Demolition Angel

Rating:
Summary: Good Plot And Procedure, Characters So-So
Review: This was the fifth Crais book I'd read. It's a departure from his Elvis Cole series. Overall, pretty good. The police procedural aspects are reasonably well done - he has a commendable disclaimer at the front indicating that this book won't tell you how to build or defuse a bomb. I'd just read three of Paul Bishop's Fey Croaker series, and the contrast between the female protagonists was not in this books' favor. OTOH, this book has a large number of characters, which makes it harder to develop as deep a sense of a protagonist's personality. So, an interesting change from the Elvis series, and a better than average read - recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Rough around the edges.
Review: Three years after the blast that killed her partner and lover and left her physically and emotionally scarred, Carol is assigned as lead investigator in a bomb explosion that had killed yet another officer, Charles Riggio. When a federal agent shows up asking questions, Carol is convinced that the case is going to be taken away from her. This makes Carol even angrier, and spurs her to continue her investigation no matter what. Demolition Angel is fast-paced, always moving, and always someting happening. There seems to be no down time at all during this book. It was a little unrealistic in the sense that Carol lives on gin, cigarettes, and tagamet - I think throughout the whole book she actually only ate maybe two or three times, but the characters are believable. I hope Robert Crais decides to continue using Carol Starkey as another series.

Rating:
Summary: Demolition Angel
Review: Three years ago Carol Starkey, a top-notch bomb squad technician came back from the dead. Her partner and lover
died. Since then she has been burying her survivor's guilt with alcohol and Tagamet. While assigned to LAPD's Criminal
Conspiracy section, Carols lands a case in which a seemingly easy bomb to diffuse kills another technician. She soon finds
herself investigating a series of bombings in which the bombs were deliberately designed to kill the technicians.

Robert Crais has written a fast pace novel with twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages until you are done. He
has successfully created a complex multi-dimensional wounded character in Carol Starkey while at the same time immersing
you in the authentic world of bomb making and the dangerous world of the bomb technicians.

This is the first book I have read by Robert Crais and I now have a new author to add to my To Be Found (TBF) and To
Be Read (TBR) piles. I highly recommend this book. Review by: Lillian Porter

Rating:
Summary: could have been better
Review: Unfortunately, Elvis Cole is not in this novel. Instead we get a new character-former demolition expect and cop, who was so traumatized by the explosion three years ago that she can't exist without booze and pills. Give me a break. He goes on about this woman like she is some tough chick. R. Crais must have led a pretty sheltered life. Story itself is not bad if you don't pay attention to the struggles of the main character and don't count the number of pills she is popping.