Girlfriend 44 supplies a sharp, sardonic study of one man's slant on relations between the sexes. Laddish, thirtysomething Harry is still looking for the woman of his dreams, after 43 failed attempts. When his mate Farley apparently commits suicide over a girl called Alice, Harry sets his sights on the bereaved, convinced that she's the woman of his dreams. There's just one small catch--his best mate Gerrard is equally convinced that she's the only one for him and so … mehrthe contest commences. A battle not so much of wits as of puerile one-upmanship ensues as the pair project their own needs and desires onto the object of their fantasies. Sporting metaphors are served up fast and furious in this rogues' rally:"So by cutting the levity ... he brought the fight onto his own territory. Even if he failed ... he would still be there, like a tennis player hanging on in a demanding rally, biding his time to regain the cent re of the court." With its sharp one-liners, witty observations and vivid characterisations, Mark Barrowcliffe's first novel Girlfriend 44 presents a provocative insight into the male psyche. --Nicola Perry weniger