Starter Villain

<p><b>&lsquo;Laugh-out-loud funny, intricately plotted and big-hearted&rsquo; &ndash; <i>SFX</i></b><br><br><b>Warnin anti-hero in training. Risk of world domination.</b><br><br><b>Locus and Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi brings us <i>Starter Villain</i>, a turbo-charged tale of a family business with a difference &ndash; as Charlie discovers upon inheriting it. This one comes with a hidden headquarters, minions, talking cats and villainous rivals worthy of James Bond. </b><br><br>Inheriting his late uncle&rsquo;s business proves complicated. It&rsquo;s also way more dangerous than Charlie could ever have imagined. Because his uncle&rsquo;s supervillain status was a secret &ndash; until now.<br><br>Divorced, broke and emotionally dependent on his cat, Charlie wasn&rsquo;t loving life. Although they weren&rsquo;t close, news of his Uncle Jake's death didn&rsquo;t help. And that was before Jake&rsquo;s rivals (seriously vengeful ones) ambushed his funeral. Now Charlie must decide if he should stay stuck in his rut, or step up to the family trade &ndash; enemies, minions, hidden volcano lair and all.<br><br>Even harder to get used to are the operation&rsquo;s sentient, talking, computer-savvy cats &ndash; and the fact that they&rsquo;re management. If Charlie does say yes to all this, his lifeline could become a death wish. Because there&rsquo;s much more to being an Evil Mastermind than he suspected. Yet could this also, finally, be his chance to shine?<br><br><b>&lsquo;Talking spy cats and unionised dolphins &ndash; what&rsquo;s not to like?&rsquo; &ndash; <i>New Scientist</i></b><br><br><b>&lsquo;Prepare to be delighted and surprised&rsquo; &ndash; <i>Daily Mail</i></b><br><br><b>&lsquo;The book had me hooked from page one&rsquo; &ndash; <i>London Weekly News</i></b></p>