Chameleon (novel)

Not to be confused with the 1984 novel by William Diehl.
Chameleon
First edition
AuthorRichard Hains
LanguageEnglish
GenreFinancial thriller
Published2006 (Beaufort Books)
ISBN978-0825305108

Chameleon is a financial thriller novel written by hedge fund manager Richard Hains set during the subprime mortgage crisis, first published by Beaufort Books in 2006.

Plot

Promotion

To promote Chameleon, Hains started a contest offering an all-expense-paid weekend to London, where someone could enter by reading the book and answering three questions.[1][2]

Reception

Chameleon received reviews from publications including Publishers Weekly, Midwest Book Review, and Herald Sun.[3][4][5]

Publishers Weekly wrote that "Hedge fund partner Hains's strong suit is insider financial info, but the basic plot, characters and writing are all formulaic. There's a continuing, valiant attempt to heat up the action with a variety of lurid sexual encounters, but even this effort can't lift what's run-of-the-mill into out-of-the-ordinary."[3] Herald Sun wrote that "the book is an attempt at Da Vinci Code meets Wall Street."[5]

The book was also a finalist for the National Book Award in the Mystery category.[6]

Film adaptation

A film adaptation of Chameleon was planned to be produced and shown at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was set to be directed by Richard Gibson and produced by Richard Hains and Mark Pennell.[7][8] As of 2019, a film adaptation has not been released.

References

  1. ^ Williamson, Christine (February 19, 2007). "The promotion of a financial thriller". Pensions & Investments. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Win a Weekend in London That Money Can't Buy: Author Richard Hains Gives Away Exclusive and Glamorous Weekend in London to Promote Book". Business Wire. January 31, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Fiction Book Review: Chameleon". Publishers Weekly. May 29, 2006. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  4. ^ "Library Bookwatch". Midwest Book Review. December 2006. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Richard Hains a thriller unmasked". Herald Sun. June 1, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  6. ^ "Chameleon: the Novel". Archived from the original on 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  7. ^ Savage, Mark. "Financial crisis comes to Cannes". BBC News. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  8. ^ Mcnary, David (April 7, 2009). "'Chameleon' adapts to bigscreen". Variety. Retrieved April 14, 2019.