The Animal Hour [Paperback]

Andrew Klavan (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Grafton / HarperCollins (1992)
• ISBN-10: 0586218459
• ISBN-13: 978-0586218457
• ASIN: B000KL5I8I
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Andrew Klavan has been nominated for the Mystery Writer of America's Edgar award five times and won twice. He is the author of several bestselling novels, including Don't Say A Word, filmed starring Michael Douglas, True Crime, filmed by Clint Eastwood, and Empire of Lies. He is currently writing a series of thrillers for young adults called The Homelanders. The first two novels in the series are The Last Thing I Remember and The Long Way Home. Klavan is a contributing editor to City Journal and his essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, among other places. His satiric video commentaries can be seen on PJTV.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read it three times! it's spooky, (gory), and funny, May 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Animal Hour (Paperback)

This book had me guessing, and wrong, about what was going on until almost the very end -- and i loved it! I've recommended this to friends who have enjoyed it as much. Sometimes the world doesn't make much sense, but Nancy Kincaid's "very bad day" wins the prize. (i've retyped this review 6 times trying not to give away plot details... just read the book, really. :-)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Relentless pace, May 31, 2005

By 

Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Animal Hour (Hardcover)

Reality and delusion are difficult to separate in Klavan's "The Animal Hour," a spiraling nightmare set in New York at Halloween. Nancy Kincaid begins her day by going to work - where no one recognizes her. Oliver Perkins wakes in a hangover haze to his grandmother's desperate appeal to find his younger brother.

As the day proceeds, Nancy's personality disintegrates, hammered relentlessly by a compelling voice and Oliver's pursuit leads him to a gruesome murder scene. Klavan ("Don't Say A Word") cuts between characters at moments of peak suspense, a time-honored device which ratchets up the tension admirably. Unfortunately it also calls attention to the characterization - strictly cut-out. But you can't have everything and Klaven's handling of action and psychological horror is heart-stopping.

Portsmouth Herald

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun suspense-thriller, April 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Animal Hour (Paperback)

Unlike the other reviewer from San Francisco, I have to admit that I really enjoyed this book for the suspense novel it is. I've successfully handsold several copies to customers where I moonlight based on the synopsis of the protagonist showing up at work only to find that none of her coworkers claim to know her. What I enjoyed about it most was that half way through the book I was sure there could be no resolution to my satisfaction without involving the occult or some supernatural goofiness, but Klavan actually accounts for everything quite nicely and summed it all up to my satisfaction. It wasn't great literature but a fun summer read. Sometimes that's all you need.