Book Review: Land of Echoes

Reviewed By: Cheryl - RAM

Land of Echoes     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Daniel Hecht
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller   Supernatural
Series: Cree Black # 2

'Land of Echoes', second in the series featuring the paranormal investigator Lucretia (Cree) Black, finds her in Hillerman territory. However, Hecht's book is very different from Hillerman's; the authors' works have little more than the harshly beautiful southwestern landscape and Navajo culture in common. Unlike Hillerman's protagonists, Hecht's is an amateur detective; a white female parapsychologist with a very modern approach to the supernatural.

In this novel, Cree is called in to investigate bizarre and life- threatening symptoms exhibited by Tommy Keeday, a Navajo teenager. In her attempt to understand what is happening to the boy and to treat him, Cree must add Navajo beliefs and history to her own beliefs about supernatural phenomena. Cree's investigation is complicated by the painful and unresolved histories of several of the main characters and of the previous residents of the area in which the boy's school is located. These histories suggest numerous possible sources for young Tommy Keeday's problems, and make it very difficult for Cree to discover exactly who or what is afflicting the boy.

The author's use of the supernatural and the multicultural references are very effective. I thought the book slowed down a bit in the middle, but overall, I recommend this book to those who enjoy their mysteries with a little supernatural flavour.

Cheryl - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Cheryl - RAM