Customer Reviews

Puppets

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had to shake my head over the so-called reviewer who hadn't bothered to read the word "prequel" on the cover, and then fussed over the ending of the book. Groan. One should have at least basic reading skills before deigning to criticize a writer of Hecht's enormous skills. Puppets is, like all Hecht's work, addictive. The author has an all but peerless ability to create mood and genuninely creepy tension; this, coupled with great narrative drive, makes for a superior reading experience. Puppets is fascinating on many levels, dealing as it does with the issue of control--something that is central to all our lives--and it delivers the goods. It isn't so important to learn the identity of the villain (and the pathway is strewn with a fair number of adroitly dropped red herrings) as it is to watch Mo Ford and the other main characters take shape before us and act out in entirely believable ways. What I like best about Hecht's work is the believable fallibility of his characters; they remain true to themselves, even when it isn't pretty, even when we, the readers, wince at their ability to embarrass themselves and then scramble for redemption. Puppets is Hecht doing what he does best: making us care about his people to the extent that we're willing to go with them, wherever they have to go. Highly recommended!

This is the first book (actually audiobook) I've read by Hecht and I must say it's now one of my all-time favorites. Hecht keeps the wheels on the story right through the very end. Most fiction seems to disappoint by either being too long winded, too far-fetched, or by having a preposterous ending, but not here, this is good till the last drop.

Hecht is an extremely gifted writer. Do yourself a favor and ignore the negative reviews posted here and give it a try. Not for the faint-of-heart.

I was literally losing sleep and sneaking this book into class, it was so compelling.
Daniel Hecht intertwines the plots perfectly, dropping just a right amount of red herrings and GASP moments.

It is however not for the faint of heart- I was shaking at certain points when I was reading the book because of the intensity- and I've read "Helter Skelter".

All of Hecht's books are addictive, once you catch the bug, you will want to read more.

not as good as some of his other books, but still way better than most

This is a super-smart and beautifully written thriller, a real page-turner, intellectually satisfying without being at all pretentious. I'm going to go and read all Hecht's other books now--this is one of the best crime novels I've read for ages. Highly recommended.

Daniel Hecht has two other books I thoroughly enjoyed. I am speaking of the Cree Black thrillers, "City of Masks" and "Land of Echos." He has one other book with Mo Ford in it, "Skull Session." This book really confused me because I recalled that at the end of the book,

SPOILER HERE








Mo Ford was killed off. So how'd he resurrect his for this book?

Anyway, the story is pretty interesting, a serial killer hanging his victims up with string, a la puppets. It really didn't take a great deal of ingenuity to figure out who the killer was, I think Hecht wanted you to know but the chase to catch him is the thrill. Overall, a pretty good read.

Warning: animals and humans are tortured in this book. But that's not why I rated it "poor." It's because I figured out, almost from the beginning, who was behind it all and after that, I really didn't care. There were red herrings trying to divert suspicion, chapters that took you into the killer's mind, a massive government conspiracy, a romance for the protagonist, and I still didn't care. In fact, I ended up skimming through most of the book. I've enjoyed other books by Hecht, but just can't recommend this one.