Hard Light

by Elizabeth Hand

First published 2016

Cass Neary escapes Iceland after a string of cult killings and heads to London to meet Quinn, her longtime lover. Quinn never appears. Interpol and the Russian mob both want him. Cass finds herself stranded and afraid in an unfamiliar city. She connects with a troubled young woman who takes her to a party that changes everything. The host is Mallo Dunfries, a strange criminal who collects cigar cutters and sends mysterious packages. Three hangers-on orbit around him, all connected to an infamous underground filmmaker. Mallo forces Cass to transport his illegal goods. She gets pulled into a deadly network of killings, double-crosses, and obsessions both artistic and sexual. The danger follows her from London's streets to the remote Land's End Peninsula. There she discovers archaeological evidence that could reshape human history. Rock music, rave scenes, dangerous drugs, and transgressive photography create the backdrop. Cass must survive long enough to escape this glittery underworld that threatens to destroy her.

Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller

Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: dangerous-obsession, fish-out-of-water

Setting: Iceland, London, Land's End Peninsula

Period: 21st-century

359 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books

Content warnings: drug-use, violence

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