Avenging Angel

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not my favorite by J. Dare.
Review: A murderer is reigning terror upon the city streets, but this villain is almost a folk hero. His victims are only those who have driven their abused wives to seek the shelter offered by Rachel's House, a center for battered women. Despite the fact that only scum is dying, the police are involved, and strongly suspect that the head of Rachel's House, Regan Keller, might be the Avenger.

Regan finds an ally in her struggle in the new handyman, Alex Edwards, who was sent by her benefactress, Lillian Court, to repair the roof. Little does she know that he is actually Lillian's son, a professional trouble shooter, sent to keep an eye on things and help Regan. Little time passes before the attraction between them begins to melt ice, and Alex begins to get past all of the defenses Regan has put up to keep from letting anyone, especially a man, into her heart. Love may have to wait though. The Avenger's body count rises quickly, and soon, not even the innocent are safe.

... Realistically frightening, this novel presents a paradox for the reader. While the Avenger's cause is one that is easy to understand, the danger posed is terrifying. Regan and Alex's passion is one to warm the chilly nights and the bones that have begun to run cold with the well written terror. You will not be able to put this one down once you start...

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Rating:
Summary: Not up to the usual Justine Dare standards
Review: As a fan of Dare, I bought this book expecting a great plot with a courageous hero and heroine. I got none of those things. The relationship between the hero and heroine was poorly developed, I felt nothing for any of the characters, the plot was far from riveting and I skipped most of the book just to get to the end to find out who the Angel was. The sub plot involving Detectives Garrison and Kelso and Garrison's ex-husband was much more interesting. It was just a disappointing book.

Rating:
Summary: Not up to the usual Justine Dare standards
Review: Four-time RITA Winner Justine Dare rehashes the spousal abuse theme in her latest contemporary suspense with a twist. A murderer dubbed the Avenging Angel by the press has been slaying off abusers linked to Rachel's House which shelters battered women and is operated by beautiful Regan Keller. Lynne Graham is the detective piecing out the puzzle; Alexander Courts under the instructions of his mother is sent as an undercover aide to the unsuspecting Regan.

Ms. Dare's latest thriller is dark and gripping given the theme of abusal and jolting scenes of victimized women. Yet it is also psychologically more complexed and textured as Ms. Dare points out the flaw of such vigilante actions where one jealous and parochial wife took advantage of the system and ended up killing her husband indirectly. It teases our moral choices on whether to applaud the killer or solve them through the legal system. The romance budding between Alex and Regan provides an interesting diversion to the intriguing who-dun-it where new suspects with motives flashes steathily.

It is a romance with intelligence and Ms. Dare's experience as a cop certainly brings more credibility to the portrayal of Lynne and Drew who are detectives and ex-husband and wife with left feelings for each other. The lives of these characters engages us with dramatic highs - one tide after another - in this gritty pulsating thriller seething with vengeance.

Rating:
Summary: powerful look at the dark side of society
Review: In Vista Shores, California, the Avenger has killed three abusive spouses. Each one of the "victims" had badly battered their wives. All of the females were residents of Rachel's House, a woman's shelter. The manager Regan Keller informs her benefactor Lillian Court, who sends her son Alex to work undercover and keep everyone safe.

Police Detectives Garrison and Durwin work the murder investigation. While the female Garrison is sympathetic, the male Durwin blames the females for their plight. He is positive the killer is Regan as she has the information on whom to kill and has potent motives. As Alex, working as a roofer at the shelter, and Regan fall in love, a serial killer seeking revenge for abused females continues to eliminate the nasty vermin while the police suspicions about Regan grows to the point an arrest may be imminent.

Though there are some tiny anomalies like how a small town police chief does not recognize immediately a fellow cop killed in the line of duty even from fifteen years ago, fans will relish this powerful romance focused on a social issue. The story line is at its greatest with the plight of abused women as the author dares to go inside the heads of the repeat victims so that the audience reacts just like the lead couple in disbelief and empathy. The characters are drawn to entertain fans into guessing at whom the Avenger is (though most will select the right culprit) but more to shine a deep light on domestic violence. AVENGING ANGEL accomplishes that with a powerful look at the dark side of society.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Simple
Review: My previous experience with a Justine Dare book (High Stakes) is what drew me to this newest book. However, I was quite disappointed by the plot and the characters. The book is described as "contemporary romance," but the feeling between the two characters isn't especially strong, and the romance is minimal. There was a subplot between two divorced detectives that was actually more interesting than the main characters. The "mystery" was ... well, easy to figure out after reading the first chapter, so the book ended up being not as suspenseful as I had hoped. From reading two of Dare's books, I would say that her strength is as a mystery writer moreso than romance. I just wish the identity of the Avenger wasn't so easy to figure out, and that the two main characters - Alex and Regan - had spent more time getting to know one another. This wasn't a poorly written book, or even an uninvolving one, it was just pretty simple and made for time-wasting.

Rating:
Summary: Simple
Review: My previous experience with a Justine Dare book (High Stakes) is what drew me to this newest book. However, I was quite disappointed by the plot and the characters. The book is described as "contemporary romance," but the feeling between the two characters isn't especially strong, and the romance is minimal. There was a subplot between two divorced detectives that was actually more interesting than the main characters. The "mystery" was ... well, easy to figure out after reading the first chapter, so the book ended up being not as suspenseful as I had hoped. From reading two of Dare's books, I would say that her strength is as a mystery writer moreso than romance. I just wish the identity of the Avenger wasn't so easy to figure out, and that the two main characters - Alex and Regan - had spent more time getting to know one another. This wasn't a poorly written book, or even an uninvolving one, it was just pretty simple and made for time-wasting.

Rating:
Summary: The Subplot Was the Best Part
Review: This was my first Justine Dare novel that I have read through to the end. I attempted to read "High Stakes" and just couldn't get into it. As a social worker, it was a hard to get beyond Regan, the protagonist's, self-rightiousness and sense of duty. Ms. Dare excuses Regan's lack of therapeutic rapport with the residents 3/4 of the way through by stating that Rachel's House is a labor of obligation instead of a career choice; however, I was really disappointed in the dialogue between Regan and the residents too early into the book to swallow her reasoning. Spousal abuse is a serious subject and anyone who will take on the material this novel covers deserves respect; however, it did not make for an enlightening or suspensful read.
I feel the subplot regarding Detective Lynne Garrison was more interesting. The character seemed much more empathetic toward the resident's and was fighting her own personal demons. Detective Garrison was a very well-developed character that deserved an entire novel from her perspective. With that, Ms. Dare would have had a compelling, heartfelt novel worthy of 5 stars.