Rating: 
Summary: Death Wish . . . was better
Review: Jack Ruskin is a man beset with grief. Believing he was/is responsible for the rape and torture of his 15 year old daughter, he becomes an avenging angel, wreaking havoc, anonymous havoc of course, on those pedophiles he finds registered on the Net. Basically he declares war on them, seeking them out on business trips he takes for his law firm, and then executes them.He finds support from those who circumstantially witness part of his efforts (returning a young girl to the ER he unexpectedly discovered; a police officer who feeds him to the Pittsburgh sex offender registration book; a pedophile's unsympathetic neighbor) we assume because they support his brand of vigilante justice. The big question is whether he is a hero like the Charles Bronson character of the 70's "Death Wish," or just another psychopath without the horrific sexual baggage. I believe the novel could have been exponentially better had Tim Green given the reader a real moral decision to make, as is often presented in the novels of Alan Furst or earlier, by Pierre Boulle. Killing criminals loses it's appeal, in the broad sense of plot, along with the tenth grade and Steven Segal movies. The first 1/2 of the book is well written although the descent into pulp comic book plot and sophmoric dialogue is rapid and all encompassing.
Rating: 
Summary: A Thriller That Will Capture and Hold a Reader's Interest
Review: Jack Ruskin is an incredibly successful attorney and devoted father. After his daughter is kidnapped and sexually molested, his intellect becomes the tool of tracking known perverts and eliminating them from society. As he hunts and kills perverts, he ends up being hunted by both Amanda Lee and David McGrew in a thrilling battle of wits and deduction. In an enthralling tale that reflects today's headlines regarding missing children, author Tim Green has written a book sure to engage the interest of many readers. Here is a well-plotted story with many twists and turns sure to please readers of thrillers. The moral issue of killing is brought sharply into focus and certainly warrants a thoughtful response by the reader to such a question and premise. This story is loaded with attention-grabbing detail and locales that reverberate with authenticity and, ultimately, an ending that is pleasing in the completion of many of the complexities of the story. There are descriptions in this novel that are brutally graphic, but appropriate to the story being told. The Fifth Angel is not a read for the faint-hearted, but worthy of being read by anyone for the solid foundation on which the story is based and told. Here's a fast-paced and enthralling thriller that dices with the age-old issue of killing. The Fifth Angel is an enjoyable read for the stout-hearted. But, there is graphic violence in this story. It is a story, as modern as today, which should interest any reader that likes thrillers.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the time
Review: Jack Ruskin's daughter is in a catatonic state after she was brutally raped. Jack feels a tremendous amount of guilt because he was responsible for picking her up the day she was snatched. After the rapist gets a four-year sentence and can get out in two, Jack snaps. He decided to take revenge on other child molesters. Vigilante justice-it should have been a good premise, but I felt surprisingly disconnected from the characters and the story. I wanted to feel sympathy for Jack, but he came across as rather pathetic. Instead of using his energy to help his daughter get well, he wallows in self-pity. Strangely, he goes off the deep end and no one notices. He even embarks on a new relationship with a woman he met at the psychiatric home where his daughter resides. All the while he is planning which child molester he is going to murder next. He even gets commended on what a great job he is doing at the law firm by his boss. Where does he find the time and why does no one notice anything? This was my first Tim Green novel and will likely be my last. I don't like feeling I wasted my time at the end of a book. Don't waste yours.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought-provoking premise with plenty of action
Review: My first Tim Green book got me hooked. This book has a very thought-provoking premise that really makes you think about the idea of what exactly is justice... and what is really right and wrong? You don't find many books that you can root for a serial killer and actually feel good about it. This is a serial killer that hunts down sexual molesters. I could feel for Jack Ruskin as he tried to deal with the molestation of his 15 year old daughter. The scenes where he went to the hospital and tried to get her to react to him were some of the most touching scenes in the book. The characters were very real, and the idea was real, but I do agree that it starts getting out there near the end... but I don't think it takes away from the power of the novel. It's a great book, and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: This is far and away Tim Green's best work
Review: Revenge, according to the Chinese proverb, is a lunch best eaten cold. It can take many forms. A well-known attorney in San Francisco, after the particularly acrimonious dissolution of his law partnership, trained his dog to leave a daily deposit each morning on the steps of his former partner's office. The other end of the spectrum is documented in Max Alan Collins's THE ROAD TO PERDITION. Tim Green's latest novel, THE FIFTH ANGEL, definitely runs toward the Perdition end of the spectrum. The title refers to the fifth angel of the apocalypse, the angel who will bring the vial of pain and death to the throne of Satan and who will pour the contents on Satan's tongue. Jack Ruskin is the fifth angel and his self-appointed mission is to bring an end to child molesters who have gotten less than their just deserts. Ruskin, a respected partner of a prestigious law firm, is a somewhat unlikely candidate for the position. He is, however, uniquely if unfortunately qualified: his daughter is slowly recovering from an abduction and abuse by a molester, whose sentence amounts to a relative wrist slap. Ruskin snaps and begins to plan his revenge. He is a former prosecutor and, as a result of his background, knows exactly what forensics is capable --- and incapable --- of doing in detecting and proving guilt or innocence. Ruskin embarks on a program to do the job that the courts could not do and rid the world of criminals like the one who so irrevocably damaged his daughter. He carefully researches each of his victims and brutally dispatches them, seemingly leaving no clues. Part of the brilliance of Ruskin's plan is that he has absolutely no connection to his victim; he simply identifies them through public records and enacts his plan in different parts of the country. When an obnoxious but brilliant detective figures out what Ruskin is doing and begins to close in on him, Ruskin's mission of vengeance appears to be over. But not everyone wants him to be caught. And the reader won't either. Green paints Ruskin as a wholly sympathetic character and it is hard to disapprove of Ruskin's mission or methods. And when the family of an FBI agent, assigned to find Ruskin, is targeted as well by a molester, the rightness of Ruskin's mission is all but vindicated. Green is a member of the James Patterson literary school, combining exciting plotting with rapid pacing to keep the reader involved and turning the pages rapidly. THE FIFTH ANGEL is far and away Green's best work. And, though you'll be sorry to see the book end, its conclusion is surprisingly satisfying. If you've never read Green before, THE FIFTH ANGEL is the one to start with. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars
Review: See book summary above. Tim Green's latest is a satisfying and fast-paced novel. The subject matter of child rapists is very hate inducing, thus making Jack Ruskin a hero to many people, including me.
Green has not disappointed me yet and this novel is as good as his others. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: good read
Review: Sure, the premise is outlandish.... an F.B.I. agent basically tolerating a mass murderer, but hey, that's what makes it fiction!! It moves fast and furiously, making you want to read the last few pages long before you get half-way through the book. I found it a great escape, particularly as a fellow attorney, although an admitted life-long Dallas Cowboy fan!
Rating:
Summary: Superficial nonsense, no depth, no suspense
Review: Thank GOD that I checked this out at the local library, rather than bought it...
The characters are cardboard cutouts, the suspense was nonexistent, there is NO moral dilemma, the main character seems to exist in a relationship vacuum (no parents, no siblings, no significant relationships other than the unseen ex-wife and new - albeit generic - girlfriend?). The "hook" - that he decides to kill molesters - is interesting, but the plot execution (sorry) is patently absurd. These predatory people are cunning survivors, not just the hulking stereotypical monsters portrayed here. The relative ease with which he - a lawyer apparently untrained in firearms - dispatches these scum is painfully comical.
In short, reading this book was a waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: Superficial nonsense, no depth, no suspense
Review: Thank GOD that I checked this out at the local library, rather than bought it...
The characters are cardboard cutouts, the suspense was nonexistent, there is NO moral dilemma, the main character seems to exist in a relationship vacuum (no parents, no siblings, no significant relationships other than the unseen ex-wife and new - albeit generic - girlfriend?). The "hook" - that he decides to kill molesters - is interesting, but the plot execution (sorry) is patently absurd. These predatory people are cunning survivors, not just the hulking stereotypical monsters portrayed here. The relative ease with which he - a lawyer apparently untrained in firearms - dispatches these scum is painfully comical.
In short, reading this book was a waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: JACK BE NIMBLE
Review: There is a strong moral dilemma in this book by former footballer/now lawyer Tim Green. This being the first book I've read by the prolific author, I found his style assuring, focused and engaging. He slows the pace down sometimes at crucial points and he occasionally stretches the boundaries of belief, but this is a moral tale: what would you do?
Jack Ruskin is certainly righteous in his desire to rid the world of predators that have been allowed to roam on the streets due to the unavoidable fractures in our legal system.
Is he wrong? Well, I found myself rooting for him, and hoping he'd get away with it, so I guess he may not be right, but is he wrong? You judge.
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