by Jonathan Lethem (Author)

A hard-boiled detective tale full of talking animals and murder, from the award-winning author of Motherless Brooklyn and The Arrest

Gumshoe Conrad Metcalf has problems--there's a rabbit in his waiting room and a trigger-happy kangaroo on his tail. Near-future Oakland is a brave new world where evolved animals are members of society, the police monitor citizens by their karma levels, and mind-numbing drugs such as Forgettol and Acceptol are all the rage.

Metcalf has been shadowing Celeste, the wife of an affluent doctor. Perhaps he's falling a little in love with her at the same time. When the doctor turns up dead, our amiable investigator finds himself caught in a crossfire between the boys from the Inquisitor's Office and gangsters who operate out of the back room of a bar called the Fickle Muse.

Mixing elements of sci-fi, noir, and mystery, this clever first novel from a beloved author is a wry, funny, and satiric look at all that the future may hold.

Back Jacket

From the celebrated author of Motherless Brooklyn,
a wry, satiric parable of a hardboiled man out of time
Gumshoe Conrad Metcalf has problems-not the least of which are the
rabbit in his waiting room and the trigger-happy kangaroo on his tail.
Near-future Oakland is an ominous place where evolved animals function
as members of society, the police monitor citizens by their karma levels, and
mind-numbing drugs such as Forgettol and Acceptol are all the rage. In this
brave new world, Metcalf has been shadowing the wife of an affluent doctor,
perhaps falling a little in love with her at the same time. But when the
doctor turns up dead, our amiable investigator finds himself caught in the
crossfire in a futuristic world that is both funny-and not so funny.

"Marvelous . . . Stylish, intelligent, darkly humorous, and highly
readable entertainment."-SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
"Lethem has talent to burn."-THE VILLAGE VOICE LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
AUTHOR OF THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE

Jonathan Lethem is the author of six novels, including
National Book Critics Circle Award-winning Motherless Brooklyn
and The Fortress of Solitude. He lives in New York City.

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