Jeff Foxlove is like any other young man striving to find success in the uber-competitive and cutthroat world of advertising in New York City. Working as a copywriter for the notoriously tasteless Cudmore Advertising Agency, Foxlove finally begins to impress his bosses. If success means embracing moral ambiguities here and there, then so be it, Foxlove decides. When Foxlove goes on vacation, he heads to the Yucatan jungle, where he is attacked by a savage beast and turns into a werewolf. Back in NYC, Foxlove kills two people. Desperate to turn himself in, Cudmore convinces Foxlove to use his new identity for ad campaigns. Eventually, Foxlove is overcome by guilt and returns to the jungle to reverse his curse. In a surprising twist, once there, Foxlove has a change of heart.
This is a well-written dark comedy with a satirical tone. The author’s tongue-in-cheek narrative is amusing, and the dialogue throughout feels authentic. Lipinski manages to create a whimsical yet mischievous tone in his novel. Lipinski has created a convincing world, giving readers an inside look at the advertising industry, and it is not hard to imagine that the author himself has lived in this world. Cudmore’s character is reminiscent of Michael Douglas' Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. There is no moral ground too low for Cudmore and his incessant need for power and money, which makes the reader even more sympathetic to Foxlove and his unfortunate circumstance. Foxlove easily wins over the reader’s heart with his well-meaning but cursed existence. Overall, the story unfolds without a hitch. Lipinski is prolific, and his writing is engaging. This is a fun read with surprising depth.