Ambitious. Dynamic. Ethical.  

That last adjective isn’t what normally comes to mind when the public thinks about the rich and powerful. But all three of these words describe Will Worthington of the Worthington dynasty, which has ruled American businesses and investments for six generations. The eldest of three siblings and a man of integrity, Will has been groomed all of his life to step into his father Bill’s shoes, whether it’s in the corporate world or the political one. 

An overachiever by both nature and birth order, Will is prepared to lead from positions of corporate and personal power. Guided by the family traditions of honor and achievement, he has successfully led the family corporation, Worthington Shares, since his father’s retirement, as well as having served as a board member for various companies. Despite the fact that his younger sister and brother are quite capable themselves, Bill has always focused on Will and his career with laser-like intensity. Naturally, the rest of the family has noticed this. Bill’s wife, Ava, a devoted peacekeeper at heart, has striven to encourage all three of her children but has not always been successful.

Will’s brother, Sean, the middle child, has pursued success his own way rather than seeking to follow in his brother’s (or father’s) footsteps. Hugely successful in social media, Sean has forged his own path with startup companies and environmental causes. But everyone notices Bill’s favoritism of his eldest son and how that favor never quite reaches to Sean.

"Co-authors Dr. Kevin Leman and Jeff Nesbit have crafted a compelling story that combines the fascinating research on the way birth order affects personality and decisions with the intrigues of political and corporate warfare."

Youngest sibling Sarah, the social butterfly and darling of the family, surprised herself and everyone else with her success at law school. Like her brothers, Sarah has always stood up for the bullied and downtrodden, so naturally a position in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division was the perfect career choice for her. 

Despite Bill’s penchant for grooming his eldest son and not his other kids, and their own different personalities, the three siblings have maintained a close relationship. Urged by his mother to keep “family first,” Will has sought to live that out not only with his own wife and children but with his brother and sister as well. On a personal level, that is. Professionally, the three haven’t connected too much.

All that is about to change, though. Will serves as a board director for American Frontier, a powerful oil company, which has negotiated its way into building potentially unsafe drilling platforms in the Arctic Circle as it seeks out new sources of oil. Although Will fought this step because of the unknown dangers of the newly developed drilling technology, company CEO Eric Sandstrom swayed the rest of the board to agree with his controversial decision. And so the drilling commenced.

Sean joins a voyage to the Arctic with his scientist friend, Dr. Elizabeth Shapiro, and her research team to study beluga whales and to drop buoys designed to measure warming and ice melt. The scientists plan to place as many of the buoys as possible, even around American Frontier’s new deep drilling wells. While Elizabeth and Sean are out on deck one day, the sound of an enormous yet muted explosion startles them. But what they see shocks them even more.

One of the American Frontier rigs has fractured. Oil rapidly begins bubbling up among the water and ice, surrounding a pod of whales that quickly become coated with it. Will’s intuition about the drilling was right. American Frontier and its directors now have catastrophic environmental and stock market problems to fix. 

Will believes that he can fix the company’s problems by becoming the new CEO. Sean has a first-row seat to the disaster itself. And the DOJ believes that there is a possibility of criminal wrongdoing on the part of American Frontier, so Sarah becomes involved as well. Each sibling has a role to play in the unfolding drama, which has the potential to make or break their careers. But there are hidden family secrets that none of them knows about that look to derail even the most promising paths, not to mention corporate saboteurs who are ready to wield their own power against the Worthingtons.

A PERFECT AMBITION is a gripping political and relational thriller. Co-authors Dr. Kevin Leman and Jeff Nesbit have crafted a compelling story that combines the fascinating research on the way birth order affects personality and decisions with the intrigues of political and corporate warfare. You’ll be captivated by the Worthington family’s story and left wanting more when you reach the end of the book.