Claw [Mass Market Paperback]

Ken Eulo (Author), Joe Mauck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1995

At night, a 700-pound Siberian tiger makes an impossible leap from his seemingly impenetrable cage and drags a woman to her death. The beast is called Rajah and possesses an almost supernatural intelligence. Now, as Rajah roams a panic-stricken city, it's up to Dr. Meg Brewster, veterinarian at the L.A. Zoo, to stop his rampage of violence. HC: Simon & Schuster.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The grade-B horror movie of the '50s reincarnates in book form in this overly familiar but energetic collaboration between veteran paperback horror novelist Eulo ( The Bloodstone ) and screenwriter Mauck. At the L.A. zoo, Rajah, a huge Siberian tiger, is exhibiting unusually aggressive behavior that has led veterinarian Meg Brewster to set a special night watch for a clue to the animal's rages. Crisis hits when Rajah scales a 20-foot wall and drags a zookeeper down to his cave. Meg quarantines the cat, sends blood samples to her mentor, deals with the L.A. cops and fends off the press. Over her irate objections, however, her boss and the zoo board, in order to capitalize on the publicity, put Rajah back on view. Predictably, an excited crowd pushes loose a security rail and tumbles into the furious tiger's arena, from which he claws a bloody path to freedom in the 4000 acres of Griffith Park, sparking terror throughout the city and drawing cops and federal agents ordered to shoot to kill. Meg's fears for Rajah turn to suspicion when her bosses try to pin the cat's escape on her, the feds yank her files and samples and her mentor is killed after leaving a frantic phone message. Further events link the zoo and a top-secret scientific experiment, and it all culminates in a blood-spattered mountainside chase. There's not much here that will surprise veteran horror or thriller fans, but the authors stir their cliches briskly and milk their sleek juggernaut of muscle, teeth and claws for all it's worth.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Eulo (House of Cain, Tor Bks., 1988) and screenwriter Mauck spin a taut, engrossing tale about Rajah, a giant Siberian tiger in the Los Angeles Zoo; at 700 pounds, he is the largest of his kind in the world. Rajah has been restless, so zoo vet Dr. Meg Brewster orders a close watch. At a late-night feeding, Rajah attacks and kills a young female zookeeper. He later escapes from the zoo and embarks on a killing spree to satisfy his growing hunger. In the meantime, Brewster, a strong and determined figure, races against time to figure out why Rajah has turned into a vicious killer with a near-human capacity to think. The answer lies in mysterious, government-sanctioned animal experimentation. This tale is perfect for late-night "scare-yourself-silly" sessions. Some graphically detailed scenes may bother the squeamish, but it is recommended where fast-paced suspense fiction is in demand.
--Dean James, Houston Acad. of Medicine/Texas Medical Ctr. Lib.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 319 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312955952
• ISBN-13: 978-0312955953
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,252,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here kitty kitty kitty. Poor kitty. Gettum kitty!, November 25, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Claw (Mass Market Paperback)

Yes! Rajah has been wronged. The bad guys and bad government deserve his blood curdling roars and rips. Living in LA, knowing every locale of this Siberian Tiger saga, makes it easy to get into this book, but any lover of intrigue and justice will join the Raja fan club too.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book with make you scared of going to the zoo!!!!, June 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Claw (Mass Market Paperback)

Claw is a great blood and guts book about a Siberian Tiger gone crazy. If you love a book with back to back action you'll love Claw. Trust me a book about a Siberian Tiger out in the city killing people is an excellent book. So if you love action buy this book

4.0 out of 5 stars Tony the Tiger on steroids!, March 4, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Seattle, Washington GO SONICS!!!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Claw (Mass Market Paperback)

Good story. This is a typical man(or woman) vs. beast story with shades of Moby Dick, but Meg Brewster is no Ahab. Maybe just a bit to much compassion for a tiger that kills people, but hey, whats the next best thing to a real jungle? LA? Why not.