"The rain was falling in heavy, languorous sheets, and it ran in dirty streams along the waste-clogged gutters." (Jonathan Lethem)

"I parked as close to the building as I could, but that wasn't particularly close. The rain was falling in heavy, languorous sheets, and it ran in dirty streams along the waste-clogged gutters. With my shoulders up over my ears I sprinted to the doorway of my building and stepped into the darkness under the crumbling archway, and stood there for a minute watching the rain run off the sill over my head and splash a few inches from my shoes. I was playing out a hunch."

SOURCE: "Gun, With Occasional Music" (Jonathan Lethem)

This quote from the back cover sets the stage. "Gumshoe Conrad Metcalf has problems -- not the least of which are the rabbit in the waiting room and the trigger-happy kangaroo on his tail. Near-future Oakland is an ominous place where evolved animals function as members of society, the police monitor citizens by their karma levels, and mind-numbing drugs such as Forgettol and Acceptol are all the rage."