The Boss is a work of fiction and Mike Upton's fourth novel. The book is a challenging story set in the world of business and tells how Helen Buckley an accountant by training and profession, attempts to fight her way to the top in a highly competitive and difficult corporate world controlled and dominated by men. It follows her early life, her many love affairs, her marriage and the reasons for its failure, as well as charting her progress as she struggles to prove that she is as good as a man in solving company problems and confronting business difficulties. Innovative in finding solutions to business problems she gains a reputation as an expert wheeler dealer which leads her to decide to branch out on her own by setting up her own business consultancy which soon becomes highly successful. However the stress of her business life leads her on an increasingly steep downward path towards alcoholism which threatens to destroy her business, her personal relationships and ultimately her life. Her battle against the ravages and effects of alcoholism are well and accurately documented, as are her attempts to overcome the effects of this awful illness. A moving and sensitive story, with an interesting twist in that there is a choice of endings.