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Ozzie Cheek
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Claws Kindle Edition

by Ozzie Cheek (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 95 ratings
See all formats and editions
Enter the deadly safari and hunt down a blood-thirsty killer!

When twenty-three lions, tigers, and ligers—a giant hybrid cat—appear in rural Idaho, town officials decide to hold the first safari in America. Only police chief Jackson Hobbs, a man haunted by loss and tragedy, and Katy Osborne, a talented hunting guide, seem to realize the potential danger of this situation. With the town desperate for money, the mayor, who also happens to be Jackson’s ex-wife, and her boyfriend are adamant that the Idaho Lion Hunt go forward even after people are killed.

As the death toll rises and his own family is put at risk, Jackson must cope with a town doubled in population, the activity of a local antigovernment militia, a willful teenage daughter, an animal rescue group, a missing young boy, a dead state trooper, and Katy’s desire to save a rare liger named Kali. Betrayal blossoms alongside romance as Jackson gets closer and closer to discovering the identity of those who engineered this predator panic.
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  1. Print length
    280 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    March 3, 2015
  6. File size
    2109 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review


“Intensely atmospheric, Ozzie Cheek’s Claws employs clarity and precision to reveal a rich panorama of a small town entrapped by a big time disaster.” —Keith Abbott, author of Downstream from Trout Fishing in America: A Memoir of Richard Brautigan

“Claws is a tremendous read. Well-written and scary. A lethal combination. I suggest you do what I did, and read it in the daytime. Nighttime reading was too scary.” —Nancy De Los Santos

About the Author


Ozzie Cheek wrote his first story when he was in the fifth grade. He knew then that he would be a writer, but his life took detours, and he was in his midthirties before he started to write full time. Prior to this period, Cheek attended a Methodist seminary to study for the clergy, taught high school English, lived in a commune in New Mexico, heeded the generational call of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, and somehow still earned a master’s degree in communication and a master of fine arts degree in creative writing.

Cheek moved to Los Angeles in the 1990s and found work as a staff writer on a TV series. He wrote movies for HBO, Showtime, NBC, CBS, and Fox, and wrote and produced the TV movie Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.

Cheek’s fiction includes the thriller Claws and the literary novel White Boy Blues, and he is the coauthor of Why Planes Crash (2011), the memoir of an aviation disaster investigator.

An avid traveler, Cheek follows baseball and basketball, has been a Shambhala Buddhist meditation practitioner for years, and reads constantly and widely. He divides his time between coastal Maine and Los Angeles.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00TEPP9DA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (March 3, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 3, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2109 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 95 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Ozzie Cheek

Ozzie Cheek

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Ozzie Cheek grew up in rural Missouri and wrote his first story when he was in the 5th grade. He always knew that he would be a writer, but life took detours, and he was mid-thirties before he started to write full time. Prior to this, Ozzie studied for the Methodist clergy, taught high school, and lived in a commune (aka sex, drugs, and rock & roll). His first publications were short stories in literary magazines. His first income as a writer came from writing dirty letters for a magazine under a female pen name. Ozzie moved to Los Angeles in the 1990s and found work as a staff writer on a TV series. He went on to work for HBO, Showtime, NBC, CBS, and Fox. He wrote and produced the TV movie "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye". He is the co-author of "Why Planes Crash", the memoir of an aviation safety investigator. Ozzie's first novel is the thriller, "Claws". To learn more about Ozzie and to read his blogs go to ozziecheekwriter.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
95 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

George Sr.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2022
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Thank you Ozzie Cheek for a truly exciting and curious story. I did not want to put it down ever and am sorry that it is over, I have not felt this since some my favorite Stephen King classic or “to kill a mockingbird.” Character development was excellent and the storyline was exceptional. I look forward to more Ozzie Cheek books.
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Sophie Shopper
4.0 out of 5 stars Watch out you might get bitten
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2013
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Bitten by the bug to read this book that is. If you love suspense & a bit of scary.

This book reminded me of a true life story. The one of the man, Terry Thompson, in Ohio who had an animal sanctuary and he was upset and let all his animals loose and all these lions and tigers were shot by police. This took place in 2011.

Of course this book is fiction and it's not about the Ohio case at all. However, readers who heard of that incident will be hooked after reading the first few pages of Claws.

If you're an animal lover and hate to hear about big cats being shot and killed or euthanized - then maybe you won't like to read this. I know my sister just couldn't get through this, she's very sensitive towards animals. So bare that in mind.

For me this was an entertaining read. It kept me interested. I was always wondering what was going to happen next. A real page turner is how I would describe it. The story flowed very well and I never felt confused by the plot. Nor did I feel like it was dragging along either - it was fast paced all the way.

It's amazing how some books seem not to have been overseen by an editor - but this was not the situation with this book I'm happy to say. This was well written and Mr. Cheek made his characters quite believable. The only thing I would say that I didn't like was that the relationship between Jackson and Katy was so predictable, and I kind of wish it wasn't. But all in all I can see this being a turned into a block buster movie (hint, hint Hollywood).

I hear that Mr. Cheek is writing a sequel to Claws...and I for one am waiting to read it. No doubts about it. The story ends well; but it does leave you curious about what happens next. And in my opinion that's the sign of a good writer. If you want to read more, then it means the author did his/her job well. What more can you ask?
3 people found this helpful
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booklovergrl
5.0 out of 5 stars A page turner - with heart and soul
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2012
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CLAWS drew me in from page one and it never stopped. I'm not naturally drawn to thrillers, but in this one, the characters are as compelling as the twists and turns of the plot. The book is entertainment for sure, but the writing is sharp and strong and the portrait of a contemporary small town struggling to survive rings true in every way. The unleashing of a bunch of wild animals on an unsuspecting town brings out the best and the worst in the rich cast of characters, one of the most memorable of which is the monster cat herself. Throw in an exploration of big game hunting that even non-hunters can enjoy and a couple of unusual love stories and it's got something for any reader. You won't regret checking out this gem of a book - it's a breeze of a read with plenty of thrills, but the characters will stay with you long after the end of the "Idaho Lion Hunt".
One person found this helpful
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Veronica
3.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad time-waster
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2013
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While not the best book I have ever read, it was entertaining. One thing that I would improve would be the transitions. In most places the point of view changes from one paragraph to the next with no dividing indicator, which has a tendency to confuse and throws readers out of the world the narration has built. In addition, there is a lot that is left open in the end. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it can be frustrating when you want to know how something is resolves and there is simply nothing there.
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Stl. Blues Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Thriller
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2012
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Thrillers are not on the top of my most read books, but the fascinating topic drew me in. From the first page I was hooked. The storyline is so intriguing that I could not put this down. The attention to all of the details is amazing. Never in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined anything remotely close to a Liger and its great size and power. I could see this play out in my mind as I read and wanted even more at the end. The characters are tied together well and their interactions keep the story moving without to much mundane day to day, but just enough to keep the flow going. I'm looking forward to more from this writer. This is a great book to read. It is well written and a bargain for the cost. Simply said, "I Loved It!"
5 people found this helpful
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SEAL Dad
4.0 out of 5 stars good story but uneven ending
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2014
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The author did a great job on this story about 23 cats (lions and tigers) escaping from a wildlife refuge in Idaho. The subtexts and subplots added love, intrigue and family drama with great character development, a good story line and plot development and conclusion. The downside is there was much talk about this anti-government supremacy group, Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) responsible for the breakout of the animals but the conclusion left those questions unanswered, even though they supposedly shot at the main character in an assassination attempt, Chief of Police Jackson and we never did find out the who, what and/or why.
One person found this helpful
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Doug
5.0 out of 5 stars Way better than I expected.
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2013
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I really wasn't expecting much when I ordered this book, but I've hunted in central Idaho and Africa and had to see what it was. I was really surprised. Unlike the popular writing that is all too common these days, Cheek didn't paint all hunters as knuckle-dragging, inbred, mouth-breathers. Nor did he make out all of the animal rights activists as being noble, self-sacrificing, saviors of the wild creatures. The big cats weren't just a friendly bunch that ate only mice and played with the other cute, larger animals. The writer gave the characters depth and a realistic quality that made this, along with a plausible scenario, an exciting story and a really good read.
3 people found this helpful
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Barbara Eschker
4.0 out of 5 stars Idaho Jungle Cats
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2013
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This story has a very interesting theme with big jungle cats getting turned loose in Idaho with a "lion" hunt then planned to keep citizens safe. The story would've received five stars except it had too many sub-plots! It was an interesting concept with jungle cats & (ligers) getting loose in a community, but there were too many stories underneath. I wanted to keep focused on the ligers, but it was hard. I did enjoy the book and the author left the ending open for a sequel!
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Top reviews from other countries

Mark Heber
4.0 out of 5 stars The more, the merrier.
Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2013
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Blood, gore, good writing, big cats. What's not to like? I found novel this to be a fine summer read.
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