The hot sun is scorching London and there is no relief from
the relentless heat. At least not in Alice Quentin's office
at Guy's Hospital as the air conditioning is out. There is
also no relief from the pressures of her work as a
psychologist as cut-backs have killed the anger management
sessions her clients badly needed.
Still recovering from the horrors of her horrid experiences
in Crossbones Yard and her hospitalization, Alice has been
loathe to do any further police related work, but when DI
Don Burns comes calling, Alice knows she has to help him.
He had not fared well after the Crossbones case and now his
job is hanging by a threat and the new police team he is on
are out to get him. He desperately needs an ally and,
despite her concerns, Alice knows she has to help.
She is shocked when she sees the CCTV video of a banker
being killed after being pushed in front of a subway train.
The banker had worked for a private bank called the Angel
Group and in his pocket they had found a postcard of a
Renaissance angel along with some white feathers. Now, it
is up to Alice to help figure out what is motivating the
killer. Will they be able to do it before more murders
happen? What is the meaning behind the Angels and the
feathers?
After the acclaimed success of her first psychological
thriller, CROSSBONES YARD, Kate Rhodes has created in A
KILLING OF ANGELS, a very compelling and authentic look
at the glitter and ugliness of banking in The Square Mile,
the heart of the financial district in London, England.
While it is terrific as a standalone read, fans of Kate
Rhodes will be thrilled with the return of psychologist
Alice Quentin as protagonist as Alice and her friends and
family are still deeply affected by what happened in
Crossbones Yard.
Rhodes has a wonderful style with words, images and
descriptions. From the first words, you are instantly
caught up in the action. You feel the shimmering heat, the
shock, the pain almost as intensely as the characters
involved. Rhodes is also very skillful at making all her
diverse characters so authentic. For example, she presents
the complexity of Alice's life (a brother suffering from
bipolar and addictions issues, a rigid and lonely mother,
diverse and intriguing friends) in a manner that is so
straightforward on the surface, yet hinting at such turmoil
and complexity that it paradoxically makes it seem very
natural to the reader. For myself, this made me really
like Alice as a character as her interactions with friends
and others are so realistically described. I don't know if
further books are forthcoming, but I do hope that will be
the case as I really would like to read more about Don
Burns, Alice and her friends.
Similarly, I liked the juxtaposition between the
lavishness of the bankers' lifestyles and the small amounts
of monies needed to run critically needed programs as they
added a grittiness and depth to the already high tension in
the storyline as the killer seeks revenge. Fans of police
procedural and thriller novels are sure like this highly
engrossing story. Just be prepared to quickly leave your
reading seat and be moved instantly into a very hot and
sticky situation in the heart of London! Enjoy!
The first death looked like a suicide. But someone had
tucked a picture of an angel and a handful of white
feathers
into the banker's pocket before pushing him in front of a
train. A killer is stalking The Square Mile—the financial
district in London—an avenging angel intent on
punishment.
But why these victims? What were their sins?
Psychologist Alice Quentin swore she'd never get involved
with police work again. Her duty is to the living, not
the
dead. But she owes Detective Don Burns a favor. He was
the
one who would sit for hours when the last case they
worked
on together had landed her in the hospital. That case had
clearly taken its toll on him, and his career, too. So
when
he comes begging for help, how can she refuse?
In order to find the murderer, Alice and Detective Burns
must dig deep into the toxic heart of one of the major
financial centers in the world. A place where money means
more than life, and no one can be counted innocent.
A Killing of Angels is the second book in Kate Rhodes'
Alice
Quentin Series.
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