Natural History

Searching for mythical beasts, a family ignores the monster in the backyard It all started with the death of an ape. This is not so odd in Monkeyland, the sanctuary that Patrick and Jane founded together in a last-ditch attempt to revive their flagging marriage. But there was something different about this dead ape, and Patrick soon becomes obsessed with uncovering the mystery surrounding its death. Meanwhile, Jane's in Zaire shooting a nature show and possibly cheating on Patrick with the producer; their son, Charlie, was fired from the sanctuary after an altercation with a customer; and daughter Jo is home from boarding school but may as well have stayed for all they see her. Then there's the predatory cat stalking the periphery of the dilapidated zoo, dodging just out of sight, evading capture, and driving Patrick's obsession to a fever pitch. While Jane and Patrick follow their preoccupations, searching for wild beasts, they manage to ignore the one growing in their midst. Finally, a gruesome act forces the family to come to terms with a dark reality. "Neil Cross is an astonishing writer-tautly lyrical, and able at a stroke to fill you with cold, dark fear of the malign forces at large in the world . . . [Natural History's] horrible climax will stay with you for a long time." -Time Out London "Powerfully intelligent . . . Cross's novel is serious and compelling in equal measure." -The Guardian "It's clever, tense and chilling. Highly recommended." -The Bookseller "Dark and densely plotted . . . challenging notions of guilt and the limits of parental responsibility." -Daily Mail "A masterpiece . . . seductively readable, no matter how much one dreads what may happen next." -The Daily Telegraph "Fierce and poignant." -The Sunday Times "Intelligent, brilliantly written, fascinating . . . The exquisite tension that Cross's sharp, devastating prose builds leads to a climax so shocking it will leave you flabbergasted." -The Crack "Neil Cross builds the tension in this fiendishly taut novel. . . . As events mount to a genuinely shocking climax, Cross asks uncomfortable questions about the differences between being human and having humanity." -Metro "Blurring the line between human and animal sympathies, this is written with such authenticity you can practically smell the chimp excrement." -Arena "Highly recommended." -The Literary Review Neil Cross (b. 1969) is a British novelist and screenwriter best known as the creator of the multiple-award-winning international hit BBC crime series Luther, starring Idris Elba, and the international hit horror movie Mama. His highly acclaimed memoir, Heartland, was shortlisted for the PEN/Ackerley Prize in 2006. Cross has also written several thrillers, including Captured, Holloway Falls, and Always the Sun, which was longlisted for the 2004 Man Booker Prize. Cross continues to write for TV and film in the United Kingdom and the United States. He lives with his wife and two sons in Wellington, New Zealand.