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Final Descent
First Class Betrayal... Everyone hates the airlines, and Intercontinental's no exception. Economic headwinds, executive infighting, and a concession-weary workforce generate turbulence, feeding the media and Congress a diet of sensational service failures. Richard Weston, Chairman and CEO, will use any means to crush dissent. His goal? Keep the company airborne long enough to sell it. Leaks of his scheme could send the airline into a graveyard spiral. Charting a course of deception, Weston enlists the aid of diabolical, Ingrid Shattenworter. The pair tap grizzled company veteran, Hap Sweeny to polish the airline. And Sweeny's got just the guy to calm employees, Jim Abernathy, a young idealist who loves Intercontinental as much as Sweeny - perhaps more. Jim has an adoring wife, Julie and a satisfying job. One thing's missing - a baby. Getting pregnant is their top priority, but Julie fears Jim's job will make him an absentee parent, or worse, send him to an early grave like his father. Ignoring his wife's warnings, Jim accepts Sweeny's offer, pulling away just when the couple's goal is within reach. At work, forces conspire; the current culture won't surrender without a fight. And rather than pacifying employees, Jim stirs them up. Weston commands Sweeny, torn between love of the airline and loyalty to his boss, to rein in the maverick before the place ignites. A flight to Frankfurt provides the stunning climax. A story of love and betrayal, the book appeals to anyone who's toiled in the corporate world, juggled home and work, or stepped onboard a commercial airliner. For his debut novel, Final Descent, Todd Arkenberg tapped into his two-decade career at a global airline. Todd has an MBA from The University of Chicago and a BA in Literature from Northwestern University. Active in Chicago's two oldest writers workshops, he lives with his spouse in his boyhood home.
332 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2013
3 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
T.D. Arkenberg
9 books11 followersT.D. Arkenberg was born in Chicago and raised in the suburb of Arlington Heights. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University, majoring in English Literature & History. T.D. received a Master of Business Administration from The University of Chicago, concentrating in Finance & Accounting with additional studies at The London Business School.
After 23 years working for a global airline T.D. left the corporate executive world behind to pursue his dream of becoming an author. He has published three novels. His first, Final Descent is the story of a airline in chaos, and the three men who battle for the company’s soul. His second, Jell-O and Jackie O is a poignant coming-of-age tale set in the late 1960s. A little boy escapes family struggles with the aid of an active imagination and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The book was awarded a Bronze Medal by Independent Publishers for best regional fiction. The same book was a semi-finalist in the prestigious Faulkner-Wisdom literary competition. T.D.’s latest novel is None Shall Sleep. The book’s heroine declares that Opera is Life as she sets out to re-invent herself from management consultant to opera singer. The story, set in London and Italy, inspires and delights. An early draft of the novel was a short-list finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom literary competition. For his next project, a memoir entitled, Two Towers, T.D. covers the catastrophic consequences of the events of September 11, 2001 on his employer, United Airlines and the near simultaneous deaths of his parents.
T.D. is an alumnus of Chicago’s two oldest writers groups, Off Campus Writers Workshop, and the Barrington Writers Workshop as well as the Brussels Writers Circle in Belgium. He also served on the board of the Barrington Chapter of The Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Program co-chair.
T.D., his spouse, and their Golden Retriever moved to Brussels, Belgium in January 2014. T.D. captured their adventures in his blog. In January of 2016, the couple, their Golden Retriever and a new addition, a cat named Puhi returned to their home in Chicago.
After 23 years working for a global airline T.D. left the corporate executive world behind to pursue his dream of becoming an author. He has published three novels. His first, Final Descent is the story of a airline in chaos, and the three men who battle for the company’s soul. His second, Jell-O and Jackie O is a poignant coming-of-age tale set in the late 1960s. A little boy escapes family struggles with the aid of an active imagination and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The book was awarded a Bronze Medal by Independent Publishers for best regional fiction. The same book was a semi-finalist in the prestigious Faulkner-Wisdom literary competition. T.D.’s latest novel is None Shall Sleep. The book’s heroine declares that Opera is Life as she sets out to re-invent herself from management consultant to opera singer. The story, set in London and Italy, inspires and delights. An early draft of the novel was a short-list finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom literary competition. For his next project, a memoir entitled, Two Towers, T.D. covers the catastrophic consequences of the events of September 11, 2001 on his employer, United Airlines and the near simultaneous deaths of his parents.
T.D. is an alumnus of Chicago’s two oldest writers groups, Off Campus Writers Workshop, and the Barrington Writers Workshop as well as the Brussels Writers Circle in Belgium. He also served on the board of the Barrington Chapter of The Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Program co-chair.
T.D., his spouse, and their Golden Retriever moved to Brussels, Belgium in January 2014. T.D. captured their adventures in his blog. In January of 2016, the couple, their Golden Retriever and a new addition, a cat named Puhi returned to their home in Chicago.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 12, 2020
A must read for anyone working in the Friendly Skies during the early 2000's.
January 23, 2022
A nice airplane mystery with many jump moments.
February 17, 2014
T. D. Arkenberg’s book, Final Descent, takes its readers into the upper echelon offices of Intercontinental, a major “fictional” airline. [I use quotes here because the true identity of this airline is very thinly veiled and quite obvious to anyone who has ever worked for that airline.] Arkenberg paints a dim picture of a power struggle between the “bad guys” and the “good guys”; ie, a culture clash between executives whose only concern is for the shareholders versus those whose first priority is to employees and customers.
The villainous CEO, Richard Weston III, and his mean-spirited cronies wear the black hats, tossing off remarks such as “Their morale isn’t my concern… Shareholders are my focus… [Employees are] ungrateful lunatics!”
Our hero is Jim Abernathy, whose career credo has always been to treat employees with respect, give them the proper tools to do their jobs and that will result in happier customers which will, in turn, reflect a better bottom line.
The book examines the woes of downsizing, outsourcing, furloughs and endless reorganizations in a desperate attempt to attract a suitor – another airline to buy them out or to agree to a merger – in order to relieve the executive suite of the stress of having to deal with disgruntled employees, poor performance and falling share value. Jim Abernathy is picked to be a Vice President who is tasked with empowering employees, but who finds increasingly declining support among the top brass. Jim’s wife, Julie, begs him to quit and find another job, as the stress on family life takes a major toll on their relationship. But the airline business is in Jim’s blood. “Had he intertwined his identity so entirely into Intercontinental that the prospect of expulsion terrified him?” Ouch – that line hits a little too close to home!
Arkenberg paints an exaggerated “good vs evil” picture, leading the reader to wonder how much of a personal axe he has to grind. I saw a lot of truth in this “fiction” but the evil he portrays seems way too over the top to be very believable. Much of the narrative is insipid and uninspired, as in this exchange between two execs who are very much not in Abernathy’s camp:
“We position his team as obstacle busters—our enforcers. We’re paired like horse and cowboy.”
“Which one are we?”
“The cowboy. We hold the reins—direct every movement of the horse.”
“I like horses. I think Abernathy will too.”
Duh.
And some of the dialog between Abernathy and his wife? So sugary sweet, you’ll swear you just dropped in on a conversation between Ward and June Cleaver.
The last few chapters, which contain the surprise ending (which I won’t reveal here) appear to be the author’s desire to take vicarious revenge on whatever career ills he may have suffered (and I’m sure he suffered many). Nice to contemplate such an ending, but clearly not one that ever happens in “real life”.
I think the only people who will be interested in reading this book are current or former airline employees who have experienced similar situations and attitudes to the ones portrayed here. That’s why I read it. And I must admit it gave me some unpleasant flashbacks – even some nightmares – as it brought up memories of severe stress and devastating feelings of insecurity--memories I thought I had long ago repressed. I’d much rather remember the good times. And, yes, there were good times. You just won’t find them in this book.
The villainous CEO, Richard Weston III, and his mean-spirited cronies wear the black hats, tossing off remarks such as “Their morale isn’t my concern… Shareholders are my focus… [Employees are] ungrateful lunatics!”
Our hero is Jim Abernathy, whose career credo has always been to treat employees with respect, give them the proper tools to do their jobs and that will result in happier customers which will, in turn, reflect a better bottom line.
The book examines the woes of downsizing, outsourcing, furloughs and endless reorganizations in a desperate attempt to attract a suitor – another airline to buy them out or to agree to a merger – in order to relieve the executive suite of the stress of having to deal with disgruntled employees, poor performance and falling share value. Jim Abernathy is picked to be a Vice President who is tasked with empowering employees, but who finds increasingly declining support among the top brass. Jim’s wife, Julie, begs him to quit and find another job, as the stress on family life takes a major toll on their relationship. But the airline business is in Jim’s blood. “Had he intertwined his identity so entirely into Intercontinental that the prospect of expulsion terrified him?” Ouch – that line hits a little too close to home!
Arkenberg paints an exaggerated “good vs evil” picture, leading the reader to wonder how much of a personal axe he has to grind. I saw a lot of truth in this “fiction” but the evil he portrays seems way too over the top to be very believable. Much of the narrative is insipid and uninspired, as in this exchange between two execs who are very much not in Abernathy’s camp:
“We position his team as obstacle busters—our enforcers. We’re paired like horse and cowboy.”
“Which one are we?”
“The cowboy. We hold the reins—direct every movement of the horse.”
“I like horses. I think Abernathy will too.”
Duh.
And some of the dialog between Abernathy and his wife? So sugary sweet, you’ll swear you just dropped in on a conversation between Ward and June Cleaver.
The last few chapters, which contain the surprise ending (which I won’t reveal here) appear to be the author’s desire to take vicarious revenge on whatever career ills he may have suffered (and I’m sure he suffered many). Nice to contemplate such an ending, but clearly not one that ever happens in “real life”.
I think the only people who will be interested in reading this book are current or former airline employees who have experienced similar situations and attitudes to the ones portrayed here. That’s why I read it. And I must admit it gave me some unpleasant flashbacks – even some nightmares – as it brought up memories of severe stress and devastating feelings of insecurity--memories I thought I had long ago repressed. I’d much rather remember the good times. And, yes, there were good times. You just won’t find them in this book.
February 23, 2015
If you've ever worked in the tumultuous airline industry, or love knowing what goes on behind those first class curtains, Final Descent is wickedly fun to read! As a seasoned writer, T.D. Arkenberg is masterful and has crafted grand and complex characters, delicious plot lines, and creates unexpected turbulence throughout the pages to keep readers engaged. Final Descent soars and is sure to reach elite status!
Final Descent
Final Descent
February 25, 2015
Excellent writing, fascinating plot and the author's in-depth industry knowledge create a wonderful read.
March 5, 2015
Very clever and well written. Fiction and yet so real. Loved every bit of it. Surprising ending.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews