Gabriel St. John plans to write his next true-crime novel on the recent murder of Jessie Michaels, whose accused murderer was acquitted. He has to. The crime is just too much like that of Anne Donovan, a prostitute killed in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1849. Her murderer was never caught, either, even though another person was in the room at the time of the murder. Gabriel knows that case intimately, because he was that other person. Passed out from the effects of opium and absinthe, he awoke to find Anne's throat slit -- and no one else in the room. For over a hundred years, he's wondered if he killed her.

Gabriel is a fallen angel, tied to New Orleans, doing penance for his sins. Now, with the recent murder, he's determined to solve the crimes and find out, once and for all, if he is a killer. To do that, he's enlisting the help of Sara Michaels, forensic evidence specialist and daughter of the latest victim. Using modern forensic techniques may be the key to unraveling the clues and learning the truth.

But Sara is not what Gabriel expected. He's drawn to her against his will, as she is to him. He hadn't counted on that. Neither had he counted on someone else working behind the scenes, interfering with their search for the killer, putting Sara's life in danger. And he hadn't counted on the hope he feels, hope that he and Sara can have a life together in spite of the terrible circumstances that brought them together. He hopes that the killer can be stopped before Sara becomes the next victim.

FALLEN has all the elements of a great love story and mystery. Gabriel is a good man, tortured by his past, unable to end the curse he seems to be living under. Sara is smart and capable of great love, yet unsure of herself. Together, they really work. The characters mesh perfectly and you want them to win. And how can you have a more perfect setting for a mystery and romance than the French Quarter? I thoroughly enjoyed FALLEN, Ms. McCarthy's latest paranormal romance. Captivating, cunning and completely satisfying, FALLEN is a very good read.