Paul Skoglund is afflicted with Tourette's syndrom. It makes him say and do impulsive things and as a result it's hard to maintain a job.
His aunt asks him to repair her hunting lodge in the Hudson Valley. Since he hasn't worked for years, he accepts.

The home has been extrordinarily damaged. Paul asks his aunt, Vivian, if she knows who would do such a thing but she'd says she doesn't know.

Mo Ford is transferred to the Lewisboro Barracks of the State Police. He picks up a number of open investigations including the hit and run death of Richard Mason and the disappearance of three teenagers.
Mo interviews Richard's family and learns that he spent time with his younger sister who has schizophrenia. The sister, Heather, seems to be able to see the future. She tells Mo that it's going to happen again, and in a story she is writing, the policeman dies.

Mo is an appealing, compassionate character. He finds a connection between the damage to the hunting lodge and the missing teens. He's learned that the damage to the home had some satanic ritualistic similarities.

The story is interesting in that we can see what a person with Tourette's syndrom might do under stress and how he could overcome adversity.

However, toward the end, instead of an action packed finish, we have pages upon pages of explanations of paranormal happenings and people with powers that could be handed down in the family.
With the added detail, the story bogged down and the ending was unsatisfactory. ( )

Het grote huis staat eenzaam op de heuvel. Het ziet er vredig uit, maar binnen is alles met ongekende geweldadigheid gesloopt. De streek eromheen wordt geplaagd door een serie verdwijningen en sterfgevallen.

Paul Skoglund lijdt aan het Tourette-syndroom, een hersenziekte die bizarre tics en onwillekeurige uitbarstingen veroorzaakt. Mede door zijn aandoening zit hij zonder werk. Met zijn onafhankelijke vriendin Lia en een plaatselijke politieman ontdekt Paul een verband tussen het huis, de verdwijningen en vaag herinnerde flarden van zijn eigen jeugd...

Geestdrift is een literaire thriller van een grote intensiteit. Daniel Hecht duikt diep in de schaduwkant van onze hersenen en onze menselijke aard. Dit debuut, rijk aan neurologische en psychologische details, mondt uit in een huiveringwekkende climax die beangstigende vragen oproept over het wezen van het menselijk bestaan.

a monster is haunting a large old family home. The monster has nearly destroyed the house and its contents, flinging large appliances and furniture about, breaking walls and windows. Or perhaps the vandalism has been done by teenagers, some of whom have since disappeared or died mysteriously. Handicapped by Tourette's syndrome Paul Skoglund accepts the challenge of restoring the home. Aided by his lover, Lia, and a melancholic cop, he begins the repair process while searching for the cause of the destruction. Just as Paul's father helped him learn to handle his compulsive behavior, Paul hopes to help his own son. But Paul's father committed suicide. or did he? Gothic horror and romance, with a generous helping of bioscience. ( )

Picked this up randomly at a book market because it looked different and interesting. The plot kept me turning the pages til the end, although I was a little disappointed because I thought it became too bizarre at the end. But it still deserves 4 1/2 stars because it tries and succeeds in doing something different with the plot and the characters. I especially liked the fact that the characters are different from the usual one dimensional stereotypes, and it made me more interested in Tourettes syndrome, which is topical because of Pete from Big Brother. ( )

I was mad at myself when I finished this book, that I didn’t figure it out before the end. Duh. I’m not sure how to feel now that I know.

I found Paul to be somewhat weak and pathetic. Really. Just ask the question for god’s sake. Don’t sit there wondering all over the place. He did start to fight back in the end though.

I liked the structure of the chapters. Unlike most thrillers, he didn’t leave each one as a mini-thriller all on its own. Each chapter had closure and was easy to pick up again. Not that I left it long – finished the book in one day. The dialogue from the aunt was a bit stilted though and it was never fully explained where her ex-husband got off to. ( )