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Staff Pick
Lethem sets his brilliant, funny thriller between the election and inauguration of Trump, and the main character is seething with NYC neurotic rage even as she is plunged into a world she can't comprehend. Phoebe is looking for a friend's missing daughter and is guided by a laid-back detective called Heist. He knows the fringe worlds of SoCal all too well, and soon he and Phoebe are trying to survive complete Mojave madness. It's an outrageous, fresh, fun read that skewers the assumptions of both coasts, treats the characters with affection, and is a ripping yarn. Recommended By Kathi K., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Jonathan Lethem’s first detective novel since Motherless Brooklyn
“One of America’s greatest storytellers.” — Washington Post
Phoebe Siegler first meets Charles Heist in a shabby trailer on the eastern edge of Los Angeles. She’s looking for her friend’s missing daughter, Arabella, and hires Heist to help. A laconic loner who keeps his pet opossum in a desk drawer, Heist intrigues the sarcastic and garrulous Phoebe. Reluctantly, he agrees to help. The unlikely pair navigate the enclaves of desert-dwelling vagabonds and find that Arabella is in serious trouble — caught in the middle of a violent standoff that only Heist, mysteriously, can end. Phoebe’s trip to the desert was always going to be strange, but it was never supposed to be dangerous...
Jonathan Lethem’s first detective novel since Motherless Brooklyn, The Feral Detective is a singular achievement by one of our greatest writers.
Review
“A highbrow mystery....Fans of Motherless Brooklyn take note.” Washington Post
Review
“Being a Jonathan Lethem novel, natural, The Feral Detective has plenty to say about American society along the way.” Newsday
Review
“Lethem [is] a master of the genre-bending detective novel and eccentric characters.” Huffington Post
Review
“The Feral Detective investigates our haunted America in all its contemporary guises — at the edge of the city, beyond the blank desert, in the apartment next door. It’s a nimble and uncanny performance, brimming with Lethem’s trademark verve and wit.” Colson Whitehead
About the Author
Jonathan Lethem is the New York Times bestselling author of 10 novels, including The Fortress of Solitude and Motherless Brooklyn, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. He currently teaches creative writing at Pomona College in California.