"Taut and muscular. Not a word is wasted. . . [An] invaluable historical novel." --Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman

"Absorbing . . . Depicts the terror sparked by the leopard's escape, including scenes in which cars filled with gun-toting would-be game hunters raced down the city's streets . . . The book also touches on some of the big issues of the time, including the psychological damage sustained by those who fought in World War II." --Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News

"Really beautiful . . . about the fears seen and those unseen, like injustice and the emotions of coming back from war." --Jenna Bush Hager, on Instagram

"Inspired by an actual incident, this mostly sweet-tempered tale [about] a wild cat on the loose in 1950's Oklahoma City crystallizes a boy's coming-or-age [in] a transitional time for his family. His father, a test pilot, has died; his mother is getting serious with a new man; and his two uncles are World War II veterans whose PTSD manifests itself in confusing ways . . . In scenes that put anti-Black discrimination on display, he exposes the persistence of casual racism and how easily it descends into violence . . . Harrigan has a knack for grand-scale historical writing . . . and he engagingly inhabits his young hero's mind [in] a likable, nostalgic yarn that explores how minor incidents can catalyze into bigger crises." --Kirkus Reviews

"Deeply felt . . . plenty of heart. . . . Harrigan makes a welcome return to fiction with a story inspired by a leopard that escaped from the Oklahoma City Zoo in 1952. . . . Five-year-old Grady is an appealing narrator . . . and Harrigan elegantly conveys the strength of family bonds." --Publishers Weekly

"Captivating . . . Things come to a head when the uncles, with [nephews] Grady and Danny in the back seat, set off in Frank's car to find the leopard. They will find more, much more, than they anticipate." --Michael Cart, Booklist

"Harrigan vividly recreates 1950s Oklahoma City with a fine eye for historical detail using a spare writing style reminiscent of Kent Haruf . . . Harrigan's novelistic time machine with its complicated and compelling characters will engage a wide array of readers." --Library Journal