Bones of the Barbary Coast

A Cree Black Thriller

By: Daniel Hecht

Narrated by: Anna Fields

Length: 14 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

In this third novel of the Cree Black mystery series, a friend and homicide inspector asks Cree to help investigate a human skeleton recently unearthed in the foundation of a fine Victorian home, apparently the bones of a victim of the 1906 earthquake. The bones have intrigued the forensic anthropology team at UC Berkeley with their peculiar anatomical deformities. They call the skeleton "Wolfman". Who was the Wolfman?

Cree's historical research takes her back to the unholy glory days of the Barbary Coast, old San Francisco's infamous red-light district. Her narrative is illuminated by entries from the 1889 diary of Lydia Schweitzer, a Victorian woman with her own secret interest in the Wolfman. As the mystery unravels, both women must face human nature's darkest aspects with courage and compassion.

Listen to more Cree Black thrillers.

©2006 Daniel Hecht and Christine Klaine (P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks

Not What I Expected...

I loved the first two Cree Black novels, so it was disappointing to discover in the introduction that this wouldn't be a "supernatural" mystery like those first two novels.

All in all, Bones of the Barbary coast was just okay. I was mesmerized by the historical thread, a journal from the years leading up to the 1906 SF quake. But, the modern-day characters were uninteresting to me, except in the very final scenes, and often unlikable.

A Great Listen

This long awaited (for me anyway) addition to the Cree Black series was different than I expected. The first two had more of a supernatural theme. This had a historical theme. It was fascinating and kept me hooked throughout! In addition, Anna Fields does a wonderful job narrating. I highly recommend this audio book.

Superb

This my first review and I've been an audiobook-aholic for over 20 years. I thought this was the best of the three Cree Black novels. The characters are complex, fully realized, not just black or white. You never really know if certain characters are "good" or "bad" or just human with the usual assortment of foibles we all have. Even the minor characters have depth. Hecht does a wonderful job exploring an age old philosophical question -- what is the nature of man? I though it was suspenseful and never lagged, not one bit. There was a lot to think about -- I like characters that are introspective. The historical aspects are fascinating and well-researched.

Big Departure

This book was hyped as another "Cree Black Thriller," yet in reality, all it turned out to be was a story, and a bad one at that, with Cree Black in it. The first two books in the series had a spooky, supernatural element to them. This book does not. The book takes places in two time periods, so the story is seen from the viewpoint of two different women. There is also NO supernatural element. The story took forever to get to anything interesting, and even the more interesting parts bored me senseless. I wish I could get my credit back. This book resembles nothing of the first two in the series. It's like Cree went on vacation and took us along for the ride. Who cares!!!

Cree Black

While I expected a different Cree Black adventure, I was mesmerized by Hecht's ability to weave a tale within a tale. I love Cree's supernatural side, but as a very believeable character, she is multi-dimensional. I highly recommend this audiobook to all Cree Black fans. And, Anna Fields is always superb! I have searched for other books narrated by Ms. Fields as a result of hearing her do the Cree Black series.

tedious and unnecessarily violent

I loved the first two books in this series. This third book was extraordinarily tedious and boring. When it wasn't - it was entirely too violent. The only redeeming quality was the narrator who continues to deliver a stellar performance despite the material.

Where's Cree Black in Bones of the Barbary Coast?

I was excited to see Daniel Hecht's new Cree Black novel in audible format. The premise of the novel is good: bones with both wolf and human characteristics discovered in San Francisco; an old family friend on the police force calls Cree in. In the previous 2 novels, Hecht developed his heroine nicely as a psychologist turned parapsychologist. The novels were fascinating; her character was great. In this current edition of the series however, she seems like a bystander. She minimally uses her strange talents as a parapsychologist. Instead she seems oddly like the young heroine of slasher movies that you want to yell at: "don't go in there." Close to a half of the book is flashback to late 19th century San Francisco. The parallel plots are interesting. But what I really wanted was more of the old Cree Black. It was sad to have so little continued development of her as a character. If Hecht wants to continue to the series I hope he takes some hints from other character mystery series (Dave Robichaux, Father Cadfael, etc) and focus more on his main character.

Different pace

While the pace of the book was slower than the other books I have read by Daniel Hecht, I have to say that I really enjoyed "Bones". I thought it packed a greater emotional punch than the other Cree Black mysteries. I loved the how the story went back and forth between present and past and how both Cree and Lydia were so strong and focused on the tasks at hand. I would recommend this book.

What were you trying to say

I was disappointed with this book. Although the flowery prose was colorful, the book purported to be about a werewolf, but never delivered. The plot was very predictable and the ending a real let down. I can not recommend this author

Not Sure Where He Was Going With This One

What did you like best about Bones of the Barbary Coast? What did you like least?

The best thing about the book is Cree herself, as usual. She is true to character and the lack of the paranormal did not bother me in the least. The research tat obviously goes into all of Hecht's books was evident and appreciated, but it felt like a wasted effort this time.

I listened through to the end, awaiting a true conclusion to the whole mess, but was left a bit disappointed. The story itself was well told, but I never saw the ultimate point. Hecht is an excellent writer and storyteller. His characters are well drawn and complex, but again, this one had me saying "so what" by the end. Anyway, if you love Cree--read it. Enjoy the character growth. If you are unfamiliar with the series do NOT start here.

My biggest peeve was the total lack of Edgar and Joyce.

Would you recommend Bones of the Barbary Coast to your friends? Why or why not?

Eh, only Cree Black fans. Others would question my fondness of the series if they began with this volume.

What does Anna Fields bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Anna Fields is an excellent narrator. She brings great life to all the characters and situations.

Do you think Bones of the Barbary Coast needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Most definitely--just to get back to the Cree-Verse!