Jack - Paperback

by Phillip Boleyn (Author)

MEET JACK, a dog who's having an existential crisis. And Veronica - Jack's human - who just happens to be a professional dominatrix. After Jack finds he can communicate with Isaac, the elderly man next door, the two unlikely friends visit Madame Lulu, psychic and self-styled Keeper of Secrets, to try to discover what lies behind their strange connection. But when the Keeper of Secrets decides that this one is much too good to keep to herself, their troubles begin. And after an unfortunate Internet video brings a stream of demented visitors to Veronica's house, Jack and Isaac escape to a secluded lakeside retreat. There they meet Alice, a little girl forced to live with her vile cousin, and Rachel, Alice's dog... with whom Jack instantly falls in love. And it's there that Isaac tells Jack the extraordinary story of the mysterious woman he loved long ago.

Throw in a supernatural romance, a sleazy politician, a fake cat funeral, and various masochists all craving the services only Veronica can offer, and you have the makings of a hilarious and sweetly romantic tale for the ages.

I loved Jack... it's like P.G. Wodehouse meets the Marquis de Sade! - MARY ROACH (best-selling author of "Stiff", "Gulp" and "Packing For Mars")

If Tom Robbins, Christopher Moore and Anne McCaffrey had a three-way, this would be their love child. - ERIN FALCONE

The unacknowledged love child of a sordid tryst between Bigfoot and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Phillip Boleyn - not his real name - lives in resentful seclusion in a cold, damp and rather drafty cave somewhere in the Cascade Mountains, emerging only occasionally to check on whether the whales are still responsible for global warming. In a parallel, kinder universe, he is a retired marine scientist who until recently directed a large research program focusing on the biology, behavior and conservation of cetaceans. British by birth, he has lived in the U.S. since 1980, and holds a Ph.D. in zoology. Phil has published five books and more than 170 scientific papers about whales (about five of which are actually worth reading), and has been the recipient of several awards for achievements in science and conservation. He lives on a small island near Seattle with his absurdly beautiful Russian wife and a crazy, adorable dog named Alice. "Jack" is his first novel.