"Hecht is a master . . . Land of Echoes is more than a supernatural mystery. It is an exploration of the psyche and the struggle of people and spirits caught between worlds . . . The writing is poetic in a way that us sure to raise gooseflesh." -- Rocky Mountain News
"Hecht is so good at his ghosts and demons believable that Land of Echoes quickly caught me up in its exciting story . . . In the end, the book is so well-balanced and beautifully written that you probably won't realize you've been reading a ghost story." -- Chicago Tribune
"Hecht's exploration of the supernatural, the Navajo culture, and the beauty of the New Mexican desert all come together in a story that is as enthralling as it is evocative." -- New Mystery Reader
A BookSense Pick of the year
A Rocky Mountain News pick of the year
In this second installment of the Cree Black series, Cree is called to investigate a fascinating case unfolding in the vast high desert of New Mexico. Tommy Keeday, a student at a boarding school for gifted Navajo teens, has been seized by a frightening, violent, inexplicable illness.
His family believes he is possessed by the hostile spirit of a dead ancestor. Cree must decide whether Tommy is just a sensitive teenager seeking attention, is suffering from an exotic brain disorder -- or whether there's truth in the Navajo legends of witches, skinwalkers, and malevolent ghosts.
As Tommy's condition worsens, Cree and her colleagues, aided by a talented Navajo physician, realize they are in a race against time. Their investigation takes them into the terrifying realm of possession, Tommy's past, and crucial moments of Navajo history, and pits them against present-day mining interests willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden.
Land of Echoes is a mystery, a passionate love story, and an exploration of Navajo culture and identity in modern America.