- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (Jun 9 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312383827
- ISBN-13: 978-0312383824
- Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 13.5 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 476 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#247,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #98 in Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Technothrillers
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Hutchins, author of the audiobook podcast trilogy 7th Son, makes his print debut with the stellar first of an interactive supernatural thriller series. Zach Taylor, an art therapist, must evaluate Martin Grace, a blind audio engineer suspected of a dozen homicides, to determine whether Martin is mentally competent to stand trial for the murder of hip-hop singer Tanya Gold, whose body was “torn literally limb from limb.” Martin claims he’s an “unwitting psychic sniper,” fore-seeing crimes actually committed by a Russian demon or “Dark Man.” One of his possible earlier victims was Martin’s psychiatrist, Sophronia Poole, the girlfriend of Zack’s dad, William V. Taylor, the New York City DA seeking to convict Martin. Weisman, an alternative reality game whiz, is responsible for the items inside the book’s front pocket—a psychiatric report, family photos, death and birth certificates, etc.—that allow the reader to follow a multimedia trail of clues." --Starred Publishers Weekly (June)
"Start with an eerie setting. Add equal parts House, CSI, andThe X-Files. Place yourself at the side of an accidental detective embroiled in a complex web of madness, revenge, betrayal, and secret identities. Then light some dynamite under the box most novels live in and watch the pieces land outside the pages—in art, on websites, in e-mails, and in phone numbers that give you answers when you call. This is the future of storytelling, and it’s a thrilling ride." --Anthony E. Zuiker, Creator/Executive Producer of the CSI: Franchise
"Jordan Weisman is once again the vanguard of that new form of narrative—Transmedia Storytelling. The enigmatic tapestry of characters and events slowly slips off the page, taking the reader with it into a mosaic of facts and clues that compel us to know the truth behind the murders of the accused: Martin Grace. So compelling is the journey between these precisely crafted symbiotic worlds, the reader may scarcely recognize their own transformation from passive to active, as they pick up where the text subsides and become the protagonist." --Gore Verbinski, Director
"The world may be black to Martin Grace, but he can peer deep into your soul, find where your fears slither, and make them sway like a snake charmer. Personal Effects is a rocking genre-mash that mixes mystery with psychodrama and serves it up in a high-bandwidth torrent of terror." --Scott Sigler, author of Infected and the hit podcast novel Earthcore
"J.C. Hutchins delivers another mind-ripping story that shakes the foundations of reality. In the creation of Martin Grace he offers a richly complicated catalyst for events that keeps writhing the reader on a deadly twisted hook that won't let go. Don't worry about the lap bar. It won't save you from screaming on this ride." --Patrick Lussier, director of White Noise 2, Dracula 2000, and editor of the Scream trilogy, Halloween: H20, The Eye, and Red Eye
"Personal Effects: Dark Art was impossible to put down and almost as hard to pin down. A twisted descent into the mind of a serial killer ... a supernatural thriller about a frightening and unfathomable evil that's as old as time ... a horrific tale of dark, unearthly secrets that bind ... and kill. "Zach Taylor is assigned to the mysterious case of psychiatric patient Martin Grace -- a suspected serial killer with an airtight alibi for the murder he's accused of committing. Zach's search for the truth leads him, and the people he loves, into a terrifying world of dark secrets an ancient evil that threatens to consume them all. Terrifying, steeped in dread and populated with vibrant and complex characters, Personal Effects: Dark Art plunges you into a hidden world of supernatural intrigue. It's a journey you won't soon forget." --Jeffrey Reddick, writer of Final Destination
Product Description
Want to try it yourself? Call the phone number shown on book's cover: 212-629-1951 and listen to the voicemail message for main character Zach Taylor.
Personal Effects follows the extensive notes of therapist Zach Taylor’s investigation into the life and madness of Martin Grace, an accused serial killer who claims to have foreseen, but not caused, his victims’ deaths. Zach’s investigations start with interviews and art sessions, but then take him far from the hospital grounds—and often very far from the reality that we know.
The items among Grace’s personal effects are the keys to understanding his haunted past, and finding the terrifying truth Grace hoped to keep buried:
• Call the phone numbers: you’ll get a character’s voicemail.
• Google the characters and institutions in the text: you’ll find real websites
• Examine the art and other printed artifacts included inside the cover: if you pay attention, you’ll find more information than the characters themselves discover Personal Effects, the ultimate in voyeuristic storytelling, represents a revolutionary step forward in changing the way people interact with novels.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Read,
By
This review is from: Personal Effects: Dark Art (Hardcover)
I've followed J.C. Hutchins' work since he began releasing free podcast versions of his stories, and when Personal Effects came out, I snatched it up. I was not disappointed. This isn't just a book - it's an experience. Not only does it come with a collection of "personal effects" that you can hold in your hand, but the book is interactive; you can check out web sites listed in the book, access voicemail from the protagonist.Hands down, this book is a great concept and well executed.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (85 customer reviews) 15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Creepy, compelling, believable,
By M. Lafferty - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Personal Effects: Dark Art (Hardcover)
I had a chance to read an advanced copy of Personal Effects: Dark Art. This novel succeeds admirably in being creepy and scary, but the book does much more than that. For one, it paints the main characters, especially the tightly knit support system of the protagonist, in a realistic and sympathetic light. You care about these people, you want to be their friends. The action is detailed and, at times, gruesome, the kind that makes you want to cover one eye while the other eye keeps reading because you just can't stop.The plot and characterization doesn't stop with the novel, though. The personal effects that come with the book allow you to learn more about the mysteries inside, and if you follow the websites and phone numbers, you will get more information about the goings on of the novel than the characters themselves got. This book grabbed me, pulled me in, and didn't let go. Hutchins' narrative voice is fun to read; he makes you feel like you're sliding effortlessly into the plot. Expect more awesome from this author in the future. For now, buy this book. 17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interactive, Creepy and Compelling,
By Tabitha Smith "Tabz" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Personal Effects: Dark Art (Hardcover)
Probably the best book I've read in the horror genre in a long time. Personal Effects: Dark Art combines the classic elements of horror, thriller and dark plot with the "edge of your seat" gripping "page-turning" experience you'd get from a feature film.What I love most about Personal Effects is that it's not JUST words on a page, it's an experience. The book is set up to give the reader visual clues, concepts and personality through the pictures and items within the novel. Even the way the text is set on the page speaks volumes to the mood, tone and feel of this book. This is a full immersion experience. If you're one of those folks who can't sit through a novel - this is the one to try. From page one I was sucked into the story, the characters and the mystery. And I think you will be too. 16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
No less than the ultimate in escapism novel. And isn't that what it's all about?,
By Matt Wallace - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Personal Effects: Dark Art (Hardcover)
It's hard to imagine any author taking the concept a novel further than J.C. Hutchins and Jordan Weisman have with PERSONAL EFFECTS: DARK ART. What CBS have tried desperately to do for television viewers with HARPER'S ISLAND, Hutchins and Weisman have done for readers, and in far sleeker, more immersive, and just plain addictively entertaining fashion.But at its core, PE:DA is no more or less than exactly what you want in a novel: a sprawling, engaging, thrilling, chilling read. For me it was all about the characters. PE:DA's Zach Taylor is a franchise protagonist, the kind of character you want to keep coming back to and keep hanging out with like an old friend. Far removed from the tired cliche of the flawed detective and cookie cutter forensic pathologist/investigator that take centerstage in most best-sellers, Zach is as relentless as either archetype and yet as relateable as any character from a Kevin Smith movie. He's just a guy, who happens to have a unique calling in life and an even more unique insight. The concept is a blast of cool air on the cerebral nethers. That is to say, refreshing. But as much as I dig Zach, the real star of PE:DA is The Brink, the psychiatric hospital and subterranean setting of much of the book's most haunting sequences. Vivid, horrifying, intriguing, it is a place you will remain in long after you close the book. Believe me. I rank it right up there with THE SHINING's Overlook Hotel as one of the great set pieces in horror fiction. No hype. Just fact. I have no doubt we're going to see the reality-bending concept of PERSONAL EFFECTS: DARK ART co-opted and rehashed by every major publisher and author before too long. Get it here in its purest, most original form first. To sum up: Come for the story. Stay after for the experience. |
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