Cat Out of Hell

Truss, Lynne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1612195199 ISBN 13: 9781612195193

Publisher: Melville House Publishing, 2016

Acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Lynne Truss (Eats, Shoots & Leaves) is back with a mesmerizing and hilarious tale of cats and murder

For people who both love and hate cats comes the tale of Alec Charlesworth, a librarian who finds himself suddenly alone: he's lost his job, his beloved wife has just died. Overcome by grief, he searches for clues about her disappearance in a file of interviews between a man called "Wiggy" and a cat, Roger. Who speaks to him.
It takes a while for Alec to realize he's not gone mad from grief, that the cat is actually speaking to Wiggy . . . and that much of what we fear about cats is true. They do think they're smarter than humans, for one thing. And, well, it seems they are! What's more, they do have nine lives. Or at least this one does - Roger's older than Methuselah, and his unblinking stare comes from the fact that he's seen it all.

And he's got a tale to tell, a tale of shocking local history and dark forces that may link not only the death of Alec's wife, but also several other local deaths. But will the cat help Alec, or is he one of the dark forces?

In the deft and comedic hands of mega-bestseller Lynne Truss, the story is as entertaining as it is addictive" (The Sunday Telegraph) - an increasingly suspenseful and often hysterically funny adventure that will please cat lovers and haters alike. And afterwards, as one critic noted, "You may never look at a cat in quite the same way again" (The Daily Mail).

Review:

"The creepy scenes are all sandpaper-tongue-in-cheek, but there's something genuinely spooky about realizing that the purring is coming from inside the house!... If jokes about acerbic pets, library carrels and funerary archaeology are catnip to you, then by all means curl up next to the fire with this diverting comedy."
--Washington Post

An io9 Science Fiction And Fantasy Book You Can't Afford To Miss

"It's no surprise that when Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation author Truss writes a novel about a talking tabby named Roger, his syntax is simply flawless."
--New York Post, Must-Read Books

"A potent and darkly humorous tale... Cat lovers (or cat haters) and fans of gothic fiction will devour this creepy, paranoia-inducing morsel."
--Publishers Weekly

"An unusual mystery for cat lovers and haters alike... A fun format for an equally entertaining quick read."
--Library Journal

"Punctuation czar Truss...turns her very special talents to a cat mystery with a twist."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A nimble mix of horror, Gothic mystery and dark comedy that will delight fans of authors like Neil Gaiman and Susanna Clarke... Cat Out of Hell is a brisk, clever, darkly hilarious book that begs to be read in one gut-busting sitting."
--BookPage

"Rich characterizations and the inventive structure of Truss's clever, comic novel all serve to enhance this endearing, insightful and often wicked mystery that ratchets up suspense and intrigue while exploring aspects of mortality."
--Shelf Awareness

"One cat at the hole can keep in one thousand mice - this cat can keep in New York City! Hell's-a-poppin'."
--Rita Mae Brown, bestselling author of the Sneaky Pie mystery series

"A masterpiece of comic writing... A novel as entertaining as it is addictive."
--Sunday Telegraph (UK)

"One of those rare books that actually makes the reader laugh out loud... Impossible not to read in one sitting."
--Sunday Times (UK)

"An incredible tale...You may never look at a cat in quite the same way again."
--Daily Mail (UK)

"A wonderful tale full of parodies, pastiches and paradoxes. Pure joy."
--The Telegraph (UK)

"It is good fun and the perfect lesson in how to use the power of punctuation to your advantage."
--Evening Standard (UK)

"Truss brings an eerie, 19th-century kind of horror into the present-day world."
--The Guardian (UK)

"Tremendous fun."
--SciFi Now

Book Description:

By acclaimed storyteller Lynne Truss, author of the bestselling Eats, Shoots & Leaves, the mesmerising tale of a cat with nine lives, and a relationship as ancient as time itself and just as powerful.