In the tradition of Vladimir Nabokov and Henry Miller, John Franc’s masterful novel explores sexual obsession, as a group of male friends delve further and further into the world of brothels under the gleaming surface of their cosmopolitan city. Told through an anonymous collective point of view, the narrative names no character or location, implying that these men speak for all men.

All seems well in this world where men sneak off to betray their wives and children, visiting brothel after brothel. But while toasting themselves and their moxie, evaluating the quality of their liaisons and the caliber of their bought lovers, one man in the group becomes wracked by a guilt that threatens to undo them all.

A fast-paced and fascinating look into the male mind and sexual obsession, Hooked portrays the attempt to mask the self while needlessly committing acts of reckless exposure, both literal and figurative. Read it if you must, but don’t tell anyone.