A complusively readable riff on the classic detective novel from America's most inventive novelistWinner of the National Book Critics Circle Award & a New York Times Notable Book"Utterly original & deeply moving." —Esquire°°°Brooklyn'svery own self-appointedHuman Freakshow,Lionel Essrogis an orphan whoseTouretticimpulses drive him to bark, count, & rip apart our language in startling & original ways. Together with three veterans of theSt. Vincent's Home for Boys, he works for small-time mobsterFrank Minna'slimo service cum detective agency. Life withoutFrank Minna, the charismaticKing of Brooklyn, would be unimaginable, so who cares if the tasks he sets them are, well, not exactly legal.But whenFrankis fatally stabbed, one ofLionel'scolleagues lands in jail, the other two vie for his position, & the victim's widow skips town.Lionel'sworld is suddenly topsy-turvy, & this outcast who has trouble even conversing attempts to untangle the threads of the case while trying to keep the words straight in his head.Motherless Brooklynis a brilliantly original, captivatinghomage to the classic detective novelby one of the most acclaimed writers of his generation.°°°Jonathan Lethemis the bestselling author of twelve novels, includingThe Arrest,The Feral Detective,The Fortress of Solitude,Dissident Gardens,Chronic City, &Motherless Brooklyn, winner of theNational Book Critics Circle Award. His essay collectionThe Ecstasy of Influencewas aNational Book Critics Circle Awardfinalist. He currently teaches creative writing atPomona CollegeinCalifornia.