“ Angel of the Dark ” by Sidney Sheldon is so far one of the few most complicated stories. It is a haunting narrative with a dash of romance. It is divided into four parts for convenience in reading and comprehending and yet it takes a lot out of thevreader to fully wrap their minds around what is going on. The book pursues the story of multiple characters, all inter-connected in a way. Regardless of the fact that at times it is a mind boggling introduced to the world of police and how a crime investigation is carried out. The plot revolves around the actions of a vengeance seeking individual. It makes us realize the extent to which betrayal and estrangement impact the lives of people.
The plot line is superior from the books beginning to its conclusion. “ Angel of the Dark ”, in fact is a gem. There is no writer in the world who could create a story of suspense like the late Sidney Sheldon, but the author Tilly Bagshawe has created a masterpiece of suspense that makes Sheldon’s memory proud.
Tilly Bagshawe does a great job in imitating Sheldon’s particular writing style. The story line, character development and of course vivid descriptions of the places the story takes place, it comes very close to Sidney Sheldon’s style.
“ Angel of the Dark ” will keep the readers attention until the story’s very last words as one of the two “ bad guys ” continues on beyond the story with their evil deeds. Some characters loose their sense of reasoning as the story progress. As a reader one wants a happy ending and gradually it does get more peaceful and matters are smoothed over but you know what the saying is about, still waters being more dangerous. Like any other exceptional thriller book, even the ending is a big question mark. The sole fact that not every question is answered would probably not sit well with some people. But it is the true essence of a mystery. One can find the answer to the bigger more important question but very little details are left out to have a lasting impact on ones mind.
As the story moves on Detective Danny McGuire had barely moved on from the horrifying murder case that left Angela Jakes a brutally raped widow, when a series of similar killings began to crop up over the span of a few years in different parts of the world. Surely it is a coincidence or so he preferred to think. Detective Danny McGuire could never forget the face of Angela Jakes and the nightmare she endured – raped, beaten up and tied to the murdered body of her elderly husband, multimillionaire art dealer Andrew. His obsession nearly cost Danny McGuire his sanity, even after the stunning young widow disappeared without a trace. Ten years later, living in France and working for Interpol, he has put the past behind him….until Matt Daley, Andrew Jakes’s estranged son, walks into his life.
Matt Daley, a writer, is out to unearth the details of his father’s (Andrew Jakes’) death. He is certain that looking into the murders is a way to go about it and so he approaches Danny McGuire seeking help. For the better or the worst, the detective is persuaded to look into the murders to ensure they aren’t the works of a psychopath serial killer. The path to discovery is riddled with twists and turns, each of which leaves Matt and Danny bewildered at the enormity of the crimes so matter-of-factly committed.
Together with the help of police forces from various countries, Danny McGuire delves deeper into the case, code named Azrael, i.e. Angel of Death. But it is felt that it is the true essence of a mystery. One can find the answer to the bigger more important question but very little details are left out to have a lasting impact on our minds.
At the end of the book, one may feel like the calm after a storm. To say that the characters are reasonably sketched would be putting it in the best possible way. There were a lot of sexist notions and references such as the opinions and behaviors of some male characters towards their female counterparts. Nevertheless they did help push the story forward. In a word we can sum up this book as being marvelous.
by Gopakumara Panicker.K.S.