Douglas Aspine is a man with virtually no redeeming qualities. He's a greedy, egotistical, self-serving monster who has a single great aim in life: to become CEO of a public company. His motives are pure greed as he strives for the outrageous wealth that such a position can generate through bonuses and free options.

Given the title of the book, it's hardly surprising that Aspine reaches that goal when he somewhat fortuitously lands himself the top job at Mercury Properties, a solid Top 200 company with a good reputation and a proven track record to deliver consistent profits.

But part of Aspine's contract is a bonus should he increase the company's half-yearly profits by 50%. So barely has his backside met with a Mercury chair when the slashing and burning begins. Jobs are lost, working conditions are changed and Aspine barely hides his discriminatory tendencies as he cuts a swathe through the older employees. For Douglas Aspine the only important factor he's concerned about is the possibility of the company reaching his promised profit so that he can reach his promised bonus.

Douglas Aspine quickly makes profits, but he also quickly makes enemies. Fiona Jeczik is the host of the country's top rating, hardest hitting current affairs show. When she was a young girl she watched her father sink from devoted family man to a beaten alcoholic after he was retrenched from the job he held for over 20 years. So when Douglas Aspine retrenched 300 Mercury employees he set himself up as Fiona's number one target. She decides that she is going to expose Aspine for the unfeeling money-grubbing bastard that he is and will use her high-rating show to do it.

Also firmly in the anti-Aspine camp is former Mercury CEO Harry Denton who still sits on the company board as a non-executive director. The sweeping changes that are going on in his company threaten to undo all of the goodwill and high standing he built up over many years, it's almost too much to bear. And as the obscene bonuses are being scooped up at the expense of employee jobs Denton vows that he will have Aspine removed one way or the other.

The CEO is a fast-moving story of corporate greed and ruthlessness and the fact that it's written by a former company CEO suggests that more than the odd character trait of Douglas Aspine is based on some sort of personal experience.

As profit forecasts are transformed into realised profits and continuous disclosure to the stock market on business activities is demanded, the pressure to continue to grow starts to build on Aspine. If bonus conditions are going to be met then the figures are going to have to look good. This is a crime novel and, with a ruthless man at the helm and a lot of money at stake, there's plenty of room for all kinds of imaginative book-keeping to do. And if anyone knows how to cover his arse it's the CEO of Mercury Holdings.

This is a very easy story in which to get caught up, with an admirable all-consuming drive to succeed brutally offset by the sheer dislikeable nature of the main character.

It's difficult to move past trying to describe all of the odious traits of Aspine, but word should also be mentioned about the book's plot which builds an in depth story of affected people who have suffered in some ways from Aspine's actions. Behind the main story come a series of mini tragedies, some of them heart-wrenching, others serving to instil a burning resentment over the injustices that have unfolded. Each of these smaller stories are carefully told and worked nicely into the overall picture.