Cat out of Hell (Hammer)

By acclaimed storyteller Lynne Truss, author of the bestselling Eats, Shoots and Leaves, the mesmerising tale of a cat with nine lives, and a relationship as ancient as time itself and just as powerful.The scene: a cottage on the coast on a windy evening. Inside, a room with curtains drawn. Tea has just been made. A kettle still steams.Under a pool of yellow light, two figures face each other across a kitchen table. A man and a cat.The story about to be related is so unusual yet so terrifyingly plausible that it demands to be told in a single sitting.The man clears his throat, and leans forward, expectant. 'Shall we begin?' says the cat ...

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

“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."

New York Post, Must-Read Books

“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."

Publishers Weekly

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

Library Journal

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

Kirkus Reviews

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

BookPage

“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."

Shelf Awareness

“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."

Rita Mae Brown, bestselling author of the Sneaky Pie mystery series

“One cat at the hole can keep in one thousand mice - this cat can keep in New York City!  Hell's-a-poppin'.”

Sunday Telegraph (UK)

“A masterpiece of comic writing... A novel as entertaining as it is addictive.”

Sunday Times (UK)

“One of those rare books that actually makes the reader laugh out loud... Impossible not to read in one sitting.”

Daily Mail (UK)

“An incredible tale…You may never look at a cat in quite the same way again.”

The Telegraph (UK)

“A wonderful tale full of parodies, pastiches and paradoxes. Pure joy.”

Evening Standard (UK)

“It is good fun and the perfect lesson in how to use the power of punctuation to your advantage.”

The Guardian (UK)

“Truss brings an eerie, 19th-century kind of horror into the present-day world.”

SciFi Now

“Tremendous fun.”

About the Author

Bestselling author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves and Talk to the Hand, LYNNE TRUSS is a journalist, arts and book reviewer, sports columnist and a regular broadcaster for BBC's Radio 4. She's had two plays performed at the Edinburgh Festival, including 'Hell's Bells' in 2012. Her latest book is Get Her Off The Pitch: How Sports Took Over My Life. Cat Out Of Hell is her fourth novel, and the first in over ten years.

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