At the core of Right on the Money are the issues of corporate buy-outs and the rapidly disappearing small family firm, topics frequently in the news in recent years. The novel contrasts a small, highly idiosyncratic yet successful family-run business, the Ecker Company, and a large, up-todate corporate giant, Aqua Supplies, Inc. The buy-out is a result of the retirement — due to poor health — of the son and heir-apparent of the Ecker Company's founder and president, Conrad Ecker. ASI is looking to diversify, and the Ecker Company appeals to them as a solid company that will bring profits and access to the retail market. But problems develop, due to the various power games the management teams on both sides are playing.

Green Crow the Dollars (1982) examined the dynamics of a family-run business, largely focusing on the general lack of drive and business acumen in...