Bad Monkeys - Softcover

Jane Charlotte: a woman with a serious attitude problem, a drug habit and a licence to kill. She has been arrested for murder, and during questioning tells police that she is a member of a secret organisation devoted to fighting evil. Her division, 'The Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons' - or 'Bad Monkeys' for short - is an execution squad that rids the world of especially evil people. However, the man Jane has been arrested for killing was not on the official target list. This strange confession earns Jane a trip to the jail's psychiatric wing, where a doctor interviews her at length about her supposed career as an assassin. Her tale grows increasingly bizarre, with references to hidden messages in crosswords, dollar bills that can see, and axe-wielding Scary Clowns. The doctor does his best to sort truth from lies, but whenever it seems he's getting to the bottom of things, there's another twist to unravel. Not until the full story is told will we learn whether Jane is lying, crazy or playing a different game altogether.

Matt Ruff is the author of the critically acclaimed Set This House In Order as well as two previous novels, Fool On The Hill and Sewer, Gas & Electric: The Public Works Trilogy. He lives in Seattle.