Angel of Death

Rating:
Summary: Nice try .... try again.
Review: After reading Loose Among the Lambs I just had to grab another Brandon book - but was a tad disappointed. This one started out well, but tried too hard, was too cliche and just didn't have it. I think when Brandon's on, he's right-on, as in Loose Among the Lambs and Fade the Heat. But after reading this one I couldn't help but think that he's seen one too many episodes of Ally McBeal. Judges - no matter now incompetent - would not let attorneys blather on and on and on like they do in this novel, without getting interrupted. Brandon tries to make us believe early on that this judge is very incompetent, perhaps so that he can allow the attorneys to do just this, but I didn't buy it. And the ending? Too ridiculous. Too Hollywood. Brandon must have been thinking of the big screen when he wrote the ending. Too bad, because he's a great writer.

Rating:
Summary: Hoping Malachi is fictional!
Review: As a resident of San Antonio, I found myself hoping that the villain in Jay Brandon's latest effort, Angel of Death, is entirely fictional! The author's depiction of District Attorney Chris Sinclair and his obviously strong attraction/repulsion with the locally revered Malachi Reese is very well done. Although I bought the premise of the saintly appearing bad guy, I did think that the evidence leading up the trial needed a bit more set up. The case as presented did not seem to be as open and shut as Chris Sinclair seemed to feel. Was a scene left on the cutting room floor? In fact, the book seems very close to being a screen play screaming for production. I liked the bare bones presentation of the legal matters--not too much detail, just enough for the reader to follow it without getting caught up in too much jargon. And the ending caught me by surprise--perhaps it's because I was reading this on a three-leg flight from Providence to San Antonio and had to be interrupted! At any rate, this is a fast read but not a light read. Compare it, possibly, with Diehl's Primal Fear. I also would like to see more of the Chris Sinclair/Anne Greenwald relationship.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Book !
Review: Jay Brandon mixed in his thorough understanding of how the criminal justice system works, a very original and intelligent villian, and a uncanny depiction and right on the mark description of the relationships and dynamics within the African-American community and how that community precieves the Legal Justice System to create a thrilling,page turning book that you can't put down.His protagonists Sinclair and Greenwald are a great match romantically and in helping to take down the killer Reese. Unlike other books that basically are written as screenplays/scripts or their antagonist are more interesting and way smarter than the hero i.e. James Patterson-"Pop goes the Weasel". Malachi Reese and Chris Sinclair are both very smart and cunning in their own ways, making for some great suspense and good reading.Look forward to the sequel to this book if for nothing else to read about the on going relationship of Sinclair/Greenwald and the other strong characters in the book, Asst DA Lynn Ransom and Councilman Winston Phillips. Get the book because you won't see it on the Hollywood screen because the villian is too Politicallly Incorrect for Hollywood to allow the book to be made into a movie.

Rating:
Summary: Angel of Death
Review: This is a murder story that concerns King Edward I. After destroying the Red House, King Edward is confronted by a mystery. A man called Walter de Montfort is killed. It is up to King Edward to find clues and capture the culprit. In the end, he discovers it was a man called Robert de Luce, the treasurer of the Cathedral of St. Paul's, the senoir cannon of the church. King Edward found out that Robert de Luce poisoned Walter de Montfort when a drink was passed around.

I chose to read this book because of a few reasons. First because it would help me with my projects. Second because it is a mystery book. Third because it is tied in with the Middle Ages. Fourth because it is really a good book. Finally, because it is full of excitement.

I actually didn't have a favorite part. This to me was good because it was a mystery story. I liked it because it ties in with the Medieval Time. I don't think that any mystery stories have a favorite part. I like the types of mystery stories that gives you clues so you could solve the mystery yourself. Some of those types of books that I like to read Encyclopedia Brown Books.