From the creator of HBO’s Bored to Death, a deliciously noir novel about an idiosyncratic private detective, Happy Doll, and his quest to help a dying friend who is running out of time in sun-blinded Los Angeles HAPPY DOLL is a charming, if occasionally inexpert, private detective living just one sheer cliff drop beneath the Hollywood sign with his beloved half Chi- huahua, half terrier, George. A veteran of both the Navy and the LAPD, Doll supplements his meager income as a PI by working through the night at a local Thai spa that offers its clients a number of special services. Armed with his six- teen-inch steel telescopic baton, biting dry humor, and just a bit of a hero complex, the ex-cop sets out to protect the women who work there from clients who have trouble understanding the word no. Doll gets by just fine following his two basic rules: bark loudly and act first. But when things get out of hand with one particularly violent patron, he finds himself wildly out of his depth, and then things take an even more dangerous twist when an old friend from his days as a cop shows up at his door with a bullet in his gut. A Man Named Doll is more than just a fascinating introduction to one truly singular character. It is a highly addictive and completely unpredictable joyride through the sensuous and violent streets of LA. JONATHAN AMES is the author of I Pass Like Night; The Extra Man; What’s Not to Love?; My Less Than Secret Life; Wake Up, Sir!; I Love You More Than You Know; The Alcoholic; The Double Life Is Twice as Good; and, most recently, You Were Never Really Here (adapted into the acclaimed film starring Joaquin Phoenix). He’s the creator of two television series, Blunt Talk and Bored to Death, and has had two amateur boxing matches, fighting as “The Herring Wonder.” READ BY THE AUTHOR Running Time: Approx. 5.5 Hours • Unabridged © 2021 by Jonathan Ames. All rights reserved. Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture. The duplicating, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights. 2021 by Hachette Audio. All rights reserved. © 2021 by Hachette Audio (packaging elements only). A division of Hachette Book Group, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104. www.HachetteAudio.com UNABRIDGED 41952 ISBN 978-1-5491-3931-4 Playaway pre-loaded audiobooks are the best way to listen, unplugged and uninterrupted. WWW.PLAYAWAY.COM © 2021 Playaway. Patented. All rights reserved. Designed in Ohio. Made in China. 9 781549 139314.