Kockroach, by Tyler Knox

Imagine Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis turned inside out by Tim Burton and you’d get something very much like Kockroach by Tyler Knox. Tyler Knox is a pseudonym for William Lashner, a lawyer and established writer in the legal crime genre. I haven’t read any of his other work but its probably safe to say that Kockroach is somewhat of a departure from his norm. Thank goodness for departures. Kockroach is a fever pitched satirical crime noir novel featuring Jerry Blatta, a cockroach who awakens one day to find himself changed into a human. Thus begins his metamorphosis into the strange world of humans. The novel is set in New York City in the early 70’s but if there hadn’t been a mention of Nixon and Watergate I would have placed the action in the hard-boiled 50’s. There are three narrators: Jerry, his sidekick Mickey "Mite" Pimelia (taken from the genus Pimeliaphilus, or the common roach mite) and Celia, a woman who loves them both. The dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny and the casts of characters are all memorable. Unlike cockroaches that operate on only two levels (hunger and fear) this book works on multiple levels. Kockroach is real pleasure that I could easily see making its way onto the big screen in glorious film noir black and white.