Farnsworth's Revenge

Even grown men get upset when you take their toys away.

Rollo Hemphill has a history with a life-sized rubber doll he dressed up to look like glamorous Hollywood star Monica LaMonica. For a time, the doll’s worldwide travels provided convenient cover and sensational press for her living counterpart. But now, rubber-Monica has disappeared from crusty Hugo Farnsworth’s yacht in St. Tropez.

Like it or (mostly) not, Rollo gets drafted as an unofficial government operative to deal with the kidnappers. The doll has become a pawn in an international game centered on an eccentric Turk who collects lookalikes — but who may have also collected state secrets, including the plans for cold fusion and a scheme for bankrupting the world’s money supply.

All Rollo wants to do is get safely home to his estranged wife Felicia — who now happens to be pregnant. Is the child his? If not, will Rollo be bold enough to risk everything for a real life with a real woman? Once again, Rollo will prove that the male ego is as vulnerable as it is predictably deflatable.

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“On the lam in Paris, computer geek-turned-shamus Rollo Hemphill is on the prowl for a kidnapped blonde. A rich old man’s plaything, this doll has a famous face, legs up to here, and all the right equipment. A soft-boiled dick if ever there was one, Rollo learns too late that as usual, the yolk is on him.”

— Marvin J. Wolf, author of For Whom The Shofar Blows and other Rabbi Ben Mysteries

“The first requirement to be a fan of Farnsworth's Revenge is an ability to suspend belief. While the scenario of a kidnapped life-size replica inviting international espionage seems far-fetched, the story succeeds in painting a satisfying blend of possibility and madness in a manner designed to attract male readers with an interest in fast-paced espionage stories that hold a healthy dose of angst, witty mishaps and misadventure… Blend all this zaniness with emotional reflections as Rollo strives to reconcile differences between many different factions (not the least of which is his girlfriends) and you have a blend of action, drama, humor, and laugh-out-loud reflections revolving around the male ego and its responses… Don't expect a book that's easily 'pegged': Farnsworth's Revenge provides a read that's out of the ordinary and excels in unexpected twists and turns of plot; all spiced by comedy and hilarious encounters between Rollo and forces that pull him in different emotional and intellectual directions. It's recommended for mature teens (ages 16 and older) as well as adult audiences.”

— D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review