Shade of Pale [Hardcover]

Greg Kihn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1997

Manhattan psychiatrist Jukes Wahler has his hands full trying to track down his sister Cathy. She's disappeared with her abusive boyfriend, a sadistic fashion photographer who pals around with Padriac O'Connor, a known Irish terrorist. Convinced that O'Connor must know where Cathy is, Wahler sets out after him alone on the streets of New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Songwriter/musician Greg Kihn got deservedly great notices for his first thriller, Horror Show, a delightfully nasty parody of the Hollywood schlock scene, and he should have a similar success with Shade of Pale. As psychiatrist Jukes Wahler searches the darker streets of New York for his missing sister and her abusive fashion photographer boyfriend, he encounters a devilish crew of Irish terrorists and Celtic ghosts. Like his hit songs Jeopardy and Breakup Song, Kihn's prose is pungent, pithy, and rich with buried meanings.

From Library Journal

Psychiatrist Jukes Wahler has just seen a banshee?the mythical Irish female grim reaper. He is not alone in his sighting; a patient, DeClan Loomis, has also seen her. So begins this new thriller from Kihn (Horror Show, LJ 6/1/96). The banshee has crossed the ocean to seek out those who victimize others. She is the avenger of wronged women, and the latest New York strangler is at the top of her hit list. Meanwhile, Wahler's sister, Cathy, who enjoys being victimized, is missing, and Padriac O'Connor, an Irish terrorist, seeks the banshee for his own twisted purposes. Not enough? Throw in a psychic police officer and a beautiful scholar of Irish mythology and you have Kihn's second novel. Despite the predictable plot and two-dimensional characters, it's fast-paced and entertaining. Recommended for larger public libraries.?Georgia Panos, Johnson Cty. Lib. System, Leawood, Kan.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312860463
• ISBN-13: 978-0312860462
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,752,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner!, November 21, 2001

By 

Thomas "Reader, Writer, Music Fan" (Bay Area, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shade of Pale (Hardcover)

I've read this one right after Greg's first book "Horrow Show" and, once again, this one has all it takes.

He mixes up the elements of the supernatural without descending into either morbid fascination with the occult or shock, schlock and gore. Recounting the banshee myth (or at least elements thereof while taking liberties with the rest), he keeps it light, educating, entertaining and interesting. Into the mix he throws contemporary New York, hungup urbanites, grizzled cops, and the usual cast of bottom feeders. The result is endearing, facinating, fast-moving and hip entertainment.

Expect junk food for the mind in the form of light entertainment, and you will not be disappointed!

(There's only one demerit to the publisher, not the author: Who on earth wrote the book's jacket blurb? They obviously did not read the book as it grossly misstates its content!)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER EXCELLENT BOOK!!!!!, October 1, 1999

By 

kenneth mark allen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shade of Pale (Hardcover)

AFTER READING HORROR SHOW I LOVED IT SO MUCH I WENT ON TO BIG ROCK BEAT. THEN I CAME BACK TO THIS AND BOY WAS I GLAD I DID. EXCELLENT STORY. ENJOYED LEARNING THE OLD IRISH MYTH AND AN EXCELLENT ENDING!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second effort much better, April 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Shade of Pale (Hardcover)

Greg's second book is a great improvement from his debut "Horror Show". In Horror Show you knew the ending far before the end of the book, espically if you saw Ed Wood! But Shade of Pale is a vast improvement in both writing and story. This is a fast read, but the story propells the reader along at a comfortable pace. And as the story unfolds the conclusion is arrived at just the right time. A great lazy afternoon read!