Skull Session

SKULL SESSION is an impressive debut by former musician Daniel Hecht. Paul Skoglund suffers from Tourette's syndrome. In need of work, he agrees to repair his wealthy aunt's mansion, only to discover that in the process he must battle not only his own demons, but also those that inhabit the house. Christopher Lane gives a masterful performance. Skoglund's character is not an easy one to portray, yet Lane does so with intensity and sensitivity. In addition, Lane delivers the other characters with a graceful sense of timing, permitting the reader to remain focused on the many nuances of the novel and its characters. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Starred review from December 29, 1997
A hero with unusual strengths and weaknesses gives this debut thriller a large dose of energy and excitement. Paul Skoglund has learned to live with and basically control his Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder, thanks to early training from his caring father and daily doses of haloperidol: "Motor tics manageable, coprolalia (the swearing associated with Tourette's) very rare, verbal outbursts mostly limited to snatches of song or movie lines, and usually more irritating than offensive to others." But the drug has also burned away the once sharp edge of his creativity, and Paul has been having a hard time earning a living. So when his eccentric Aunt Vivien offers him a job restoring her old house in Lewisboro, N.Y., Paul is glad to accept, even though it will take him away from his eight-year-old son, Mark, who suffers from neurological troubles of his own. But the old house on the Hudson is no ordinary dwelling. It has been ravaged by vandals, and this destruction is apparently linked to several local teenagers who have vanished in recent months. While state police investigator Morgan Ford looks into the disappearances, Paul and his fearless lover, Lia, find evidence that the vandalism has a more sinister source. Hecht gets the most out of one of literature's most venerable conceits: as Paul delves into the mystery of the old house, he also burrows deeper into the mystery of his own mind. A late injection of X-Files supernatural weirdness is a bit jarring, but it doesn't weaken Paul's credibility or our sympathy for his concerns about his son. After a 15-year-career as a guitarist (truncated due to a hand injury), Hecht has brought welcome artistry and elegance to his new field.

November 15, 2005
As he did in "City of Masks", Hecht combines intelligent writing, odd but plausible subjects, and deeply drawn characters to create an original and gripping contemporary ghost story. Paul Skoglund is an unemployed woodworker with a master's degree and Tourette's syndrome. When rich old Aunt Vivien offers him a job cleaning up her massive old house, he takes her up on it. But the damage isn't what anyone could consider -normal -: it's physically impossible, perhaps psychotically motivated. As Paul explores what kind of monster could have caused the destruction, he delves into his family's mysterious past: his father, a suicide; his haughty aunt; distant mother; and sociopathic cousin. Hecht also expertly draws Paul's supporting cast, including his young son and girlfriend Lia. Likable, but tragic, New York State cop Mo Ford is sure that the house is the locus for missing area teens, and the resulting triangle of Paul, Lia, and Mo propels the story to fruition. Narrator Christopher Lane's reading subtly distinguishes characters, his resonant monotone matching the story's sobriety. Recommended." -Douglas C. Lord, Connecticut State Lib., Hartford"

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