Wild Card: A Satirical Business Adventure

Humble computer programmer, Ricky Stern, works for the Electricity Commission in the Eighties, London. On a whim, he decides to fake himself a Commander of the British Empire Award. Surprisingly, this skyrockets his status and he is instantly recruited to GRAPE, a mysterious Government Agency that sells an innovative computer software program based in British Embassies. There, he successfully sells the software to news agencies. But his plans are scuppered by a colleague, who happens to be the son of the Personnel Director at the Electricity Commission.

Forced to leave GRAPE under a cloud, Ricky sets up Ring Inn, to provide TV phone-in services. There, he meets with another shrewd businessman who goes to even greater lengths to undermine his success.

On the verge of bankruptcy, Ricky agrees to sell Ring Inn to an American billionaire. When he eventually falls out with him, he's given a significant payoff. As he leaves the London HQ, his old colleague mysteriously reappears and takes him back to GRAPE, where Ricky is in for a big surprise.

The author Stephen Kirk is a serial entrepreneur and although all of Ricky's adventures are pure fiction, they could bear a close similarity to events in the Author's Life!