The only thing that really matters in the world is to not be alone in it.Saved from the shelter by "Good Boy," a lonely widower with a terrible secret and a silent, sterile life, Toby, a Great Dane/Labrador/Jerk mix begins a love affair with king-sized beds, food from a can, and every creature on his street except for one cruel man, and a haughty ginger cat. With blazing speed and a knack for quick escapes, Toby upends Good Boy's quiet life and leaps into the laps and hearts of his neighbors, from a heartbroken widow and the ghost who can't leave her to the teenager who is more dog-like than girl. With a dog's ability to perceive what a human can't, Toby befriends the living and the dead, and everyone in between. A hundred plus pounds of muscle, joy, and open rebellion, Toby brings mud, chaos and unconditional love to a world of loneliness and loss.Claire Dean, who also writes as Christy Yorke and Christy Cohen, is the author of 11 published novels, including Girlwood, Spirit Caller, and The Wishing Garden. She lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Robert, and Jenny, a Great Dane/Labrador/Jerk mix. The pseudonym Claire Dean is taken from the names of the author's two children, and only used when she writes the books of her heart. Good Boy is one of those rare novels. While most of the author's books have a dog running around in them somewhere, Jenny wants to make it clear that she is the first star.