Rating: 
Summary: I Loved This Book!
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Expected more, but still a good read....
Review: After "the absence of nectar" I was curious about this writer. But if it wasn't for the 'shocker' towards the end (no, I am not going to spoil it), it would have been a little flat. So, all in all, good story (weird, yeah...but so was 'the absence of nectar'), lacked execution. It was more a second draft than the final manuscript, but still not to be missed. 3 1/2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Expected more, but still a good read....
Review: After "the absence of nectar" I was curious about this writer. But if it wasn't for the 'shocker' towards the end (no, I am not going to spoil it), it would have been a little flat. So, all in all, good story (weird, yeah...but so was 'the absence of nectar'), lacked execution. It was more a second draft than the final manuscript, but still not to be missed. 3 1/2 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Hepinstall thrills again!
Review: Having read Hepinstall's other two novels, I was hoping not to be let down by Prince of Lost Places. She not only succeeded in keeping me flipping the pages, but left me thinking about the ending for days. This book makes you want to give it to everyone you know and discuss it! She has proved her staying power in her third novel and is a permanent addition to my collection of great authors.
Rating:
Summary: Another good one, but not the best one
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: ONCE AGAIN, KATHY FINDS THE MAGIC?
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Worth a second (and third) read
Review: Kathy has crafted her books, but this one seems rushed. It is very short and the plot suffers from the lazy effort. The ending was not a shocker, as any alert reader would pick up on by page four. Sorry, but I did not like this book.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping story, beautifully written.
Review: Kathy Hepinstall has quickly become of my my all time favorite authors. Her stories are so unique and her prose is so rich and beautifully articulated. It's easy to immerse yourself in her stories even if they are oddly disturbing. This is a strange tale, but very compelling. My biggest disappointment was that the book was over too quickly. I kept saying, "just one more chapter," until it was completed.
Rating:
Summary: Very well written and holds your attention
Review: Kathy Hepinstall writes better and better with each book. "Prince of lost places" is about every mother's and father's nightmare: the death of a child. Martha the main character reacts as most mothers would and flees from a death at her son's school to keep her child safe. Unfortunately her husband David sees otherwise and feels Martha has gone crazy. First he tries to get her to see a psychiatrist and once she flees he hires a detective to find her. The story is of this flight and of life on the lamb in the wilds of Texas. It is also a story of how we perceive things. Kathy Hepinstall does a magnificent job of sharing Martha's thoughts on this flight in terror. She also gets into the head of the private investigator pursuing her. You can see what motivates each party. What makes this story unique is something I never anticipated, a revealing secret. After reading Kathy Hepinstall's previous work "Absence of Nectar", I should have been a bit more prepared. Excellent job. She got me with this one. I looking forward with anticipation more of her future books. I felt there was a massive difference between Absence of Nectar and this work. It was all for the better. The only thing I would change is the horticultural and geological references. Refering to a bush by its proper name only found on a tag in a gardening store, leaves most of us not familiar with the area a bit lost. I'm a fairly knowledgible gardener, but in upper NY state. I would hardly know what a tar brush or what an arroyo was. Also unless I looked up some of the geological formations, I would be lost as well. I think it is important when writers look up information to properly write about it accurately, to consider the ignorance of most of their readers. I would follow the lead of many good sci-fi writers and start with the point the reader has no clue and gradually reveal the pertinent information if it is important. If a more generic description would suffice, unless it were directly pertinent to the story I would use that. All in all a great book. One odd little thing I liked was short chapters. I felt like I breezed through this book and was sorry when it ended. That means it captured my imagination and was a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Weird
Review: Not what I expected from the jacket blurb. The premise...thar a mpther would feel safer in the wilds of Texas rather than fleing to a big city with the consequent anonymity is unsettling, and the ending is just....WEIRD!
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