Werewolf on Madison Avenue by Edward R. Lipinski is a thought-provoking, suspenseful, and darkly comical work that brilliantly illustrates the horrific circumstances surrounding its werewolf protagonist while also exposing the harsh realities of capitalism.

In this fast-paced narrative that keeps you eager to find out the next surprise, there are no pointless, tedious details. Every detail about the setting and characters is given succinctly and plays a significant part in the main narrative. For example, the book offers an impression of the unhealthy, draining, and crude milieu that Jeff finds himself in by shining light on the underlying competition between two antagonistic brothers in the advertising world. The book includes obscene, vulgar characters who will stop at nothing to make money. I also liked that the characters feel very genuine and are vividly depicted, such as the grandmother who forces her visitor to consume “disgusting homemade” cookies.

Anyone who likes horror literature and werewolf stories will appreciate this book. Its scope, however, is broad, since it includes such themes as acting, advertising, magic, business, nature, love, relationships, friendship. Ambition, and more. The author’s tone is unapologetically candid, caustic, and matter of fact, so anticipate some stinging remarks about its shallow characters as well as detailed descriptions of werewolf assaults.

This brilliantly humorous and thoroughly enjoyable horror novel effectively portrays the times we live in—a time when people are progressively waking up and choosing mental wellness over exhausting workaholism. I loved the book’s message about the simplicity of nature and the improved quality of life attained via downsizing and minimalism. Furthermore, I read the book wide-eyed with terror as if held captive by some spell—I just had to finish it! Prepare for your senses to be heightened and your mind to be stimulated with this treasure find!

Werewolf on Madison Avenue, written by Edward R. Lipinski, is a cute and fun story with a dark and subtle sense of humor.

Werewolf on Madison Avenue is a classic werewolf story; while vacationing in a remote destination, a man is bitten by some unexplainable creature. The locals warn this man of something supernatural and altogether unnatural, but being a skeptic, the man returns home and unwittingly unleashes a ravenous terror upon his city. Despite its classic inspiration, this story is just unpredictable enough to stay entertaining. Plus, there’s a nice parallel between Jeff sacrificing his morals for financial gain and career success, becoming a metaphorical monster with his literal transformation into a wolfman with a taste for human flesh. At one point, Jeff’s boss at the ad agency, Damon Cudmore, even tells Jeff that when writing ads, you need to “go for the jugular.” That’s exactly what happens.

The story has a fun, subtle, and often dark humor, especially in the Cudmore ad office. When Jeff confesses to being a werewolf and a murderer to his boss, Damon Cudmore asks, “These people you say you killed; were any of them our clients?” And once Jeff becomes a werewolf, the story really picks up. Cudmore’s solution to his best copywriter and hand-picked protege becoming a werewolf is to hire Brooklyn Iron and Steelworks to build a cage in the sub-basement of the office. From there, he uses Jeff’s wolf-form to film a shaving cream commercial. That humor may be a little dark but Lipinski’s writing is an absolute laugh riot.

Damon Cudmore’s villainy is rivaled only by that of his brother, Pythias Cudmore. The best part is, the brothers could be real people. We all know someone like this. While Jeff is the protagonist of the story, the real hero is doubtlessly Willard, whose character arch surpasses even the transformation of Jeff into a wolfman.

Werewolf on Madison Avenue is a fun and modernized re-telling in the classic werewolf genre. The story is just unpredictable enough, primarily through humor, to distinguish itself from other stories. Anyone looking for a quick-read creature feature will certainly get a laugh out of Werewolf on Madison Avenue.

In the world of advertising, most would say that tact and social norms must exist to be successful, yet others would say that “anything goes.” Damon Cudmore is highly successful in the field of New York advertising, and he follows the advice of the latter—the more crude, insulting, and subjectively honest the slogan can be, the more successful it proves for the overall success of the product. In walks Jeff Foxlove, a newbie to the field, but full of energy, ideas, and dreams of changing the world. Jeff gets brought under Cudmore’s wings, exposed to the darker side of advertising that he soon adapts to, albeit reluctantly. Jeff notices that something isn’t right in his life and he takes a vacation down south for refreshment, relaxation, and to become recharged. To a young, successful New Yorker, the thought of anything going wrong or the truth behind cultural stories, aka superstitions, is not on his radar. One decision made there shows him returning home as a werewolf and having to abide by its curse—unfortunately for others, fresh meat and blood are part of the werewolf package. Is it possible to tame his animal instincts? How can Jeff reverse the curse, if it’s even possible?! One last trip down south to search for the fabled curer is the ending to Jeff’s exciting and unpredictable life.

When it comes to werewolf stories, this reviewer identifies as a “newbie:” accepting that title, reading Werewolf on Madison Avenue was an enjoyable and thrilling introduction to the fantasy genre, reading of creatures who put your hair on end. This debut novel by Edward R. Lipinski reads as the work of a seasoned author yet contains his artistic writing style within and throughout each page. Written in the third-person style, the story gives an overall feel or a narrator relaying the happenings and events, allowing the reader to view them externally and at a safe distance, versus the opposing first person, with the reader likely to feel and read the characters differently through their internal dialogue. Rest assured horror fans, there is blood and guts and savagery. The characters in the story are likable and relatable; while being largely about Jeff, other characters have their moments to shine and learn about, with many of them experiencing a coming-of-age moment by the end. The text is comprehensive, yet understandable to the lay reader. The chapters are written in similarly-lengthened bite-sized portions for the capability of gearing through the book at a speedy pace. Werewolf on Madison Avenue is recommended to literally anyone—it will appease the horror junkie given its theme and well-written descriptions of events, yet it contains a solid storyline to appease all other readers through the characters and lessons learned.

To say that I’m an avid horror reader would be an understatement. If there’s a book out there that’s even vaguely spooky, it’s getting into my hands at some point. But there’s something about the classic horror tropes that never really go out of style. There’s always a new iteration, a new take, or new lore being created and circulated, breathing new life into our old favorites. For this review, I’m talking about one of the first Hollywood monsters ever to creep into the collective unconscious of readers across the globe. No, not vampires. Although if Mr. Lipinski decides to write a novel featuring the iconic bloodsucker I’ll be the first to wish list it. No, I’m talking about the quintessential shapeshifter himself: the werewolf.

In Werewolf on Madison Avenue, Lipinski takes archetypal werewolf and the accompanying supporting character tropes and adds his own special blend of comedy, romance, and a healthy dose of satire to create a story that, while still definitely horror, gives such an air of almost madcap depravity that you can’t help but root for the dozy logic behind the characters’ every move. Jeff Foxlove is a recent graduate trying to get his foot in the door of the advertising world in New York City. Unfortunately for him, he lands a job at an agency with the sleaziest reputation in the business and is soon drawn into a world of raunchy work assignments that completely challenge his moral compass and begin to wear down his upstanding fortitude.

Between putting in grueling hours to create bawdy ads that go against every marketing ideal he ever valued and a ditzy commercial actress trying to use him as a rung on her climb up the social ladder, Jeff is in dire need of a vacation. Unfortunately for him, the Yucatan vacation that he books doesn’t go according to plan when he ignores the warnings of the local tour guide and is attacked by a beast on a moonlit mountain top. Upon his return to the city, Jeff experiences increasingly alarming changes in his body and mind until the volatile first moon after his attack. After a harrowing night, Jeff tries to explain his situation to his boss, Damon Cudmore of the (now explosively ostracized) Cudmore Brothers, who soon takes full advantage of Jeff’s condition for his own sinister business ends.

With the help of Willard, a work-acquaintance-turned-friend, and the steel of his own resolve, Jeff tries desperately to find a cure for his lycanthropy and salvage what’s left of his life. If you’re even remotely a fan of classic monsters and like a little dark humor with your horror, I highly recommend picking this one up!

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. h 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 to imagine that the author himself has lived in this world. Cudmore’s character is reminiscent of Michael Douglas’ Gordon Geko 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. Fox love 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.