Rating: 
Summary: I Just Can't give it 4
Review: I tried to give this book 4 stars, and couldn't do it. I guess I just don't really care for Carol Starkey. Yes, it's a dark novel, but she's just too tough to be believed!! Even when she does warm up to someone, she doesn't warm up. There's no vulnerability here, and we need that in order to develop a liking for her. Even before I read the author's bio, I knew that this author had written television screenplays. This book reads like a screenplay. It's fast-paced and gritty, but there's little time for plot development, and the ending is rushed. This book just didn't do it for me, although it is exciting enough. I'll wait to see it on television.
Rating: 
Summary: A good beginning
Review: This genre is teeming with novelists and lead characters that (for me, anyway) begin to blend together. With DEMOLITION ANGEL, Robert Crais has introduced a heroine who stands out from the pack.Carol Starkey is a former bomb squad technican, currently assigned to another division where the demons of her past, and the gin she guzzles in the attempt to outrun, them will probably lead to her demise less spectacularly than clipping the wrong wire. She is physically scarred and mentally wounded, as the result of an incident three years past where she lost her partner, who was also her lover, and a great deal of her zest for life. When another technician is killed under similar circumstances, she catches the case and is catapaulted back into an arena she would just as soon avoid, especially when clues arise that indicate the same culprit is responsible. Enter Jack Pell, an ATF agent from Washington who has pursued the mad bomber throughout the country, but has a reticence about him indicating he has issues of his own. Gradually, the two investigators form a tenuous working arrangement to unmask the elusive Mr. Red. A very fast read, DEMOLITION ANGEL is a decent story marred by what appears to be a rushed conclusion. A number of characters, and most specifically Mr. Red, are a little too generic to this category, but the creation of Starkey still makes this hard-boiled book a worthwhile endeavor for the reader.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book from Robert Crais
Review: Carol Starkey is a LAPD detective who used to be a member of the bomb squad. She still suffers from the guilt of surviving the bomb blast three years prior that killer her bomb-squad partner and lover, Sugar Boudreaux. However, now she becomes the chief investigator of a bomb-homocide that killed squad member Charlie Riggio. The scary part is, her name was engraved on the metal parts of the bomb. ATF agent, Jack Pell, comes from Washington to help her track down the mysterious bomber, Mr. Red, who's made it his lifes-work to kill as many bomb squad members as he can and to get on the FBI's most-wanted list. However, as Carol digs further she finds differences in the bomb that killed Riggio and all the other bombs Mr. Red has detonated. Is there a copy-cat working out there? And why is ATF agent Jack Pell acting so strangely? And why has Mr. Red targeted her since she isn't even in the bomb squad any more? As other reviewers have said, this book is much more serious than the Elvis Cole novels. It is written in third person viewpoint which allows Mr. Crais to jump around from character to character. As with all of Mr. Crais' books it's well written and the characters are believeable. This is a gritty book, not breezy like the Elvis Cole novels but Mr. Crais carrys it off well. He contiues the more serious tone he started in "LA Requiem" and I think it has allowed him to stretch out as a writer. Demolition Angel is a very good book. The plot is well constructed and full of surprises. You won't be disappointed with this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Crais takes a trip to Clicheville
Review: I will not whine that Elvis Cole and Joe Pike aren't in Robert Crais' latest novel, "Demolition Angel," because I'm sure every writer needs a break from old characters. Plus, it's always interesting when a male writer's main character is female. However, why is it when the protagonist is female she must ALWAYS be attracted to someone who comes into the picture, not to mention grieving over the lover that she worked with who got killed? Crais descends into "romantic suspense" territory about a third of the way through "Demolition Angel", and the book never recovers. Also, I found it funny that all of the Internet postings and chat described in the book were perfectly spelled and punctuated. Crais obviously has not spent much time on the Internet recently . . . "Demolition Angel" is a middling effort by a very good writer. Hey, everyone's entitled to a speed bump, right?
Rating: 
Summary: BRING BACK JOE PIKE AND ELVIS COLE!!! This book SUCKS!!!
Review: If you liked the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike books, then you will be EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED in this book. Not only does it not contain Cole or Pike, but it also doesn't have any interesting characters to replace them with! This book has zero funny content. ZERO!!! We have a brief appearance by the asian CSI from Elvis/Joe fame, but in this book he wasn't "on a poontang mission", he was just boringly doing his job. Yawn. To make matters worst, one of the "BIG CLUES" in the "case" involves something that ANYONE who has ever done the slightest bit of electronics or plumbing would know: you *ALWAYS* wrap the speaker wire/plumbers tape/etc clockwise, never counterclockwise. That way it doesn't keep unraveling when you tighten the screw (or pipe fitting). Oops, I gave away a clue. Not! You probably won't make it far enough through this book for it to matter -- it just sucks that much. In fact, I don't believe Crais wrote this book..., only a serious "Nancy" could have made a mistake like that (thinking wrapping tape clockwise is "unique"). BRING BACK JOE PIKE AND ELVIS COLE!!!!! The people who gave this book high ratings must be smoking crack. This book deserves 1 star, at most.
Rating:
Summary: A Good (But Not Great) Suspense Read
Review: If you're looking for a good, fast read to while away a few hours worth of your time, you won't be disappointed with Robert Crais's Demolition Angel. This mystery / suspense novel has a premise that's as fascinating as it is unique. The story opens with a bang - literally. "The bomb detonated at a rate of twenty-eight thousand feet per second... Riggio might have survived..." Enter Carol Starkey, one of the more troubled and interesting heroines to grace the pages of a mystery/suspense novel. Three years have passed since she nearly died in an explosion that did take the life of her lover and fellow bomb squad technician. She lives on a steady diet of Tagamet and alcohol because she hasn't, understandably, even come close to healing completely from the traumatic event that changed her life forever. As a Detective-2 with the LAPD's Criminal Conspiracy Section, it is now Starkey's responsibility to find out what happened to bomb tech Riggio and why. The investigation leads her into some of the strangest territory I've ever read about, with results that are as shocking as they are surprising. Throughout Demolition Angel, it is clear that Crais has done his research and, in turn, used the material in effective and dramatic ways that fit perfectly with the story he has written. Passages detailing bomb squad procedure, explosives and the decidedly demented individuals who use them for sport, pleasure and to outright kill others read with a striking authenticity that is also, at times, extremely chilling. Yet the narrative never suffers from a lack of suspense or immediacy because of the technical details the author highlights as it blasts through to the final page. Having said all of the above, I need to also say that I felt there were several awkward missteps in Demolition Angel. While, on the whole, Crais's dialogue reads authentic, there were times when I thought he could've done better. Some of the words and phrases used were just plain, well, awkward. Maybe another round of editing wouldn't have been a bad idea. Also, I found the relationship between Starkey and Jack Pell (an ATF agent who becomes involved in the case) to be forced and unrealistic rather than a natural outgrowth of the story and the characters. These are, however, relatively minor points that not everyone may agree with. And, as I've already said, Demolition Angel is a good, fast read that I think you'll enjoy if you're a mystery / suspense fan looking for something a little different. In the same genres I would also recommend the following authors: Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, Elizabeth George, P. D. James, Anne Perry, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Brad Meltzer, Steve Samuel, Diana Gabaldon (check out her historical mystery story Hellfire) and Tami Hoag!
Rating:
Summary: Full of suspense and action packed.
Review: This book is easily read, very smooth in style, and full of entertainment.The villain is not described in enough detail, so we are unable to savor the pleasure of hating that character, but Detective Starkey is quite realistic. She is our main character, and she has never gotten over a bomb that killed her LAPD bomb squad partner/lover and nearly killed her as well three years ago. Now she is faced with an inner turmoil, having to face the old trauma and add to it the possiblity of it all happening again. The story wasn't strong enough though, and I think this author could have added more emotion. All in all a good plot, nice characters, and very easy reading.
Rating:
Summary: good read
Review: a good read. suspensful. the main character is fairly hard boiled and hard to get close to but her imperfections make her more sympathetic. worth the time. Better than the other Crais books but just barely.
Rating:
Summary: If you like Elvis, you will hate Demolition Angel
Review: What a dissappointment. Robert Crais has written a run of the mill suspense novel that could have been penned by any one of a dozen authors in the field. What truly sets him apart from the other "M.H. Clark et al" crowd is his sense of humor, lovable characters and unique style. This book, however, contains none of these things. None of the characters are even remotely likable, there is no sense of humor in the book, and the plot has the predictable mystery twists that his other thoroughly enjoyable books were fine without. This one was quite a bummer.
Rating:
Summary: An engaging thriller
Review: Tough talking Carol Starkey and Agent Pell are reluctant partners in Robert Crais' Demolition Angel. Carol Starkey, who survived a bomb blast three years earlier, is now on the trail of Mr. Red a faceless serial bomber. Mr. Red is suspected in the bombing death of a police officer. Crais does an excellent job of presenting a complex heroine in Carol Starkey: her weaknesses make her interesting and her wits have her one step ahead of everyone, including ATF agent Pell. Pell and Starkey's relationship could use more development and I wish that Crais had focused a bit more on the character of Pell. Even so, the brisk pace of the novel catches the reader from the very first chapter. It is a book that few will be able to put down. The twists and turns keep the reader guessing. The secondary characters add to the amusement.
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