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Learn moreAs her passionately devoted fans know, Elizabeth Hand is a uniquely gifted storyteller. Readers were introduced to her iconoclastic crime novels, featuring offbeat photographer Cass Neary, in the underground classic Generation Loss, which was followed by the brilliant Available Dark.
In Hard Light, the third book in the series, Cass makes a remarkable discovery that could change our understanding of human historyโif she lives long enough to share it.
As the story opens, Cass arrives in London where sheโs arranged to meet her long-lost lover, Quinn OโBoyle. When Quinn fails to show at their rendezvous point, Cass meets the eccentric couple Mallo and Morven Dunfries. When Mallo catches Cass rifling his medicine cabinet in search of drugs, he threatens to turn her in to the authorities, then puts her to work as a runner for his illegal goods.
Cass makes a delivery to Poppy Teasel, a famous singer from long ago. Cass leaves Poppyโs flat but returns a short time later to find the place ransacked and Poppy dead. Fearful sheโll become the next victim, Cass goes on the run.
Elizabeth Handย is the author of more than nineteen cross-genre novels and collections of short fiction. Her work has received the Shirley Jackson Award three times, the World Fantasy Award four times, and the Nebula Award twice, as well as the James M. Tiptree Jr. and Mythopoeic Society awards.
Carol Monda is an Earphones Awardโwinning narrator and accomplished voice-over artist. She is also an award-winning actor known for her work in Out of Season, After You Left, and The Gentlemen.
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Audiobook details
Author:
Elizabeth Hand
Narrator:
Carol Monda
ISBN:
9781504690973
Length:
10 hours
Language:
English
Publisher:
Blackstone Publishing
Publication date:
April 19, 2016
Edition:
Unabridged
Reviews
โIn Hard Light, Hand has created another fascinating puzzleโand another instant classic.โ
โThereโs intelligence and style [and] Cassโ voice, as deep as a dungeon and as dark as a grave, is addictive.โ
โPart of [this novelโs] power derives from the sheer exuberant strangeness of Handโs storytellingโฆThe spooky finale of Hard Light leads readers deep into a macabre murder sceneโcourtesy of Edgar Allan Poeโthat holds clues to the beginning of the art of photography itself. Itโs a bravura ending that both lays some questions to rest and exhumes even more.โ
โThe imagery is dark and intense, pushing readers to the edge of their comfort level, and itโs not for the faint of heart. Despite Cassโ drug and alcohol addictions, she has a brilliant mind, and her immense knowledge of art history catches readers by surpriseโฆFans will be longing for the next installment of this dangerous and warped story.โ
โThis great adventure story starring a troubled but intriguing protagonist will please Cass fans, those who like their kick-ass heroines north of 22, and readers who fancy a walk on the wild side.โ
โCass conveys an expertโs knowledge of the 1970s East Village punk scene, Iron Age rituals, Paleolithic icons, and the intricacies of photography and film noirโฆGripping.โ
โ[A] gripping urban suspense novelโฆOne of the strengths of Handโs mystery is her incredible rendering of the dark side of LondonโฆThe other great strength is Cass herselfโฆ[who] still maintains a sense of compassion that elevates the mystery and increases its resonance.โ
โElizabeth Hand writes like an angel, and Carol Monda has a beautiful cello-like voice, used with impressive skill hereโฆMondaโs supple performance finds the emotional truth in every scene and makes you feel it.
โHard Light is noir at itโs very bestโฆThis novel will haunt your dreams.โ
โAn addictive novel that brings the sordid glories of the seventiesโ arts scene into the hard light of today.โ
โLike the chilling female characters of Tana French or Gillian Flynn, Elizabeth Handโs smart Cassandra Neary will freeze your blood and set your imagination ablaze. I dare you to close your eyes on Hard Light. "
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