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City Of Masks
 
 

City Of Masks [Paperback]

Daniel Hecht
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 15.50
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If it's New Orleans and the novel's main characters have been dead for years but are still walking around terrorizing people, it must be an Anne Rice adventure. But it isn't--it's the first in a new series starring a fascinating heroine, Seattle parapsychologist Cree Black, whose own murky past and special gifts make her the perfect choice to investigate a haunted house in the Garden District and the family that's slowly being scared to death. Lila Beauforte has moved back into her ancestral home, now inhabited by ghosts who seem bent on driving her out. Cree, her senses more attuned to the presence of revenants than flesh-and-blood bad guys, shakes enough closets in Beauforte House to bring the skeletons out, solve mysteries of the past as well as the present, and fall in love with an equally appealing if more traditional investigator of the unconscious who may be able to help her free herself from her own emotional prison. She's a smart, vulnerable, and attractive character in an unearthly and unusual thriller that starts off a promising new series with a howl and presages a long run on the bestseller list. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Hecht's New Age ghost story introduces Cree Black, a psychologist of renown transformed years ago into a hyper-empathic ghostbuster by a spectral visit from her beloved husband. Lured from her upscale Seattle offices to a spirit-infested mansion in the heart of decadent New Orleans, she immediately identifies with the haunted socialite Lila Beauforte. This allows reader Fields to showcase her skills, as Cree's somewhat brusque, unaccented speech subtly shifts into a quavering southern drawl. The actress also uses an impressive variety of bayou accents to distinguish the other New Orleanians-from the good ol' boy gruffness of Lila's worried husband to the cultured, iron magnolia locutions of her aristocratic mother. The novel has its share of spooky suspense-courtesy of anthropomorphic furniture, disappearing snakes and a pig-faced man-ghost with rape on its mind-and is filled with enough scientific rationale to make these sinister shades seem surprisingly credible. But the source of the ghosts isn't difficult to discern, and the many repeat analyses of the case elements will lead restless listeners to agree with Cree's assistant Joyce Wu when she complains (in Fields's amusingly on-target Long Island accent), "The metaphysics he-ah are a complete no-brain-ah, and I'm sick 'a goin' over it and over it."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars must read!, Jun 20 2005
By A Customer
This review is from: City Of Masks (Hardcover)
This is one of the greatest I ever read for a long while.
The writing style along with the beauitful setting,
this is more then a normal ghost story but with romance,
supense and humanlity. It's such a wonderful book
that you will cherish for a long time! It's a classic!
I am going to read the "land of Echoes" next.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Self Help for Ghosts...., July 19 2004
By 
Serene (Marina, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: City of Masks (Audio Cassette)
Freud look out! City of Masks is the story of Cree Black, troubled parapsychologists who uses her empathic talent to commune with ghosts and banish them. Unfortunately, her talent is emotionally dangerous and risky, and when she is called by a wealthy client to investigate a haunted house in New Orleans, she is soon sucked into an almost soap-operatic level of drama, deceit and betrayal.

I listened to the unabridged audio version of City of Masks narrated by Anna Fields. I must say, that Anna Fields is not my favorite narrator. She has sort of a drowsy emotionless voice which /really/ grates on my nerves. She does female characters well. But the male characters sound drunk and crude. Not the best choice of narrators.

The story? At first I liked Cree Black. But I felt she had way too much baggage. Everyone has issues. The nurse, the doctor, her partner, the family. Enough already. I wanted to read about the ghosts and the paranormal stuff... Instead we have to hear about Cree's problems. Her whining, psychoanalysis hand wringing, guilt, psychobabble just got old. If anyone needs a psychiatrist, its Cree Black! The heroine was dysfunctional and unprofessional. Tiresome.

Also? It kind of icked me out that Cree was having a romance right in the middle of a case which should have required her full attention. Also, that the love interest was another shrink boyfriend who was constantly analyzing her, LIED to her, and then spends half the book thinking she's crazy. Not romantic. Not even close.

Finally, I got the impression that the author was trying too hard with the 'dynasty-style' southern family. Perhaps its different in the south, but I found the attitudes expressed by Lila and her mother and Ro-Ro antiquated and difficult to relate too.

I give City of Masks 3 stars. I didn't like Cree's lack of professionalism, or her relationship to the psychiatrist which seemed unhealthy and tedious.

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5.0 out of 5 stars read this before land of echoes, Jun 10 2004
By 
D. Heater (branchville, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: City Of Masks (Paperback)
super interesting. a bit of new orleans mystery - a good read or listen if you like ghosts - paranormal stories. Cree and her associates are wonderful, Joyce and Edgar - and her new interest Paul!
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