicide. The story is about a cat and mouse chase between Phials and Madson that surely keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I’m not much a fan of urban thrillers but this story got me engaged. I really wanted to know what happens to Jack at the end of the story and it pretty much kept me up all night trying to finish the book.

Click here for the full review.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this book. It is about a man planing to fake his death. The whole story is how he goes about it. It was very well done plot with an ending that never suspected. I would definitely recommend this book.

The author sent me this book to review.