This novel is so great that, even today, I talk to my cat – hoping he will decide to break his cat's «code of conduct» and answer my questions. The book is a brialliant crime story with horror elements and Francis's humor (I laughed my a** off several times). It is also very educational - it provides lots of information on cats, and since the author knows very much about them, the info in the book is really authentic. You will learn what Jacobson's organ is and what is its function, why cats spend so much time washing themselves, why they can't be vegetarians… and many other interesting details about cats.

The novel has 10 chapters on 224 pages including the epilogue and 7 pages of notes, but trust me – once you get into it, there is no way you will be bored for a second. It is fabulously written, simple and completely readable – it will engage you totally and you will not think for a moment that it is actually fiction and «just a book about cats.»

«If you really want to hear my story – and I wholeeartedly reccomend it- you must first come to terms with the fact that it is not a pleasent story. On the contrary, the mysterious events that I've had to cope with last autumn and winter finally made me realize that harmony and peaceful life, even for a creature like me, are very shortlived. I know today that no one is spared from the general horror and that chaos can come down on us all at any moment. But before I put myself at risk of giving a boring lecture on dark chasms of our existance, it would be better if I told you the story – sad and twisted story.

It all began when we moved to this cursed house!

The thing I hate most in life - and since I'm inclined to believe in the theory of reincarnation, I probably hated the same thing in my previous lives as well – is moving, and everything related to moving. The smallest change in my day-to-day routine throws me into a deep well of depression, a state I can get out of only through extreme spiritual strain. But my simple companion Gustav and others like him would like nothing better than to change adresses every week. They have created this mindless cult around their place of residence, they even buy special magazines on the subject (and magazines encourage them to move as often as possible), they engage in heated debates over interior decorating that last late into the night, they haggle over the shape and hygenic specifications of a toilet brush and are always searching for new places of residence…»

This is just a short passage from the beginning of the book, just so you can get the feeling of how it's written. I love this passage, because if I only imagine a cat dwelling on how much he hates to move, it's hilarious.The whole booke is written in this style and it portrays the world as seen by a cat in a special and exiciting way.

Francis is a cat and suddenly he is forced to become a detective as he moves with his owner Gustav into a new house. As Francis explores the house he realizes that it is actually very strange, not at all pleasent, yet somehow very special and mysterious, filled with unpleasent medicinal odours. One evening Francis meets his first friend in the new neighbourhood, Bluebeard, who will actually guide him through the entire story and help with Francis's investigations. Talking with his new friend, Francis sees a murdered cat and this sparks of the investigation of a line of such murders and the book becomes a real crime novel.

I won't tell you anything else – get the book and read it, you will love it. No one can say it is boring or unoriginal, and trust me – the ending is completely unexpected and can't be forseen. If you like cats and crime stories, this is a great book for you. I realize that different people see different books in different ways, yet I really can't believe anyone would call this novel bad.

One thing is for certain – after reading this book, you will look at cats differently…