Customer Reviews

Bones of the Barbary Coast: Library Edition (Cree Black Thrillers)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Dan Hecht has written two previous books about Cree Black, a psychologist and 'psychic' investigator with a knack for paranormal contact. In these books she and her partners become enmeshed in what are, for the most part mystery stories where past events are a determinant in a present situation. You could describe them as forensic parapsychology and not be wrong.

Bones of the Barbary Coast is a different animal. The story revolves around the discovery of a skeleton of a human being with a weird deformity that makes the victim appear to be part wolf. There is no apparent murder here, the death was caused by the collapse of a house during the San Francisco earthquake. Cree is asked to come to San Francisco to investigate by an old friend of the family. So you are led to expect some psychic event, but one never really materializes. Instead Cree finds herself in a difficult investigation and discovers some remarkable, but not murderous facts.

The other part of the story revolves around Bert Marchetti, who asked her to come to town, and Cameron Raymond, an X-ray specialist who helps with the study of the bones. Marchetti is a cop on the verge of retirement, profoundly unhappy about his accomplishments and desperate for one last, redeeming arrest. Raymond is a man who has remade his life, but who bears a terrible scarred face as the result of a brutal arrest. The brutality in question was from Marchetti, and you can cut the enmity between the two with a knife.

These two men and Cree, who plays this novel solo are all lonely poles in a drama that parallels the slowly emerging story of the wolfman. These are set aside by disease, by loss, and by fear of the isolation each has to deal with in a story where redemption is a rare commodity. Each must face their flaws and either come to terms with them or fail tragically.

As you can see this is far more a novel than a genre mystery or suspense story. If you've followed the series you may experience some initial discomfort as Hecht sets out into uncharted waters. But, as truth would have it, this is a very readable story, with much that is worthwhile if disquieting. For those that have noticed the author's strong writing skills, this will be a worthwhile exercise.

Before I criticize this book, allow me to say that the first in its series (City of Masks) was superb, and the second (Land of Echoes) was also very good. It is precisely the type of atmospheric terror in those books that is, sadly, what is lacking in this one. There are too many subplots, and they mostly pedestrian. Daniel Hecht is a talented writer, and I usually really enjoy his novels: but the "talent" of Cree Black is not utilized at all in this book. You don't get supernatural, and you don't get romance - just big doses of history and science.

If you want to read this book because it's the latest in the series, do yourself a favor. Check it out of the library. Don't waste the money.

Cree Black is psychic, and her business is investigating cases in which the client believes the problem to be supernatural. I loved the first books in the series because of the paranormal storylines. That's why I bought this book on sight -- and why I feel cheated out of the price.

Nowhere on the jacket, in fact not until you get several pages into the book, do you discover that there is nothing supernatural in this case. If you happen to be a long way away from the bookstore, as I was, you can't take it back. I would never have bought Bones of the Barbary Coast if I had known it was simply an uncomfortable blend of mildly interesting historical oddity and serial-killer thriller.

The historical part is mostly carried in a diary from the period. Yet this diary is simply rung in. Cree doesn't find it while doing research. I kept wondering why the reader should have access to it if the protagonist doesn't. This is especially true since we are dragged along as Cree searches in vain for anything of real relevance to the historical aspect.

As for the modern mystery, I don't care about the tribulations of Cree's late father's former best friend, or their effect on Cree's psychological problems. My one quibble in the other books has been that it's time Cree got over being suddenly widowed. This book only made that feeling worse.

Hecht's Cree Black series are always interesting and extremely

well researched. If you have read any of the earlier novels, then you may come to expect some form of supernatural/paranormal

element. If that's the case,you'll be disappointed here. Instead,

you'll find a less "creepy" story with a more psychological and

anthopological angle. For sure the book has its moments. But in general fails to live up to the fascinating promises it offers.

Don't read "Bones" first, if you haven't read the first two.

They give you a very beneficial background into Cree's empathic

history(not in evidence here);and simply, they are creepier with

a bigger payoff. To sum it up, I'd give it a moderate recommendation,but only to strong Daniel Hecht fans like myself or to other who may like a more thought out,cerebral approach to

their supernatural mysteries.

I love the Cree Black series, and I loved this book until the end. It just left so many open ends. Throughout the book, you're waiting for things to move, you hit the climax and then everything grinds to a screeching halt, and you say to yourself, "That's it?". Still a big fan and looking forward to the next book, though!

Hecht's characters really have depth and personality. This book is not the best, although quite readable. I wondered why Bert would have asked Cree to come to San Francisco. It doesn't seem to make sense; he did not need her psychic special ability,and they were not close. Her actions were risky and dangerous. Bert and Ray were just plain weird and creepy. I agree that the sub-plots do not mesh (crooked cops, serial killers, missing daughter, etc.), but they do give the reader a lot of psychological insight to the characters. Keep writing, Daniel.

I listened to this book in unabridged version. It was very poor, and I would not recommend it. I wasted quite a bit of time, waiting for the author to 'get on with it'. The diary chapters sucked, big time.

This is my first Daniel Hecht novel, and I was not in the least disappointed by it. I think this is a well-done psychodrama that convincingly intertwines a contemporary psychological thriller with an effective evocation of a historical period. I found myself thinking the author to be a woman, because Hecht is very gifted at getting inside his female characters. He's particularly good at dealing with death and dying, which the forward's faux lecture describes as a "crucial developmental act". I was hooked from that point forward. This is a serious book by a talented author - and also an entertaining one. My only disappointment on completing it was that some difficult relationship themes were circumvented at the end.

I've never picked up a Cree Black book before, so I admit that my review may be a little off since I can't take the whole series into account.

I read the first couple pages of this book and was really intrigued; lots of forensic info, a smattering of history, and a hint at some supernatural. I figured it would be right up my alley! It started out fairly well; half forensics show/CSI, half hard-boiled detective. But I knew I was in trouble when I got to the first chapter with Ray alone. It seemed like a flimsy characterization for me and what OTHERS said about Ray was more interesting than what Ray said himself. It's always great for an author to show rather than tell and it didn't seem to be happening here. I get that Hecht wanted to hold onto a couple things until later in the end, but being too mysterious can be a turnoff for readers.

The diary parts could have been so much stronger. Without a diary, we would never have gotten very far into the character of Lydia--- or would we? I get the impression that Cree is psychic and can look into things when she's in the right setting. Wouldn't it have been so much more interesting if she could have found one object that pulled her into Lydia's mind, rather than a diary that wasn't quite as interesting as I'd hoped? Again, Hecht falls a bit flat with characterization. I felt like he was trying so hard to get into the mind of a woman but he just missed the boat by a bit. The problem is writing for the period, which is again why it would have made much more sense thematically to let Cree channel Lydia somehow, rather than have tell-all chapters where Lydia's "diary" clues us in.

I also never, ever bought Cree's relationship with Ray. Maybe this is a problem that came up since I'm not as familiar with the character, but she was presented as an intuitive, no-nonsense woman who didn't put up with a lot of crap. So why on EARTH would she tolerate Ray's weirdness? Just pity doesn't cut it!

But with all of that aside, I still enjoyed it much more than I normally enjoy books in that genre. It was a fun read and all the little details about San Francisco were great as well. Hecht has a lot of talent and obviously put a lot of work into this book, but I just felt like he squandered a lot of the opportunities he set up for himself by talking so much about Cree's interest in the paranormal.

I really enjoyed the first two Cree Black novels. I think the paranormal aspect lends a great twist to the mystery theme, but this book had no paranormal aspects.

The story and subplots kept my interest anyways and I found myself reading the book into the wee hours, but the end seemed rushed and left too much hanging.

My library does not have this or the 2nd Cree Black novel on audio books, so I read the hardcovers back to back. I think that also kept the momentum going for the Bones of the Barbary Coast.