Mad Jack [Library Binding]

Catherine Coulter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1999

Dear Reader: Mad Jack is lots of fun. You're going to meet two of the neatest people in 1811 London. In addition, you'll revisit the Sherbrookes - Douglas and Ryder, and see what's going on with them eight years after you first met them. As for Sinjun, she and Colin Kinross have been married for four years and Colin is in a real tizzy. Mad Jack is in reality Winifrede Levering Bascombe, who, happily, has her name changed very quickly in the story. She arrives in London with the aunts, Mathilda and Maude, to beg the assistance of Lord Cliffe, Grayson St. Cyre. He welcomes the aunts, briefly spots the valet, Jack, and proceeds very quickly after their arrival to fall down the rabbit hole. He catches the valet, Jack, stealing his horse, Durban, chases Jack down, and then all sorts of interesting things happen. Enter Sinjun with her frantic husband, Colin, on her trail. Amidst all the laughter, however, there lurks a deadly secret that's ready to leap out and crush both Jack and Gray. You'll hold your breath when a tough-brained Jack and a furious Gray get together and discover the truth of the accusation that could do them in before they can even get started with their lives. Do write to me at P.O. Box 17, Mill Valley, CA 94942, or email me at [e-mail], and tell me what you think of Mad Jack, a novel I very much enjoyed writing. Catherine Coulter

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The household of Lord Cliffe, Grayson St. Cyres, is turned topsy-turvy in this historical romance when his two eccentric great aunts descend on him with their valet, Mad Jack. As it turns out, Jack is in fact Winifrede Levering Bascombe, a young runaway in disguise, hiding from her abusive stepfather. When Jack steals one of St. Cyres's horses, the chase is on; and when St. Cyres apprehends the scamp, he discovers the masquerade and the inevitable love affair develops. The less-than-ingenious plot appears to be going nowhere until Coulter throws in a special twist that saves the day. Despite this, the story is well-worn and cutesy, and the males are reduced to inept creatures dominated by the strong-willed women in their lives. Although entertaining (due mostly to the eccentric, hysterical aunts), Coulter's newest doesn't hold up to her bestselling The Wild Baron.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

"Coulter is excellent at portraying romantic tension between her heroes and heroines." -MILWAUKEE JOURNAL

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding: 343 pages
• Publisher: San Val (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417715162
• ISBN-13: 978-1417715169
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,016,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Catherine Coulter is the author of the New York Times-bestselling FBI thrillers The Cove, The Maze, The Target, The Edge, Riptide, Hemlock Bay, Eleventh House, Blindside, Blowout, Point Blank, Double Take and TailSpin. She lives in northern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read!, December 1, 2005

By 

Glenda A Bixler "Glenda" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mad Jack (Bride Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

Mad Jack by Catherine Coulter got placed back on my bookshelf with her other works!. This was a fun read because it was so different than anything else I had read by Coulter. It's set in 1811 London and Mad Jack turns out to be a young woman who has run away from her stepfather who plans to have her marry a sinister old man. She is aided by becoming the "male" valet to two lovely aunts of, of course, an attractive single Lord of the manor. Now, you may think, oh,this is just another love story...Not true! For instance, Lord Durban meets Mad Jack after "he" has stolen Durban's horse and when he catches "him," he attacks "him" as the horse thief Mad Jack is...well, you get the picture...soon he finds out that he has been beating up on a young lady--quite a pretty young lady indeed. Only to have her kidnapped... Ah, quite a romp around merry ole England...what?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rip-off Rip-off Rip-off, February 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mad Jack (Bride Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

I paid the outlandish price for this book, assuming that Coulter would be up to her usual high standards. Such was not the case. The dialogue was almost bizarrely stilted ("I'm a man. I'm handsome and charming..... You will admire me. You will be pleased that I'm your husband. You will obey me, but I will never trust you".) Does/did anybody ever talk that way? Coulter also brought in characters from previous books, such as Sinjun and Colin, Ryder, and Douglas, which, I admit, influenced my decision to buy the book. Like the dialogue, though, their presence seems awkward and contrived, leading me to suspect they were reintroduced to lend some credibility to a vague plot (the heroine, Mad Jack, is trying to avoid being married off by her wick stepfather, hence the quickly failed masquerade as a male). Do yourself a favor and wait until your local library has this book. It's not worth buying...........

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mad Jack? Bad Book !, January 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mad Jack (Bride Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

After having revised all of her early regencies and revisited them on the world, Catherine Coulter has now resorted to recycling her efforts. This is a badly disguised reprise of her Phillip Mericault book with plot twists that are more like limp threads that go nowhere and leave one dangling. For example, "Jack" is a female named Winifrede (why not call her Fred? At least one could keep the names straight) who takes refuge--no reason given--at the hero's great aunts' home. The three promptly move to hero's home--no reason given. Almost immediately heroine runs away and is caught in rainstorm and develops runaway fever which can only be reduced by sponging her breasts, etc. Naturally hero has to marry her (sound familiar)? Throw in a missing magic lamp (which nobody searches for)... Sherbrooke couples who serve no purpose other than to stage all their sexual arguments in the hero's home...a potential racing cat who may or maynot be pregnant...and what do you have? A mish-mosh enlived by typical Coulter blither (that's blather delivered in a falsetto). Only redeeming feature: the two great aunts.