- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group; Reissue edition (Jan 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0425193780
- ISBN-13: 978-0425193785
- Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.4 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,725,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After a child is murdered at her son Duncan's school before his very eyes, Martha is determined to keep anything terrible from ever happening to him again. To this end, she flees with him to a cave on the Rio Grande, leaving her husband David, whose sanity she doubts, without a clue as to where she's gone. David hires a private detective to find her, and the detective does ... only to fall in love. Can David find her on his own and bring her back to safety? Or has she slipped too far from reality, into a fantasy with no return?
PRINCE OF LOST PLACES is one of the best books I have read this spring. Haunting, lyrical, and cleanly written, it hooks the reader from line one and never lets go, even long after the covers have been closed. Although it's only 174 pages long, the brevity works well, focusing only on the characters' feelings and surroundings and thus contributing to the sense of unreality. Kathy Hepinstall has done a tremendous job at portraying a love so powerful it knows no bounds. And while the ending may not surprise the aware reader, it works perfectly as a fitting conclusion to Martha's world.
If you like haunting, beautifully written tales of psychological suspense, PRINCE OF LOST PLACES is a read you'll never forget.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
However, it is the idea for the book that interested me, and is largely what the stars are for. The previous work of this writer I have read was better, more complete, and had more breadth and depth. The theme hooked me, and it will likely hook you as well.
"Prince Of Lost Places", is the third book offered by Kathy Hepinstall and the second of her works that I have read. The other novel I read was, "The Absence of Nectar". I think the idea for this book was very good, unfortunately I thought what could have been a more patiently explored, and very difficult issue should have been given more time. This is more of an extended short story or novelette depending on your preference for terms. What it most definitely does do is explore what one possible reaction might be to a type of event that has become far too common, not only in The United States, but to a lesser extent in other nations as well. For my comments I do not include acts of terrorism that are motivated by a particular interpretation of religion, or an act catalyzed by political zealotry.
Violence that strikes at the most unlikely places, areas viewed as almost safe havens are events that we all have read about. Often those that commit the violence are as young as or younger than their victims. What happens to those that are left behind, whether they suffered an irrevocable loss or by pure luck were among those spared, or who had those they cared so deeply for spared? News organizations will swoop in for the 15 minutes of horror until something more shocking comes about, but what happens when the cameras have left, and the people that are left must continue the portions of their lives not taken from them?
I did not focus on the characters and their depth or lack thereof. I did not delve in to the role of alcohol in the life of one character. I was absorbed by the book's primary event that caused the rest of the tale to take place. Could a person react as this protagonist did, my guess would be yes. Did the author take this book as far as she has taken her past work, she did not. And in the end that is unfortunate, for Kathy Hepinstall had a much larger work waiting for her to complete
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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39 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Another good one, but not the best one
20 Feb 2003
Format:Hardcover
I have been a fan of Kathy Hepinstall ever since I read her first novel. Each of her stories is compelling, gripping, and definitely unique. She's a truly excellent writer and storyteller, and I expect her to remain one of my top favorites authors of all time.
Hepinstall's latest offering, Prince of Lost Places, was different for me. I really enjoyed the story and was sad that it didn't go on for at least 100 more pages. However, if I compare it to her other two novels, I would have to put this one last. It wasn't as suspenseful and page-turning as I was expecting.
Prince of Lost Places tells the story of a mother, the love she has for her son, and her determination to keep him safe in a dangerous world. There has been a killing in 6-year-old Duncan's school, and the little neighbor girl, Linda, is dead. Duncan's mother, Martha, is beside herself with worry -- so much so that she is constantly checking on him in the middle of the night. For fear that she is no longer able to keep Duncan safe, Martha steals away with him in the middle of the night to a cave on the Rio Grande where they will live, hidden, from the dangers of the world. However, their safety is soon threatened by an intruder -- the private detective who's been hired to find them.
The ending of this story came from absolutely nowhere and knocked me flat! It was truly the best part of the book, and it makes me want to read the story over again knowing what I know now. I recommend this book to all Hepinstall fans because I believe you will be pleased. However, for new fans, I believe The Absence of Nectar is a better display of Kathy Hepinstall's exceptional storytelling talent.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
I Loved This Book!
11 Feb 2005
Format:Hardcover
A beautifully written tale of a mothers wish to protect her child, at all cost, and her unconditional love that surpasses reality to find comfort in an illusion.
Unpredictable, mind-blowing conclusion.
Unpredictable, mind-blowing conclusion.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
ONCE AGAIN, KATHY FINDS THE MAGIC
15 Jun 2003
Format:Hardcover
In each of her three fine novels, Kathy Hepinstall shows readers that she's not only a talented writer - eloquent, imaginative and entertaining - but that she has a rare ability to find within each story an element of magic, something at the core of a character or a situation that transcends (and at the same time illuminates) the frail reality through which we, and her characters, pass. The characters themselves are always entirely believable, immediately acceptable to the reader, sounding a resonating chord of empathy almost from the moment they are introduced. The stories/situations in which her characters find themselves are equally grounded - even as they venture near the fantastic from time to time, there is nothing in them that is beyond belief. From time to time, I read a novel or story that stretches things a little too far - I find myself saying, `Oh, come on now...' I have never felt that way reading any of Kathy's books - they always draw me in rapidly, allowing me to feel myself pulled along by the characters and plots. Each one has made me more and more glad that THE HOUSE OF GENTLE MEN caught my eye that day in the bookstore.
There is an element of madness within PRINCE OF LOST PLACES - it's a definite presence, but we're not sure for most of the book where to place it. It's a bit like a firefly that won't settle anywhere - when it finally lands (and Kathy plays the suspense element of this novel masterfully) it does so delicately, touching without tainting, without judging, without condemning or vilifying. We're left with the questions `Who is really mad', `What is reality' and `What would YOU have done?' echoing in our heads.
Without going into the plot itself (it's been done in plenty of other places), I'll simply point out that the emotions experienced by the characters are deep and real - and they're emotions with which each and every reader should be able to empathize. The book is a brief one - and I have to agree with another reviewer below that the pace with which the story is told (as well as the multiple viewpoints) adds to the presence of `dysreality' (I love making up words...) within. I put off reading this wonderful novel for too long - now that I've experienced it, I'm sorry I didn't pick it up as soon as it came out. This one shouldn't be missed!
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