Skull Session - Softcover

Hecht, Daniel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1582344965 ISBN 13: 9781582344966

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2005

Synopsis

Back in print and accompanied by its prequel Puppets, the bestselling Skull Session is a classic tale of suspense. Despite his brilliance, Paul Skoglund hasn't held a steady job for years, partly because of his Tourette's syndrome. When his eccentric, wealthy aunt asks him to take on the repairs of her magnificent hunting lodge, he is in no position to refuse. But then he finds that the rambling old house has been savagely vandalized: he discovers a scene of almost superhuman destruction, a violence mirrored by a series of disappearances and grisly deaths haunting the region. Paul delves into the wreckage, wondering what dark passion―and what strength―could cause such chaos. As state police investigator Mo Ford pursues the mystery through official channels, escalating events force Paul deeper into his family's past and into the darker aspects of his own nature.

About this title

Review:

Guitarist Daniel Hecht sold a lot of albums in the 1970s and '80s: his Willow on the Windham Hill label might be sitting in your closet. But in 1989 a hand ailment turned Hecht's talents to writing, and the first published result is as dazzling and moving as his music. In this novel, gifted Vermont woodworker Paul Skoglund has learned to live with and basically control his Tourette's syndrome, thanks to early training from his caring father and daily doses of haloperidol. But the drug has also burned away the once-sharp edge of his creativity, and Paul has been having a hard time earning a living. So when his eccentric Aunt Vivien offers him a job restoring her old house in Lewisboro, New York, Skoglund is glad to accept--even though it will take him away from his 8-year-old son, Mark, who suffers from neurological troubles of his own. It turns out that the house has been savaged by vandals who are apparently linked to several local teenagers who have disappeared in recent months. While state police investigator Morgan Ford pursues the mystery in an official way, Paul and his fearless lover Lia discover that the damage to the house is of unnatural--possibly even demonic--origins. Hecht balances these diverse elements with impressive artistry, all the while making us care for the fate of his characters.

About the Author:

Daniel Hecht is the author of the bestselling Skull Session and Puppets; The Babel Effect; and two novels in the Cree Black series, City of Masks and Land of Echoes. He lives in Montpelier, Vermont.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1582344965
• ISBN 13: 9781582344966
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 496