A review by jakewritesbooks
Available Dark by Elizabeth Hand
4.0
I read Generation Loss, the first book in the Cass Neary series over the summer and it absolutely knocked me off my feet. I don't know what I expected but I didn't expect that. I think it goes to show how the idea of having to "root for a character" in order to be invested is a crock of crap. Cass Neary is a total misanthrope and not in an endearing way. Yet Elizabeth Hand is such a quality writer whose tales are full of emotional depth that I find myself getting wrapped up in her story.
This one is a slightly lesser work than the first in the series, if only because the ending dragged out way too long. But it's still a quality mystery novel. Hand imbues the story with the richly cold, depressing atmosphere of sunless Finland and Iceland. By the end of it, I wanted to take a shower and blast the heat in my house. Cass maneuvers through the underworld of artistic photography and while I would never want to encounter these folks in real life, I find their fictionalized versions to be fascinating. What a great writer Elizabeth Hand is.
This one is a slightly lesser work than the first in the series, if only because the ending dragged out way too long. But it's still a quality mystery novel. Hand imbues the story with the richly cold, depressing atmosphere of sunless Finland and Iceland. By the end of it, I wanted to take a shower and blast the heat in my house. Cass maneuvers through the underworld of artistic photography and while I would never want to encounter these folks in real life, I find their fictionalized versions to be fascinating. What a great writer Elizabeth Hand is.