Ever wonder what other people think about you?  Your work?  What you should be focused on?

Colin Jensen is obsessed with this question.

As the newly appointed President of the Chemicals Division of the TruePhase Instrument Company, Jensen want to know everything -- where the weak spots are, what needs to be fixed, what's wrong with management, and how the employees feel about getting a new manager.  To find out, Jensen takes a page out of reality television, constructing his own, private version of the show Undercover Boss. 

Jensen's Undercover Boss, however, has no cameras, scripts or staff.  It's just him posing as new shipping department employee Conner Jackson.  In the absence of the cameras, Jensen finds a veritable cesspool of illegal and immoral activities are taking place on the factory floor -- illicit drugs, assault, intimidation, extortion.  All of this seems to revolve around union boss, Walt Sharp, and his neanderthal henchman, Lazlo.

Grasping at straws, Jensen sends young analyst Sandy Martin in search of the answer to a clue he uncovers on the shop floor.  That clue leads Sandy to the tip of a conspiracy that could bring the company to its knees.  It also puts her squarely in the sights of Sharp and his peers.

Jensen must decide how far he's willing to push things, and how much he's willing to tolerate as things progress from shockingly bad to worse, all during a driving blizzard in central Indiana.

EMPOWERED is available for sale now for the Kindle and in Paperback!

EMPOWERED in electronic versions for Kindle only -- click here: Empowered for Kindle.

PURSUING OTHER OPPORTUNITIES in Paperback -- click here: Empowered in Paperback

Here is what readers say about EMPOWERED:

"This is an excellent thriller and really makes you think with the surprising conclusion. Another great story from Spears."

"Another fast-paced and satisfying read from Tom Spears. The book worked well with two parallel plot lines that come together for a surprising conclusion. A retrospective on corporate politics from Colin, the main character, and his former mentor provide a timely juxtaposition to the current mess that he has gotten himself into. Unpredictable and filled with biting commentary on corporate life, the book was hard to put down and kept me guessing throughout."

Original Project Timeline:

Proposal Completed May 10, 2011.

First Draft Completed November 12, 2011.

Second Draft Completed March 25, 2012.

Third Draft Completed August 22, 2013.

Fourth Draft Completed June 12, 2014.

Launched on Amazon -- October 12, 2014.