In Control

Office politics… real estate deals… fathers and sons… control freaks… marriage and family… ambition… competition… the accumulation and exercise of corporate power… these are the subjects that Ethan Cooper addresses in IN CONTROL, the first novel in the Corporate Quartet, his tetralogy of workplace fiction. In IN CONTROL, Harry Kramer, the Chairman and CEO of a major bank, finances the construction of a sixty-story office tower, even though he knows the market for office space will be saturated when the building is finished. He then pulls a young executive named Gordon Elliam from the pack and makes him the front person for the loan. In telling this story, Harry describes the distant and controlling relationships he establishes with Gordon and other banking associates. He tells of his wily effort to outsmart other major players in this business deal. And he talks of his own son, Hay Kramer, who bears a certain resemblance to Gordon. In this way, he begins to talk about his marriage and family. At the novel's conclusion, the shrewd Harry wins again. But he has shown the effects of his need to be in control. IN CONTROL is a must-read for those interested in leverage and intrigue in the C-suite and the traits that enable managers to rise to the top.