A Review of "Marked Territory"

"Marked Territory" by Neal Litherland is a charming, gritty, noir dive into the world of New York City's streetwise animals.

I'll admit, I did not know what to expect from this story by reading the synopsis. I'd read stories before involving animal characters but they were always whimsical or fantastical. "Marked Territory" offers another view with a totally different kind of animal.

The characters are not only streetwise in a city that commands it, but there is a surprising amount of heart and camaraderie that weaves throughout the story making it very endearing in situations that could've clearly been dog eat dog.

The main character, a Maine Coon cleverly named Leo, is savvy, smart, and nothing short of heroic. This is shown by the way he interacts with a mouse named Charity who is, as her name suggests, in need. Now, Leo may have a soft spot for the downtrodden but don't let that fool you because when the going gets tough you don't want to be his enemy! Or it could simply be that Leo respects a fair fight and those that Charity are up against are, to say the least, not in the same weight class.

As Leo embarks on a journey that takes us all around New York city we get to see each animal's territory and how it relates to them. There are little hidden gems every where in the story like how the raccoons are part of the banditi, referring to the masks that every raccoon sports, the crows with their 'murder' for hire business, or how a Dachshund's name is Frank. Reading these tidbits brought a little grin to my face.

The animals not only have their own world but are very aware of the human one. Litherland writes in a way that showcases just how smart these animals are by weaving them seamlessly throughout both. It seems that the animals are more aware of the human world than the humans are of the animal world. They can operate in both and with all the charm and smoothness of Gomez Addams!

Not only are the characters themselves witty and smooth but the descriptions of these characters are the same. The way in which Litherland uses words to describe the characters mimics the characters behaviors- Leo is described with languid language, just the way you'd imagine a cool kat would present themselves. Charity, the mouse, is described with shorter words to accent her hesitancy and quick reflexes, while a pigeon friend of hers is described with twitchy, wary words. These descriptions of each character are written perfectly to reflect that character's disposition and make for a bunch of well rounded personalities.

The clever dialogue used by these spirited characters makes for engaging conversation, suspenseful moments, and a few laughs by the lucky reader. There is a lot of slang and some double entendre used artfully to draw the reader into the hidden world of these animals. Phrasings like "catnip coating", "pissing rights", and "raccoons to badger" are a few examples among the plethora of lingo used in this dark adventure. Overall the dialogue is smart, fluid, and quick-witted, adding to each character's unique charm.

Along with these excellent descriptions of the characters, Litherland paints a truly vivid and clear picture of Leo's adventures. The city is colored with dark seedy alleys, bright viridian parks, and steely yet hazy subways that add in making this world a vivacious and fascinating one.

Although this story seems kid-friendly I would warn parents there are scenes of graphic violence. As I mentioned above, you would not want to get on Leo's bad side! There are some brutal beat downs in this story but they are also well-deserved.

Without any exposition at all, we are immediately thrown into Leo's cutthroat world. The pacing is pretty even keeled as there are equal amounts of action and down time. And the down time is filled with clever dialogue, elevated descriptions, and suspenseful storytelling.

All in all this is a most creative take on the lives of city animals. There are an abundance of unique characters Leo meets along the way which add to the flavor of the melting pot that is New York city. The suspense keeps you reading chapter after chapter late into the night. The back and forth between witty raccoons, dogs, and rats makes for a delightfully entertaining read.

I highly recommend anyone who is a fan of noir, gritty, seedy style mystery stories with a punch of uniquely witty banter starring some of the most colorful characters to give this a read. You won't regret it!