SKULL SESSION

Just re-published in softcover by Bloomsbury – the classic literary thriller and international bestseller! A People Page Turner of the Week A USA Today bestseller “This book is clearly something special. The language, the details, the easy and wonderful way the story unfolds – it is just so specific and right that you’re engaged from the start. This is a book by a real writer . . . a thoughtful, intelligent, gripping first novel.” –Newsday

Paul Skoglund is a very bright guy, but he suffers from Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder that gives him wild urges and causes him to make strange gestures and say inappropriate things. Because he hasn’t held a steady job for years, he readily accepts when his eccentric, wealthy aunt asks him to repair her badly-vandalized hunting lodge.

But when he arrives at the remote hilltop mansion, he finds a scene of almost superhuman destruction: a violence mirrored by a series of disappearances and grisly deaths in the area. As Paul digs into the wreckage, he can’t help but wonder what dark passion – and what strength – could cause such chaos.

Assisted by his fiancé Lia and by New York State Police investigator Mo Ford, Paul seeks answers as he faces the overwhelming task of conducting repairs amid the escalating dangers of working in a crime scene. As he struggles to control his own malfunctioning brain chemistry and delves deeper into his family’s past, he is forced to confront the darkest aspects of his own nature, and he faces the possibility that in saving those he loves, he might well destroy himself.

Author’s comment:

What most people don’t know – and probably don’t want to believe – is that Skull Session is based on events that actually happened to me. While I never did discover the origins of the extreme violence that tore apart the house in question, the experience brought to mind all the tales I’d heard throughout the years of people being momentarily possessed of superhuman strength. Everyone has read those little snippets in newspapers now and again: “Panicked Mom Lifts Car Off Trapped Children,” and the like. In fact, reports of this rare and fleeting phenomenon go far back in history and exist in every culture, perhaps most famously in the exploits of the Viking berserker warriors, who could enter a state of superpowered, killing frenzy. To the contemporary eye, it’s obvious that the condition mirrors what modern medicine calls hyperdynamism and hyperkinesis. I was drawn to the concept because it forces us to question what we are – biochemical machines or intentional personalities? – and what we’re truly capable of.

Writing Skull Session took three years, and I loved the process. The book marks the first appearance of Mo Ford, whom I reincarnated or resurrected to by my main character in Puppets, a terrific guy to write.

More Praise for Skull Session

“Stunning . . . This stylish thriller reminds us why we’re so afraid of the dark – especially the kind that lurks within.” -- People (Page Turner of the Week)

“In his accomplished first novel, Daniel Hecht has written a true ‘neurological thriller’ . . . a narrative that’s populated by believable characters and infused with healthy doses of medical science and psychology.” –New York Times Book Review

“Former musician Hecht has brought welcome artistry and elegance to his new field.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)