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Bones of the Barbary Coast: A Cree Black Novel Audiobook
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(3.03) - 301 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In this thrilling novel set in two periods of San Francisco history, Cree Black confronts the mystery of one of the strangest victims of the Great Quake.
Bert Marchetti, a friend and homicide inspector, asks Cree to help investigate a human skeleton recently unearthed in the foundation of an old San Francisco home, supposedly the bones of a victim of the 1906 earthquake. The bones have been sent to UC Berkeley for analysis, where their peculiar characteristics and anatomical deformities have intrigued the forensic anthropology team. They call the skeleton Wolfman. So who was the Wolfman? What caused the deformities, and how did he end up in that grand hilltop home?
Cree's historical research takes her back to the unholy glory days of the Barbary Coast, old San Francisco's infamous red-light district.As she assists at the forensics lab, she also begins to realize that Bert Marchetti's involvement with the case is more complex than he has let on. Her narrative is illuminated by entries from the 1889 diary of Lydia Schweitzer, a Victorian woman with her own secrets—and her own compelling interest in the person who would come to be known as the Wolfman.
A vivid and elegantly plotted thriller that reveals San Francisco's hidden face across two centuries, Bones of the Barbary Coast tells the story of two women determined to face human nature's darkest aspects with courage and compassion.
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"Excellent characterization. Were bones discovered in the basement of a San Francisco house a werewolf? Cree doesn’t use her “ghost hunter” skills here, but focuses on understanding the living. The story is really about what is hidden behind people’s public exterior. "
— Sharonm (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Bones of the Barbary Coast is one of those rare books that is both a thrill ride and a cerebral study of relationships. A subtle, mature, and enticing novel from one of the most exciting novelists around.”
— Laurie R. King, award-winning author -
“Anna Fields’ narration precisely delineates [the] two women. She slips into working-class Brooklynese when Cree is angry and effectively expresses Lydia’s incredulity when she enters a brothel where patrons are entertained by deformed humans fighting feral dogs. When Fields narrates Black’s own encounter with the dogs, her reading is haggard, gasping, and entirely believable.”
— AudioFile -
“A satisfying adventure.”
— Booklist
Bones of the Barbary Coast Listener Reviews
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" This is the first Cree Black I read and so far my favorite. I love the amazingly accurate historical details regarding early San Francisco that Hecht uses to frame his story. A great read! "
— Persephone, 2/20/2014 -
" I love this series! Creepy but not horrific..a mixture of paranormal and psychology with just enough edge to give you the willies. "
— Candie, 2/5/2014 -
" My favorite part of this book is the first person narrative from the 1890s. The rest is kinda boring, in my opinion. Interesting characters, but the plot does not move in a direction that allows them to experience lasting change (although this could be debatable "
— Chris, 1/17/2014 -
" I'm not usually one much for modern fiction, but this was actually a very well-crafted forensic anthropology story. Without giving too many spoilers, we'll just say I enjoyed the story very much. Couldn't put it down for 2 days. "
— Amanda, 1/16/2014 -
" I enjoyed the other books that I've read by this author much better than this one. It had some elements that were disturbing to me, so I had to walk away from it for awhile. The outcome was well worth coming back to it, though. "
— Cindy, 1/11/2014 -
" The third Cree Black novel. This one is very different from the other two. More psychological than paranormal but still a great story. I actually think this is the best of the three. It is darker, which I liked. "
— Karen, 1/7/2014 -
" The Cree Black books are extremely well written but this is Cree at her most annoying. "
— Wayne, 12/3/2013 -
" This was a good story...almost a ghost story, but more an archeological uncovering of a story. I enjoyed it! "
— Kathleen, 11/30/2013 -
" Set both in the "Wild West" days of San Francisco's history and in modern day SF, the jumping back and forth is smooth and seems without effort. The story drew me in wanting to know more. The defination of a good detective/mystery story. "
— Melanie, 10/25/2013 -
" Bones of wolfman in San Francisco in days of 1906 earthquake discovered in modern day. "
— Kitty, 10/24/2013 -
" Loved the story! Not as much of the paranormal as I like, but the story was very intriguing. A good read. "
— Jenni, 10/17/2013 -
" it was entertaining, but I missed the "cree blackness" of it. No supernatural stuff. That's probably why I only gave in a "ok". "
— Meg, 7/25/2013 -
" I love a good story that still leaves room for speculation. Nice intertwining of present-day and historical storylines. "
— Elizabeth, 2/24/2013 -
" As good as his last two Cree Black novels! "
— Susan, 2/14/2013 -
" At times a confused plot. "
— Susan, 11/14/2012 -
" This book would've been better if the the story of the bones guy (I don't want to give away too much) was fleshed out (yeah, bad pun). "
— Jeanne, 12/27/2011 -
" Didn't like it quite as much as the others, but it was interesting. (Not sure why it go so widely panned.) I just wish he'd write more in this series. "
— Csillitoe, 9/14/2011 -
" I liked the story, I enjoyed the link to the past giving us a little taste of <br/>what the San Francsico of the 1800's was like. There was a hint of supernatural<br/>that kept me guessing through the whole book. I also enjoyed the twists and turns<br/>of the story and characters. "
— Jorge, 3/28/2011 -
" it was entertaining, but I missed the "cree blackness" of it. No supernatural stuff. That's probably why I only gave in a "ok". "
— Meg, 2/28/2011 -
" I've always loved Daniel Hecht's books- but this one left too many unanswered questions at the end. Not the type of questions that would be answered in a sequel either. "
— Cindy, 6/21/2010 -
" I love this series! Creepy but not horrific..a mixture of paranormal and psychology with just enough edge to give you the willies. "
— Candie, 4/29/2010 -
" I love a good story that still leaves room for speculation. Nice intertwining of present-day and historical storylines. "
— Elizabeth, 9/29/2009 -
" Set both in the "Wild West" days of San Francisco's history and in modern day SF, the jumping back and forth is smooth and seems without effort. The story drew me in wanting to know more. The defination of a good detective/mystery story. "
— Melanie, 6/27/2009 -
" This is the first Cree Black I read and so far my favorite. I love the amazingly accurate historical details regarding early San Francisco that Hecht uses to frame his story. A great read! "
— Persephone, 3/2/2009 -
" Bones of wolfman in San Francisco in days of 1906 earthquake discovered in modern day. "
— Kitty, 1/2/2009 -
" didn't like this on as much as the others. guess I really like her connection to the other world and she didn't do any of that in this one. "
— Karen, 3/27/2008
About Daniel Hecht
Daniel Hecht is a writer and nonprofit development consultant. He earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop and is a graduate of the elite Henry F. Williams Homicide Seminar, presented by the New York State Police. He took up long-distance open water swimming in Vermont’s lakes in 1980. His seven previous novels, published in the US and throughout the world, include bestsellers in the US, England, Holland, and Israel.
About Anna Fields
Kate Fleming (a.k.a. Anna Fields) (1965–2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.