Acclaimed crime writer Elizabeth Hand returns to her "fiercely
frightening yet hauntingly beautiful" cult-favorite series: Photographer
Cass Neary is hard-up for cash and in more danger than she realizes on
the hunt for an ancient, legendary book (Tess Gerritsen). Photographer
Cass Neary is desperate to get home, and she's already lost her camera
-- like losing a limb. Now her only chance is to cash in on a deal that
a friend is about to cut for a legendary illuminated manuscript: The
Book of Lamps and Banners. Rumored to have been rescued from the
Library at Alexandria, the Book is said to contain ancient esoteric
knowledge, even an otherworldly power.
So when an intruder brazenly steals the manuscript, Cass and her ex-con
lover Quinn must get it back-plunging headlong into a shady underworld
where antiquarian booksellers, unhinged tech entrepreneurs, and brutal
nationalists all converge. This breathless psychological thriller,
featuring one of the greatest amateur sleuths of the past decade, could
only come from the mind of Elizabeth Hand.
"Kaleidoscopic, dark, and mysterious . . . This novel is a jaw-punch,
written with a snarling grace." -- Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin
at the End of the World
"I love Cass Neary . . . . Her latest misadventure is vivid and
haunting, braiding the ancient and occult with the unholy frights of the
modern world." ―Steph Cha, author of Your House Will Pay
"Elizabeth Hand has delivered a startling book that is dirty, wise,
aching, and almost magical."―Ivy Pochoda, author of These
Women
