Manhook

By Ken Ratcliffe

'Run away with me.' When spoken by a much younger woman, few men will resist those words.When Bob Lutz abruptly quits his executive post to head an Internet start-up, he begins a harrowing spin into neurosis: he becomes obsessed with his young employee, the nubile Valerie Quinn. His marriage crumbles. Why would a fifty-year-old married man become involved with a twenty-three-year-old? His attitude: why not?'Run away with me,' she said. Once was all it took.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 141960807X
• ISBN13: 9781419608070
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.9" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Outrageous, fun & unpredictable

Ken Ratcliffe combines the best of Carl Hiasson's outrageous, quirky, cartoon-like characters with John Grisham's intrigue and intelligent plot twists in the world of coporate start-ups and the venture capitalists who exploit them. I laughed. I cringed. I couldn't put it down. I hope to see a series in this setting.

Manhook

Can this guy write! His scenes grip you in their sensitivity to the aging male one minute, and have you howling the next. His characters jump off the page with deliscious flaws. The first 20 or so pages I thought it was about business, but it's not; it's really about the folly of men. The ending got me big time. A well paced and brilliantly constructed novel. Highly recommended.

Nothing Is As It Seems To Appear

Readers who may have been badly bruised by the bitter and painful experiences of the Internet start-ups in the late 1990s will recognize the landscape in Ken Ratcliffe's debut novel, Manhook. Our principal protagonist, Bob Lutz, ditches his job as a salesman for a computer company,when he is enticed by an offer to become CEO of an Internet start-up, iCare, that will provide in-home care for the elderly. The company's objective is to blend the company's promising encryption software and Internet cams, called the GrammyCam, with the services offered by the Visiting Nurse Associations (VNA). As Lutz is considered to be a top salesman, his job will be to recruit as many VNAs as possible. However, there is only one glitch, the company is running out of money and they need to have venture capital to continue developing their enterprise. This little surprise was something that was hidden from Lutz when he joined the company, as he had the impression that there would be enough cash to operate for at least one year. Backed into a corner, Lutz tracks down two unscrupulous investors, Jack Reese, who turns out to be a sex pervert and his side kick, Sumner Shames, who is a banker with a network of some interesting contacts. Both become very interested when Lutz falsely assures them that the company has a relationship with the VNA, partnerships with suppliers, and the mailing list from the AARP. However, these two rascals are just as unprincipled, when they dupe Lutz into signing an agreement that would assure them of making a pile of money when the company goes public, leaving Lutz and his personnel high and dry. The agreement also stipulated that Lutz had to sign a minimum of twenty VNAs within a very short duration, failing which Reese and Shames would gain full control of iCare. The novel is a perfectly paced thriller with a roller-coaster plot that propels the reader through the story with some very interesting twists, particularly the ending. Radcliffe's story telling is quite absorbing with some clever interweaving , especially the sessions Lutz has with his psychiatrist, Dr. Felton, wherein readers have a glimpse of what actually makes Lutz tick and the motives for many of his actions. Thrown into the mix is Lutz's obsession with a twenty three year old woman, Valerie Quinn, whom he meets through his childhood friend, Brad Torgerson. Here, as is the case with much of the plot, nothing is as it seems to appear, leaving readers with many questions to answer themselves. Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures

Putting this book down is not an option!

I wanted to put Manhook down to tend to other pressing matters but I couldn't. This well written and entertaining book captured me in a maze of contemporary business and human conditions. The pressure to perform, high risk, greed, passion, lust, ego, insecurity, deceit and the classic conflict of good versus evil are all reflected in this wonderfully orchestrated story. Unless you are living under a rock you will relate to many aspects of this book and find yourself saying ... "yea that's how I feel too!" Buy the book and enjoy. Well done Ken! Can't wait for the movie and the sequel. J.J. Johnson Jr. Brunswick, New York

Provocative, entertaining and original

"Manhook" hooks you from the first page to the last. Absorbing and hard to put down, it provides interesting and realistic insight into the thoughts, characteristics and mysteries that motivate the actions of men. A well-written fast paced novel that will entertain and surprise you, a great read...highly recommended.