Sean Patrick Carlin

Sean Patrick Carlin’s debut novel, an occult horror/dark comedy in the spirit of Shaun of the Dead, begins with a trio of college students savagely mauled on a hiking trail coming home from the bar. The next night, a pair of high-school sweethearts is stalked and massacred at a state park. Something monstrous lurks in the woods of Upstate New York, setting the idyllic Finger Lakes community of Cornault on edge. Investigating the wildlife attacks is beleaguered Animal Control Officer Frank Antony. Misunderstood by his father, the mayor of Cornault, mistreated by his brother, chief of staff at City Hall, and mischaracterized as “the dogcatcher” by the newspaper’s op-ed columnist, Frank commands no one’s respect. Even his earnestly loyal sidekick, Animal Care Technician Steve “Waff” Pollywaffle, is too hopelessly irresponsible to ever be counted on. Aided by world-weary forensic veterinarian Jessie Bartendale, Frank and Waff soon suspect the creature menacing their town is something far more horrifying than an ordinary wild animal . . . and the underestimated “dogcatcher” and his team might be the only ones who can stop it. “The Dogcatcher is a darkly funny romp filled with unique characters. It manages to put a new twist on the genre and Carlin’s writing ensures there’s never a dull moment. This book is just the thing to get you in the mood for the Halloween season.” - J.G. Faherty, author of Ragman, Songs in the Key of Death, The Wakening “An inventive and terrifying must-read for any horror fan.” - John Kachuba, author of Shapeshifters: A History