Dead Cat Bounce is the story of Joe who works unwillingly in PR in Dublin. His family is imploding, his job makes him sick and his ideal woman suspects he may be retarded. When his little sister gets pregnant, his widowed mother hysterically demands he return home and act like the man of the family - but he hasn't a clue what to do. To compound his troubles, he is involved in secretly handling the closure of a local factory - the very place where his dream girl works...An instantly likeable character, Joe is a great creation - a funny lad who cares deeply about his mates and family and has great intentions but ends up being as useless about life as the rest of us. A remarkably assured debut, Dead Cat Bounce is fresh, extremely well written and will appeal to all those who love Mike Gayle as well as Ardal O'Hanlon.