Alexander (Xander) Kellogg III became a prominent apartment owner, purchasing a portfolio of several thousand units in Denver, Colorado over the 1960’s and early 1970’s. After successfully selling the multi-family projects, Xander delves into the office building development business in 1977, along with his brother, Robert.
Xander, also known as Mr. X to his closest friends and allies, is a ruthless manipulator who demands total allegiance from his employees and business associates. While Robert runs the Kellogg Construction division on an ethical basis, Mr. X uses cunning exploitation and extortion to direct every aspect of his business and private life. His narcissistic personality dictates winning every conflict and punishing his adversaries. Encountering continuous conflicts with real estate brokers, competing developers, attorneys, bankers, and employees, Kellogg knows no moral or legal limits to succeed. Mr. X is a also a notorious womanizer, in process of divorcing his third wife.
Alexander Kellogg’s ‘win-at-all cost’ personality ultimately leads to challenges in both his professional and personal life. He ultimately must deal with a connection to a murder, an expulsion from his exclusive country club, a series of legal disputes, an arrest for assaulting a police officer, and rejection from his political allies.
Here are several reviews. In addition, the novel has been rated 4.75 stars (out of 5.0) from bookseller sites.
“Awesome…what a yarn, great job…you have the gift.”
“I just finished “The Developer” and boy did you create a character that you just want to punch in the face!”
“Having been in the real estate business in Denver during the 70’s hyper-office construction days, followed by a total collapse in the Commercial Real Estate market, I observed some developers doing exactly what Xander did. A fun read from an author who knows what he’s talking about.”
“Great story…when does the sequel come out?”
“Finished the book last week and enjoyed it greatly. It was fast paced and kept me reading late into the night. I finished in less than a week…Excellent job.”
“You’ve taken all the dishonest moves from 10 guys in the real estate business in the 70s and lumped them all on one guy. I’m sure I can think of someone who tried or successfully executed any one of the dishonest moves X got away with.”
“Just finished “The Developer.” Fun book and can’t wait to see what X does next!”
“I’m in the middle of your new book and loving it. Unless you kill off X man later in the book, I hope you’re working on a sequel.”
“I just finished “The Developer”. I really enjoyed it…Good job…keep ‘em coming.”
“I liked the characters from Andrews Oil Company…they seemed like guys I knew and worked with over the years when I lived in West Texas back in the early 80’s. Looking forward to the sequel. Every time it looks like X is going down, he pulls a rabbit out of his hat. The wagons are circling on him this time.”
“Awesome stuff! Devoured it in just a few days. Excited for Phase II.”
“A caricature based upon real people…very entertaining!”
“Good read…awesome villain!”
“Mr. X, the main character is one crazy dude. I bought this book last month and it’s a page turner…I’m looking forward to the sequel.”
“This is an interesting look at an unpleasant man involved in the real estate industry. You might think Xander was modeled on Donald Trump, but in my real estate experience, Trump was not as unique in his unsavoriness. As Bye draws you into the crazy world of Mr. X, you keep hoping he’ll either suffer a deserved downfall or do something to redeem himself. All I will tell you is that he’s still alive at the conclusion of the book and I’m anxiously awaiting the sequel.”
The softcover, hardcover, and electronic books are available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other on-line booksellers, as well as through the publisher, Booklocker, Inc.
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