ISBN: 1-4196-0807-x

The following review was contributed by:   NORM GOLDMAN:  Editor of Bookpleasures &CLICK TO VIEW  Norm Goldman's Reviews 

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.