The arrival of a long-lost absent father forces a Manhattan man to come to terms with an ongoing romantic triangle in Tropper's latest, a funny, sensitive and occasionally over-the-top comic novel that revolves around the calamitous life of 32-year-old Zack King. King's a horrible job as a corporate drone for a supply company is balanced by his impending marriage to Hope, his gorgeous, successful fianc?e. But chaos comes with the arrival of his wacky divorced father, Norm, who left Zack and his two brothers after his wife used graphic pictures of his infidelity as the backdrop for the family Christmas cards. Norm makes himself an unwelcome guest as Zack tries to deal with a potentially devastating health problem and a job crisis that makes him realize how much he hates his life. But the real problem is Zack's growing attraction to Tamara, the beautiful, recently widowed single mother who was married to Zack's friend Rael until a car accident took Rael's life and left Zack alive during an ill-fated road trip to Atlantic City. Viagra-popping Norm becomes increasingly cartoonish as the novel unfolds, and the triangle material is boilerplate, but pithy observations on love, marriage and corporate life give the book a graceful charm. Tropper continues to display a fine feel for romantic comedy in this enjoyable follow-up to The Book of Joe. Agent, Simon Lipskar. (Apr. 5) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Tropper, author of Plan B0 (2000) and The Book of Joe0 (2004), offers up the story of Zachary King, a man in his early thirties facing a possible health crisis and major life changes. Zack is engaged to a beautiful woman, Hope, and slogging through his trying job as a middleman when he discovers blood in his urine. He makes a trip to the doctor, and as he waits for the results, he starts to question everything in his life. His job is thankless, and he is in danger of losing a big account because of another's mistake; his perfect fiancee doesn't look nearly as good to him as his best friend's widow, Tamara; and his feckless father, Norm, has dropped back into Zack's life, and for the first time, Zack finds himself inclined to consider letting the man in. As with any great comedy, high jinks ensue, including a hilarious scene where Zack, Norm, and Zack's roommate try to track down Zack's doctor. But the novel is also grounded by the serious issues at its heart: the tragic death of Zack's best friend, Norm's abandonment of his family, and Zack's struggle to do the right thing. By turns funny and moving, Tropper's warm, winning tale will appeal to both male and female readers and may draw comparisons to Nick Hornby and John Scott Shepherd. --Kristine Huntley Copyright 2005 Booklist

In Tropper's (The Book of Joe) new book, protagonist Zach King faces serious problems in his apparently very happy life. He has a well-paying but unsatisfying dead-end advertising job and lives rent free in the apartment of a rich friend who spends his days watching endless TV reruns. Zach is about to marry a beautiful woman from a wealthy family, but he is not totally sure he is in love with her. He has very strong feelings toward the equally beautiful widow of his best friend who was killed in a car wreck two years before. And finally, his father, who walked away from his family 20 years ago, reappears and wants to reestablish ties with Zach, his two brothers, and his mother. As with Tropper's previous work, this story of family problems and personal crisis is well told and has a range of interesting and humorous characters. Scott Brick does an excellent job reading this enjoyable and touching work; recommended for larger collections.--Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ., Parkersburg (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.