Skull Session by Daniel Hecht

by:  Daniel Hecht
published by:  Bloomsbury USA
publish date:  July 11, 2005

Despite his brilliance, Paul Skoglund hasn’t held a steady job for years, partly because of his Tourette’s syndrome. When his eccentric, wealthy aunt asks him to take on the repairs of her magnificent hunting lodge, he is in no position to refuse. But then he finds that the rambling old house has been savagely vandalized: he discovers a scene of almost superhuman destruction, a violence mirrored by a series of disappearances and grisly deaths haunting the region. Paul delves into the wreckage, wondering what dark passion—and what strength—could cause such chaos. As state police investigator Mo Ford pursues the mystery through official channels, escalating events force Paul deeper into his family’s past and into the darker aspects of his own nature.

Awhile back I talked about Daniel Hecht's book Puppets.  Puppets is the companion book to Skull Session, but Puppets should definitely be read first.

Skull Session is a crazy book.  I was in the middle of my psychology class when I was listening to the audiobook so that made it a little more interesting.  Like Puppets, Skull Session also had a lot of emphasis on psychology and what in the brain makes one violent. 

The ending of this book caught me really off guard.  Of course there was going to be a killer and it was going to be revealed, but I was shocked at who it was.  It made sense and everything, but I really didn't see it coming.  So awesome job for surprising this reader!

Besides Puppets and Skull Session, Daniel Hecht has another series out.  I've been debating getting the audiobooks.  They look pretty interesting, but like I said his books have a heavy emphasis on psychology and medicine so they're not really light reading.  Maybe during a school break I'll get them.