Rating: 
Summary: OK for the genre, nothing special
Review: Carol Starkey a bomb dearming cop found herself in a quest to discover who planted a bomb who killed Charles Riggio, a fellow squad member.The idea at the beginning is to focus on the current behavior of Carol, who is strongly influenced by anxiety disorders and alcoholism arising from a past explosion that killed her lover and almost killed herself, the story then progresses delving into the mystery and presents some real characters and other bogus elements leaving the reader wondering who was the perpetrator as in any other mystery novel, so the structure of the plot is the typical one Neither good nor bad. I would recommend it to somebody who likes explosives, fires and the like
Rating:
Summary: OK for the genre, nothing special
Review: Carol Starkey a bomb dearming cop finds herself in a quest to discover who planted a bomb that killed Charles Riggio, a fellow squad member. The idea at the beginning is to focus on the current behavior of Carol, who is strongly influenced by anxiety disorders and alcoholism arising from a past explosion that killed her lover and almost killed herself, the story then progresses delving into the mystery and presents some real characters and other bogus elements leaving the reader wondering who was the perpetrator as in any other mystery novel. The structure of the plot is the typical whodunit, but in terms of riveting the reader to the book the author does not seem to find the fireworks required to stand out from the pack of similar stories. In my opinion if you are looking for a good read plenty of excitement pass this one
Rating: 
Summary: Good plot, poor vocabulary
Review: Demolition Angel has a good plot but the disgusting vocabulary detracts from the story. The frequent use of profanity makes the story unbelievable and gets in the way of the suspense at all turns. The author has put together a good plot with the potential for much suspense, and if he had a better vocabulary the book could be riveting. This book could rate 4 or 5 stars if the author knew the English language better and cleaned up the language.
Rating: 
Summary: a good fast-paced read
Review: I enjoyed "Demolition Angel." It had all the elements of a good serial killer book. A layered hero that at first is hard to like, that has a very interesting sidekick and of course the villian is one of a kind. Demolition Angel had me hooked i read for like an hour or two a day until i finished it. The only reason i don't give this book 5 stars is that whenever it went to the sidekick(named Jack Pell) the story seemed to drag. But otherwise an excellent book.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book Won't Have You Seeing "Red"
Review: Taking a break from his successful Elvis Cole mystery series, Robert Crais has come out with this amazing novel. DEMOLITION ANGEL is a fast-paced, non-stop thriller that you will not be able to put down. Carol Starkey, once Los Angeles' best "bomb squad" technician, is now struggling as a detective in the Criminal Conspiracy Section in the LAPD. It has been three years since she was pronounced dead at the scene of bomb detonation, and she is suffering through alcoholism and a Tagamet addiction. Starkey is called to the scene to investigate an explosion that has killed an officer, and she is in for the ride of her life, trying to catch one of the country's biggest terrorists. Crais does an awesome job of piling on plot twist after plot twist. The book flies by and you can't help but get caught up in this amazing, yet totaly believable storyline. Crais brings together a super group of interestingly diverse characters and meshes them together incredibly well. This is a well-written book that thrills the reader with suspense, intrigue, and "fireworks." You will not be able to put this book down.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT A MOVIE!
Review: Robert Crais generall delivers, but if Hollywood makes half the film it can from this novel, what a movie it will be. I truyl enjoyed this one from start to finish. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Shocking decline in the level of Crais' writing
Review: His last Elvis Cole novel was the best thing Crais has ever written. "Demolition Angel" is the worst thing he's ever written. All too obviously it's written in a way to try to sell it to the movies. The characters are very broadly drawn, when they're drawn at all (often supporting characters are the faintest of sketches), and the lead character is so brassy and angry that she's repellent. You WANT her to blow up. The situations are simplistic, the plotting pointlessly tricky, the villain utterly unbelievable. AND Crais thinks Tagamet is merely a powerful antacid. He uses lots of Los Angeles street names without capturing anything remotely like the flavor of the city. The book reads as though it was written in a way carefully calculated to make it a best-seller, and completely without the spirit and sense of involvement that he'd been slowly and competently developing in the Elvis Cole series. This is a disaster.
Rating:
Summary: Cool, in a warm sort of way
Review: Robert Crais obviously knows his craft. His descriptions of bomb making and disposal are well researched and the physiological frailties of the characters are intriguing. No one in this book is perfect, which is good, as it's realistic. Carol Starkey bears the pysical and mental scars of a career she desperately wishes to resume with the bomb squad. Currently a detective who smokes and drinks too much for anyone's good, she gets caught up in a case that pulls her through her past experiences and makes her face up to reality. Mr Red becomes an obsession she shares with rogue ATF agent Pell, but at least she finds a balance in that obsession and eventually finds the key clues to breaking the case. This is a compelling story with good characters and excellent technical detail. I thought the last 30 pages got a little cliched for my liking, but will definitely check out some of Mr Crais' earlier work.
Rating:
Summary: Great weekend read and a step forward for Crais
Review: Exciting, tension-filled suspenser focuses on female detective trying to come to terms with herself and save Los Angeles from a mad bomber. Great tension, great jeopardy, great twists in the mystery. Highly recommended. I read it in two (admittedly sleep-deprived) nights. I have enjoyed all of Crais' previous novels but feel that he took a big step forward in Demolition Angel. Specifically, I think he has changed his style if not his genre in that before he was very much the heir to Raymond Chandler. Dry, ironic, with an updated Marlowe (who does yoga) to take us through stories similar in structure to Chandler's in the same city. Hey, why not? Chandler was a master, and I have enjoyed all his books as well. In Demolition Angel, though, I feel Crais has stepped out of Chandler's shadow into a new and exciting space all his own -- it's a longer book, it's more psychologically complicated and it's much more visceral. I look forward to Hostage.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best work
Review: Unlike many of the posts here I did not think that DA was one of Mr. Crais' finest works. I am only half way through the book and so far it is mostly about the lead characters many flaws. I hope the plot starts to pick up. Also unlike the the main posts here I have read every book written by Mr. Crais and I am a huge fan of his other works. I just do not think that his brilliant humorous wit comes through in the lead character. If you like Crais try Harlan Coben.
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