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3.5 

The Book of Lamps and Banners

By Elizabeth Hand
The Book of Lamps and Banners by Elizabeth Hand digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

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 Chaauthor of Your House Will Pay

"Elizabeth Hand has delivered a startling book that is dirty, wise, aching, and almost magical."Ivy Pochodaauthor of These Women
 

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17 Reviews

3.5
“Probably my favorite of the series so far.”
“There is a book by this author I'm going to love, I know it. Her writing style is so cool, I just keep getting lost in the characters and pacing..it's unfair to jump in at book 4 of this character I guess, but I feel like we lost 100 pages to th repetitive relationship and fights between Quinn and Cass. He adores her! She's a crackhead! He gives her crack! He doesn't believe her because she's on crack! They have sex. Rinse repeat. Also is Cass a ... detective? A photographer? A junkie? Smart? Still unclear after 300+ pages.”
“Not sure why I wanted to read another book in this series (I think it was the cool cover). Very little action. Mostly just the main character getting drunk, doing drugs, having sex and fighting with her boyfriend because she’s getting drunk and doing drugs. A little bit about retrieving the titular spooky book in order to sell it and get rich.”

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