fuonlyknew

When Aidan, Jess and their five-year-old daughter, Eleonore, move from
America to Clervaux, it seems as if they’ve arrived in paradise. It
soon becomes evident, though, that the inhabitants’ adoration of
their cats is unhealthy. According to a local legend, each time a cat
dies, nine human lives are taken as a punishment. To tourists, these
tales are supernatural folklore, created to frighten children on cold
winter nights. But for the inhabitants of Clervaux, the danger is
horrifyingly real.

Initially, Aidan and Jess regard this as local superstition, but when Jess runs
over a cat after a night on the town, people start dying, one by one,
and each time it happens, a clowder of cats can be seen roaming the premises.

Are they falling victim to the collective paranoia infecting the entire
town? Or is something unspeakably evil waiting for them?

Their move to Europe may just have been the worst decision they ever made.

They say cats have nine lives. What that means in the lovely isolated town of Clervaux, Luxemburg is they take nine. That’s right. When a cat dies, nine human lives are taken.

When an American family moves to Clervaux, they believe the legend is just that, a legend. But then a cat is killed and not long after someone dies. One down, eight to go.

This started out so hopeful. A scenic little town, friendly inhabitants, and lots of cats. But slowly, the atmosphere darkens. Strange noises are heard. Something prowls in the house at night. Claws click across the floor. Food disappears, Shadows hide a hunched over figure. And the friendly neighbors become not so friendly. Sounds like a good movie, doesn’t it? Thanks to the author’s talent for showing the story, it felt like I was watching it.

It takes a lot to give me the creeps. I’ve read a bunch of horror stories and watched lots of movies. A few scenes in this book are so creeptastic! There’s this scene where something is stalking the next victim. It moves boldly through the crowd of tourists. They think it’s part of something put on to entertain and take pictures of it, even as it attacks. I’d like to think I’d know the difference. I read it over again and still got creeped out.

Soft kitty. Warm kitty. Little ball of fur….. Not!

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