Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: City of Masks by Burnham. James, Daniel Hecht, Anna Fields ISBN: 0-7861-2572-1 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Pub. Date: October, 2003 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 10 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent Foray into the Supernatural
Comment: As a History major with a concentration in New Orleans history, I approached this book with some skepticism as many authors stereotype the city. However, I found a refreshing change in City of Masks in which Daniel Hecht paints a very accurate picture of New Orleans from the rich suburbs of the Lakefront to the seemy underbelly of Bourbon Street.
In the novel, Hecht introduces us to Cree Black, a parapsychologist with a penchant for dealing with ghosts on an emotional level. Her method of ghost busting relies on dealing with the emotional cause of the haunting and helping the spirit to move on past its unresolved issues. It was a good change from the standard apparition or ghost that has come to inhabit most horror tales. While Hecht does explore the science and psychology of hauntings, I found that the book did occasionally get bogged down in description.
Cree's first assignment takes her to New Orleans where she is hired to rid Beauforte House of an evil presence. An interesting cast of characters awaits ranging from Lila Beauforte, the plagued victim of the hauntings, to Dr. Paul Fitzpatrick, the psychologist of Lila and the "love-interest" of Cree, to Ronald Beauforte, the eccentric and spoiled brother of the Lila.
Throw into the mix voodoo and hoodoo, two ghostly entities possessing Beauforte house, a closet full of skeletons, the mystery of Mardi Gras and the mystique of New Orleans and its rich culture and you have a wonderful tale. All of these things make a rich gumbo to savor.
Hecht has done an excellent job in creating Cree Black. She is a well-rounded character that plays well off of the other characters in the book. She is self sufficient, smart and resourceful while showing her feminine side. Everything that one could want in a heroine.
In all, Hecht does an excellent job of keeping the story fast paced and interesting and through his development shows just why New Orleans can be called a City of Masks.
Rating: 5
Summary: City of Masks
Comment: Daniel Hecht has created a complex and sympathetic protagonist in Cree Black and put her up against mysterious and sometimes terrifying antagonists in the lush and often dark setting of New Orleans. The balance between suspense and science kept me turning pages long past my "bedtime," and I found myself rooting for Cree to not only solve the Beauforte mystery, but to find peace from her personal ghosts as well. The characters here are quirky and intriguing, the writing is filled with sensory detail, and the plot is a thrilling ride. I'm already eager for the next in this new series and can't wait to see Cree in action again soon. It's good news for all fans of Daniel Hecht's earlier standalone thrillers, Skull Session and The Babel Effect, that he has begun a series.
Rating: 4
Summary: a great read, not just for haunted house lovers
Comment: i'm very impressed. :-)
hecht writes well (great rhythmic flow, not surprising considering he's also an accomplished musician), plots well (reminded me a bit of the magus in terms of layers unfolding), researches well (a very vivid portrayal of new orleans), creates complex engaging characters (cree just draws you in, like people/ghosts she encounters draw her in, joyce is a hoot, etc.), and provides substantial scary/emotional reader payoffs (an early scene in the "haunted house" is truly horrifying, cree's self-discoveries are very moving, etc.).
there's so much to like about this novel, but just two flaws (for me): 1) hecht can do "scary" as well as anyone i've read, but he doesn't do it enough in the book; i wanted more. 2) i found the ending a bit flat and disappointing.
if you like ghost stories and/or psychological mysteries, definitely read it. :-)
 |
Title: Land of Echoes : A Cree Black Novel by Daniel Hecht ISBN: 1582343934 Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Pub. Date: 21 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: Skull Session by Daniel Hecht ISBN: 0670876615 Publisher: Penguin USA Pub. Date: 01 January, 1998 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
 |
Title: The Codex by Douglas J. Preston ISBN: 0765307006 Publisher: Forge Pub. Date: 08 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly ISBN: 0425194612 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 03 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
