The Book of Lamps and Banners (Cass Neary #4 )

A new Elizabeth Hand occult-tinged mystery starring Cass Neary, former wunderkind punk photographer, is always a treat. Cass is now anything but a kind, worn down by a hard life and a host of addictions, but she still has a lot of gritty spunk. She sees plenty of all the things she names as her addictions—photography, Quinn (her on-again-off-again boyfriend), alcohol, and drugs—during the story and struggles to find a balance between them, since the first two and the latter two are pulling her in opposite directions. The mystery centers on a rare, if not unique, book called The Book of Lamps and Banners, medieval but possibly based on lore far older, that is valuable not only because of its rarity and beauty but because at least one character believes that it contains “code” that can be digitized in a way that will allow it to have profound psychological effects. The struggle to claim this book produces a kidnapping and several murders and maps a trail for Cass that leads from London to an obscure Swedish island. I found the potentially occult aspects of this novel less convincing than those in some of the other Cass Neary books, but Cass’s pursuit of the book, the kidnap victim (also after the book), and the bad guys is certainly compelling, suspenseful, and thoroughly creepy, especially in its grim final scenes. As always, too, Cass is a complex and fascinating blend of self-destructiveness and courage, and she has interesting things to say about the deeper (and darker) meanings of photography. I recommend this book not only to Elizabeth Hand/Cass Neary fans but to anyone who likes their mysteries (and heroines) really, really dark.

I binged the entire four book series faster than Cass Neary goes through Jack Daniels. Damaged, drunk and traumatized, Cass Neary careens from NYC’s Lower East Side to coastal Maine (first book Generation Loss) then to Iceland, Sweden, and UK in next 3 books. Not really mysteries, but certainly noir and rock hard-boiled. It really works as a propulsive series, one picks up directly where the other leaves off. I loved each one, but this was my favorite, because the rare occult book angle really brought out ripped from the headlines craziness, perfect for Cass Neary to confront. Audiobook narration fantastic.

Although this fourth installment in Liz\’s series features everything we love about Cass Neary and all the esoteric weirdness she manages to stumble into, there\’s also a lot of self-reflection, another gaze into the abyss of Cass\’ soul which isn\’t *quite* as dark as we\’d been led to believe. Even as Cass doesn\’t follow the rules and mores of society she does have a distinct sense of right and wrong, and will become an avenging demon when necessary. This book is more about Cass and less about the others she encounters (though I wonder if Gwilym Birdhouse is a fan of Windhollow Faire). But like the previous books, it\’s ultimately about the kind of damage which is generational, yet it is also about finally finding a path out of the damage, however crooked and imperfect. And maybe someday, just maybe…we\’ll finally find Cass and Quinn in a place where it isn\’t so *expletive deleted* cold! This one is less about the adventure and more about the revelation, but it hits just as hard and deep and rough. And we wouldn\’t want Cass any other way…except finally being able to reunite with what – and who – she loves. She\’s gone to Hell and back enough times to warrant that kind of reward, I reckon.

The title is intriguing and based on the good reviews I thought I\’d try this series out. I have plodded through half the book and decided it just isn\’t worth pushing through the rest of it. There really is no story – just mentions here and there of the ancient text and very vague descriptions of what it is. The majority of the text is filled with very self-destructive people – way, way too old to redeem themselves. Snorting crank, popping pills and drinking stolen bottles of liquor all day long. When I realized I didn\’t care about anyone mentioned in the book by page 145 and there was nothing more than white supremacy rallies and narrations of the protagonist, Cass, using every opportunity above all to snort, pop and drink – I gave it up and let it go. In theory the discovery of an ancient mystical text and its disappearance is an interesting storyline – I wish the author would have put more into that than the addled wrecked characters. If you\’ve ever witnessed someone close to you with an addiction – stay away from this book.

The narrator of this mysteries series is a aging photographer who, once upon a time, was part of the punk rock scene in New York City—a wild, talented, adventurous, drug-using woman who plunges headlong into dangerous situations. You either buy into her character in the first novel in the series, even if you spend half the time slapping your head as you think, \”I can\’t believe she just did that,\” or you don\’t. Start there, not here. I always have a lot of fun, but your mileage may vary.

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