A playwright, composer, and the most sought-after celebrity, Hamilton Speke retreats to the enclave of his estate in San Francisco only to be confronted by Timothy Asquith, a man from Speke's youth who claims that Speke is a fraud.
Michael Cadnum has had a number of jobs over the course of his life, including pick-and-shoveler for the York Archaeological Trust, in York, England, and substitute teacher in Oakland, California, but his true calling is writing. He is the author of thirty-five books, including the National Book Award finalist The Book of the Lion. His Calling Home and Breaking the Fall were both nominated for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award. He is a former Creative Writing Fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts. Also a poet, he has received several awards, including Poetry Northwest's Helen Bullis Prize and the Owl Creek Book Award. Michael lives in Albany, California, with his wife Sherina.
This book was a trip. Took me awhile to finish it, not because it didn't hold my interest, but because it was worth savoring. Twists and turns, cat and mouse, creepy, bizarre and yet poetic and colorful. The whole story was constantly evolving, taking unexpected turns from the past to the present, with an antagonist who is one of the creepiest personalities I've encountered. Not a gore fest though sprinkled with a touch, mostly just atmosphere done with such beauty it kept me going hmmm, what next, who next, and most of all, WHY? I'll be reading this one again.