February 15, 2016
Last seen in 2012’s Available Dark, photographer Cass Neary is a wreck in Hand’s loosely plotted third outing for the middle-aged, rock and roll–loving alcoholic and depressive druggie. Having escaped mysteriously from a reunion in Iceland with long-ago boyfriend Quinn, Cass lands in gritty North London with only a backpack, her Konica SLR, random uppers, some cash, and one fake and one genuine passport. From there she stumbles from one squalid flat to another, encountering weirdo after weirdo, expecting Quinn at every turn. Instead, she discovers a body—that of Poppy, a former punk singer, followed by other, possibly related bodies. Later, she winds up in a dilapidated Cornwall farmhouse, where she meets a number of folks with creepy connections to Poppy. Along this dubious route, Cass conveys an expert’s knowledge of the 1970s East Village punk scene, Iron Age rituals, Paleolithic icons, and the intricacies of photography and film noir. Somehow it all adds up to a gripping, if unlikely, tale. Agent: Martha Millard, Martha Millard Literary Agency.