Falling AngelWilliam Hjortsberg
Where do you search for a guy who was never there to begin with?
Private detective Harry Angel ponders this very question as he searches for his quarry, who has disappeared under peculiar circumstances. Hired by the mysterious Louis Cyphre to find a missing crooner, Johnny Favorite, Angel's search soon takes him to the seedy underbelly of the city and introduces him to the dark world of voodoo devil worship. It isn't long before Angel finds himself irrevocably entangled in these dark events.
I first heard of this novel when Carlos Ruiz Zafon listed his top 10 20th-century gothic novels. He said Falling Angel is "the best mystery thriller ever written. It has the classic elements of a Chandler novel combined with the solid tradition of the 1970s supernatural thrillers .... The writing, plotting and characterisation are superb." He ended his blurb by adding, "This is a hard title to find, but do yourself a favour and go looking." He wasn't kidding.
The harder I looked for this book, the more I wanted to read it. Struck out on Amazon (unless I wanted to pay over 40 bucks for a copy). No luck at the library. I finally ordered a used copy from the UK (thanks, guys). Then, the waiting began.
My book arrived in the late afternoon; a few hours later, I had fully devoured it. Zafon was spot on when he said the plotting is superb; the story hooks you immediately and doesn't relent until you've finished the final page.
In a nutshell: A gripping mystery with a nice dash of horror, Falling Angel is a must for those looking for a gritty, atmospheric read.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: Mine, but only because not a single library in my state carried the book. WTF, library system??? W.T.F?!?
Private detective Harry Angel ponders this very question as he searches for his quarry, who has disappeared under peculiar circumstances. Hired by the mysterious Louis Cyphre to find a missing crooner, Johnny Favorite, Angel's search soon takes him to the seedy underbelly of the city and introduces him to the dark world of voodoo devil worship. It isn't long before Angel finds himself irrevocably entangled in these dark events.
I first heard of this novel when Carlos Ruiz Zafon listed his top 10 20th-century gothic novels. He said Falling Angel is "the best mystery thriller ever written. It has the classic elements of a Chandler novel combined with the solid tradition of the 1970s supernatural thrillers .... The writing, plotting and characterisation are superb." He ended his blurb by adding, "This is a hard title to find, but do yourself a favour and go looking." He wasn't kidding.
The harder I looked for this book, the more I wanted to read it. Struck out on Amazon (unless I wanted to pay over 40 bucks for a copy). No luck at the library. I finally ordered a used copy from the UK (thanks, guys). Then, the waiting began.
My book arrived in the late afternoon; a few hours later, I had fully devoured it. Zafon was spot on when he said the plotting is superb; the story hooks you immediately and doesn't relent until you've finished the final page.
In a nutshell: A gripping mystery with a nice dash of horror, Falling Angel is a must for those looking for a gritty, atmospheric read.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: Mine, but only because not a single library in my state carried the book. WTF, library system??? W.T.F?!?
7 comments:
Until I read this review I hadn't realized that the film Angel Heart was based on a book.
Great film, now I need to read the book.
haven't read this one--haven't even heard of it until now! glad you enjoyed it but sorry you had to struggle to rustle up a copy! lol.
sorry! that was my comment but i clicked too soon! :)
This sounds good -- I am way overdue for a good thriller.
This sounds like my shot of rye right now...cup of tea didn't sound gritty enough.
Maybe just because of my job I think this, but the title of that post sounds like a line from a poem. Is it?
Shelley - yep! It's from Macbeth :)
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