For readers of Shark Heart and Hollow Kingdom, a funny, magical, and tender novel following a lonely, conflict-averse man whose sudden ability to understand animals sends him on a wild romp around NYC, and ultimately helps him discover his own voice.
Strolling through Central Park on a blind date with the hilarious, irrepressible Molly Bent, Henry Parsons is feeling hopeful for the first time in years … when a migratory warbler, the sweetest of little birds, tells him to f*** off.
A gentle soul, troubled enough by the unkindness of fellow humans, Henry tries to brush the moment aside as a hallucination. But soon he’s hearing voices everywhere: dogs mocking their owners, sparrows fat-shaming each other, police horses profiling attendees at a street fair — even a pontificating, misogynistic snake.
The man who never speaks up for himself is now besieged by animals who do. When (inevitably) he overhears three rats discussing a corpse in the New York subway, he lets it slip to Molly. She’s keen to investigate, and Henry’s desperate for a second date, so he follows her nervously into an abandoned tunnel under the West Fourth Street Station. There, sure enough, they find a body … and the murderers find them. Cue the most terrifying week of this cautious man’s life.
Inspiration and courage arrive from a pair of feuding betta fish and his neighbor’s yapping Pomeranian — whose unexpected wisdom helps Henry find the courage to assert himself at last.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Strolling through Central Park on a blind date with the hilarious, irrepressible Molly Bent, Henry Parsons is feeling hopeful for the first time in years … when a migratory warbler, the sweetest of little birds, tells him to f*** off.
A gentle soul, troubled enough by the unkindness of fellow humans, Henry tries to brush the moment aside as a hallucination. But soon he’s hearing voices everywhere: dogs mocking their owners, sparrows fat-shaming each other, police horses profiling attendees at a street fair — even a pontificating, misogynistic snake.
The man who never speaks up for himself is now besieged by animals who do. When (inevitably) he overhears three rats discussing a corpse in the New York subway, he lets it slip to Molly. She’s keen to investigate, and Henry’s desperate for a second date, so he follows her nervously into an abandoned tunnel under the West Fourth Street Station. There, sure enough, they find a body … and the murderers find them. Cue the most terrifying week of this cautious man’s life.
Inspiration and courage arrive from a pair of feuding betta fish and his neighbor’s yapping Pomeranian — whose unexpected wisdom helps Henry find the courage to assert himself at last.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Praise for this book
"Any book that starts with a cursing warbler is the right book for me! I loved our main (human) character Henry and all his anxieties, and I loved free-spirited Molly, his love interest....not to mention the supporting cast of talking animals. Wild, weird, and super fun. I loved it." - Annie Hartnett
"An uplifting, funny, original, and soulful novel! Through his wise and wonderful characters (some two-legged, some four, a few birds and a pair of deeply emotional beta fish), Isaacs has written a story that celebrates goodness, true love, and the magic of New York City. Perfect for fans of Shelby van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures." - Amy Poeppel
"Once in a while you pick up a debut that is so singular, inventive and alive you know instantly that you're going to read everything from that author in the future. Well, meet Robert Isaacs, your new auto-buy author. Let's be his biggest fans together." - Steven Rowley
"An uplifting, funny, original, and soulful novel! Through his wise and wonderful characters (some two-legged, some four, a few birds and a pair of deeply emotional beta fish), Isaacs has written a story that celebrates goodness, true love, and the magic of New York City. Perfect for fans of Shelby van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures." - Amy Poeppel
"Once in a while you pick up a debut that is so singular, inventive and alive you know instantly that you're going to read everything from that author in the future. Well, meet Robert Isaacs, your new auto-buy author. Let's be his biggest fans together." - Steven Rowley
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Used availability for Robert Isaacs's It's Hard to Be an Animal