John R Burkhart

By Hook or By Crook John R Burkhart

Wealthy tycoon Barton (Bat) Belfry, founder and owner of B. B. Buttonhooks International, has the same problem that many rich people have....he wants more wealth! His plans are to gain complete control of the buttonhook market by whatever means necessary, the more evil and crooked the better! His chief competitor, Betty's Buttonhooks of America, has a 55% percent market share, up from a mere 20% a year ago. This is due chiefly to shrewd cost-cutting management by his cousin, owner Betty Bowknot and her clever chief of staff, Ona Shoestring. Barton has inserted a spy at Betty's plant, beautiful and dangerous Victoria Vamp. Together, Bat and Victoria hope to sabotage Betty's business by altering the production machinery so that the buttonhooks produced there are of poor quality. Ona's brother, handsome Ty Shoestring, who is also Betty's plant foreman, has his suspicions about the cause of the company's sudden quality control problems. Will Bat Belfry succeed in his evil scheme? Can Ty and Ona save Betty's Buttonhooks from disaster? And why do Betty and Ty get that vacant lovesick look when they are together? And just what the heck is a buttonhook anyway?