[.ca] City Of Masks (ISBN 1582343594)

From Amazon.com:
If it's New Orleans and the novel's main characters have been dead for years but are still walking around terrorizing people, it must be an Anne Rice adventure. But it isn't--it's the first in a new series starring a fascinating heroine, Seattle parapsychologist Cree Black, whose own murky past and special gifts make her the perfect choice to investigate a haunted house in the Garden District and the family that's slowly being scared to death. Lila Beauforte has moved back into her ancestral home, now inhabited by ghosts who seem bent on driving her out. Cree, her senses more attuned to the presence of revenants than flesh-and-blood bad guys, shakes enough closets in Beauforte House to bring the skeletons out, solve mysteries of the past as well as the present, and fall in love with an equally appealing if more traditional investigator of the unconscious who may be able to help her free herself from her own emotional prison. She's a smart, vulnerable, and attractive character in an unearthly and unusual thriller that starts off a promising new series with a howl and presages a long run on the bestseller list. --Jane Adams

read this before land of echoes:
super interesting. a bit of new orleans mystery - a good read or listen if you like ghosts - paranormal stories. Cree and her associates are wonderful, Joyce and Edgar - and her new interest Paul!

must read!:
This is one of the greatest I ever read for a long while. The writing style along with the beauitful setting, this is more then a normal ghost story but with romance, supense and humanlity. It's such a wonderful book that you will cherish for a long time! It's a classic! I am going to read the "land of Echoes" next.

a great read, not just for haunted house lovers:
i'm very impressed. :-) hecht writes well (great rhythmic flow, not surprising considering he's also an accomplished musician), plots well (reminded me a bit of the magus in terms of layers unfolding), researches well (a very vivid portrayal of new orleans), creates complex engaging characters (cree just draws you in, like people/ghosts she encounters draw her in, joyce is a hoot, etc.), and provides substantial scary/emotional reader payoffs (an early scene in the "haunted house" is truly horrifying, cree's self-discoveries are very moving, etc.). there's so much to like about this novel, but just two flaws (for me): 1) hecht can do "scary" as well as anyone i've read, but he doesn't do it enough in the book; i wanted more. 2) i found the ending a bit flat and disappointing. if you like ghost stories and/or psychological mysteries, definitely read it. :-)

Self Help for Ghosts....:
Freud look out! City of Masks is the story of Cree Black, troubled parapsychologists who uses her empathic talent to commune with ghosts and banish them. Unfortunately, her talent is emotionally dangerous and risky, and when she is called by a wealthy client to investigate a haunted house in New Orleans, she is soon sucked into an almost soap-operatic level of drama, deceit and betrayal. I listened to the unabridged audio version of City of Masks narrated by Anna Fields. I must say, that Anna Fields is not my favorite narrator. She has sort of a drowsy emotionless voice which /really/ grates on my nerves. She does female characters well. But the male characters sound drunk and crude. Not the best choice of narrators. The story? At first I liked Cree Black. But I felt she had way too much baggage. Everyone has issues. The nurse, the doctor, her partner, the family. Enough already. I wanted to read about the ghosts and the paranormal stuff... Instead we have to hear about Cree's problems. Her whining, psychoanalysis hand wringing, guilt, psychobabble just got old. If anyone needs a psychiatrist, its Cree Black! The heroine was dysfunctional and unprofessional. Tiresome. Also? It kind of icked me out that Cree was having a romance right in the middle of a case which should have required her full attention. Also, that the love interest was another shrink boyfriend who was constantly analyzing her, LIED to her, and then spends half the book thinking she's crazy. Not romantic. Not even close. Finally, I got the impression that the author was trying too hard with the 'dynasty-style' southern family. Perhaps its different in the south, but I found the attitudes expressed by Lila and her mother and Ro-Ro antiquated and difficult to relate too. I give City of Masks 3 stars. I didn't like Cree's lack of professionalism, or her relationship to the psychiatrist which seemed unhealthy and tedious.

MiddleSchoolLevel:
I will never pick up a book by this author again. If one can typify a 'female' writing style, it would be Hecht (although the author purports to be male). Overly descriptive of places, clothing, psychological states. Does she love him/does she not quandries. Why should we care? Less tension than your typical teenaged romance. I expected to, perhaps, learn a bit of voodoo/hoodoo lore. Nada! If it were the first book of it's sort that I had read, perhaps it would be fine - 'nice' might be the better word, but for anyone who has lived a bit and had some small contact with the 'unexplained' world, this is BORING. Get the feeling, by the author's style, that she/he is trying to attract a movie deal - being rich on visuals and lacking in depth. Gimmee a break.