L*s*i*t*t

A marvelously authentic novel of startling dimension that transforms the headlines of corporate wars and takeovers into the flesh and blood behind-the-scenes manipulations of a conglomerate head who begins a distinctly unfriendly corporate merger with an unwilling female C.E.O. In the world of "white-knights," arbitrageur middlemen playing both sides against the middle, of self-serving corporate lawyers and carnivorous investment bankers, Steve Berg, armed with the inelegant but accurate rallying slogan "Let's stick it to them" ("L*S*I*T*T"), directs his unsolicited corporate affections upon Leslie Royal, a proud, decent-and tough in her own fashion-young woman struggling to protect the independence of her family's pharmaceutical company. Her company's new product-the first, reliable FDA-approved aphrodisiac, is the lure that sets off the struggle; at stake are millions of dollars and a proud reputation; and at the core are wondrously human passions, including, in the end, the oldest one possible between a man and a woman.