Editing The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

{{One source|date=December 2024}}{{short description|1999 novel by Christopher Moore}}
{{Infobox book  | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name          = The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove
| title_orig    = 
| translator    = 
| image         = Lustlizard lg.jpg
| caption = First edition
| author        = [[Christopher Moore (author)|Christopher Moore]]
| cover_artist  = Michael McGurl 
| country       = United States
| language      = English
| series        = 
| subject       = 
| genre         = [[Humor]], [[Fiction]], [[Horror fiction|Horror]], [[Comic fantasy]], [[Mystery fiction|mystery]], [[Adventure fiction|adventure]] 
| publisher     = Spike/[[Avon Books|Avon]]
| release_date  = 1999
| media_type    = 
| pages         = 
| isbn          = 0-06-073545-7
| oclc= 55704471
| preceded_by   = [[Island of the Sequined Love Nun]]
| followed_by   = [[Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal|Lamb]]
}}
'''''The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove''''' is a [[novel]] by American writer [[Christopher Moore (author)|Christopher Moore]], published in 1999.  It is set in the same fictional town of Pine Cove, California, as his [[first novel]], ''[[Practical Demonkeeping]]'', and also brings back some of the same characters.

==Plot summary==
Pine Cove suffers a major crisis when the town psychiatrist, Val Riordan &mdash; who has been haphazardly issuing prescriptions instead of dealing with the real mental problems of her patients &mdash; suffers a sudden bout of guilt and substitutes all of her patients' [[anti-depressant]]s with [[placebo]]s. At this same time, by coincidence, human-generated environmental activity stirs a prehistoric sea-beast from its underwater keep to come ashore.

In addition to its ability to change form, the beast exudes a [[pheromone]] that inspires uncontrollable lust among the residents of Pine Cove and also lures some of them as prey. After mistakenly trying to mate with a fuel truck (causing an explosion), the beast hides in a trailer park, attracting the curiosity of local crazy lady and former B-movie star Molly Michon, who builds a rapport with the injured beast.

Meanwhile, Theophilus Crowe, the town constable, investigates a strange suicide, the activities of his corrupt boss, and his adversely affected [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] habit. When the beast (whom Molly has named "Steve") starts eating residents of Pine Cove and interfering with Theo's boss's [[methamphetamine]] business, Molly (who has become romantically involved with the beast) and Theo band together to make possible the beast's safe escape and to take down the boss at the same time.

==Reception==
[[James Sallis]] praised ''Lust Lizard'', saying that Moore's novel provides "[like] all the best comic writing, something beyond jokes, caricature, spinning plates and crazy-tilt towers, something intangible that vanishes whenever we try to look directly at it: some sense, perhaps, that we're still able to rescue from the ever-increasing detritus of our culture a decent, simple humanity."<ref>[http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/1999/js9912.htm "Books], ''[[F&SF]]'', December 1999.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://chrismoore.com/lust_lizard.html ''Lust Lizard'' page at the author's website]

{{Christopher Moore}}

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[[Category:Absurdist fiction]]
[[Category:Novels by Christopher Moore]]
[[Category:1999 fantasy novels]]
[[Category:Avon (publisher) books]]
[[Category:Novels about mental disorders]]
[[Category:Zoophilia in culture]]
[[Category:Works about the illegal drug trade]]