Guardian Angel [Mass Market Paperback]

A literary agent once said books should "SHOW the story, not TELL about it." The first half of this book suffers from a LOT of telling and not much showing. This story is told in third person, which is one plus. We get three different viewpoints: that of Megan, the female lead; Scott, her estranged husband; and Steve the Stalker. Now a little background will help you identify with the characters and care about them, but when a third of the book is exposition, there's a problem.

Other problems include (WITH SPOILERS):

* Why did Steve become a serial killer? Yeah, his parents were "mean." He wasn't abused, just the "victim" of some verbal nagging, such as "are you gay?" If children became killers based on some mean comments from parents, half of America would be serial killers.

* Why was Steve so obsessed with having children? Just because he found his father so lacking because he said mean things?

* WHY did Megan just happily go back with her husband at the end of the book? Wow, what a dish rag. He saved her life and that of their daughter...fine, he was a decent human being. But the problems for which she was leaving him had not been resolved. I can easily see Scott slipping back into his work-obsessed ways soon after coming home from London.

*The author fell back on some of his most overused words, such as "chastise" and "chant," but the real offender in this book was "helluva." One or two "helluva's," as long as they're at opposite ends of the book, aren't too bad. Four or five in one chapter distract the reader and jar him or her out of the reading experience. I've often found this to be one of Neiderman's primary weaknesses.

*The dialogue is fairly horrible. People just don't say things like "Nevertheless" and "I forgot to do so" in ordinary conversation. (As an aside, this book suffered from a surplus of commas, one of my pet peeves. Commas where they don't belong pull the reader out of the reading experience. That's more of an editorial problem, but still.)

*Finally, I am not a Hispanic-American, nor do I live in California, but I found the character of Sanchez pretty racially stereotyped. His whole "Si, Senor" thing seemed pretty subservient to the "gringos," as Sanchez and his friends referred to them later. Seriously, is this realistic?

So why did I give it two stars instead of just one? Well, at least it told a story. It's not one of the worst books ever written (although the author does have a few in that category under his belt). I did feel that the plot tied up a little suddenly and quickly at the end. In a more fully complete novel, I could see Steve's manipulations going on longer and more involved. However, the story is kinda sparse and short; yes, it's 300 pages, but in a relatively large typeface and with pretty generous leading.

Bottom line: There are plenty of better stalker books and movies out there. I especially recommend "Secret Smile" with David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame).

REVISION NOTE: The names "Meg Lester" and "Scott Lester" are recycled from a 1994 Neiderman book. WHY does this author need to recycle names so much? WHY? There are plenty of names in the world to choose from.

I am so pleased to be the first to review this awesome new thriller from Mr. Andrew Neiderman!

Mr. Neiderman always delivers and Guardian Angel is no exception. It is fast paced and the action never stops. I never review a book chapter by chapter or give away the ending but rest assured that you will be very satisfied with this novel. The characters are believable and you genuinely care about them (most of them!). Megan, Scott, and Jennifer are good people caught in a tragic situation. But right from the start, Steve Wallace gives you the creeps... sort of a tingling feeling at the back of your neck. This creep is up to no good! However, by the end of the book, I was not prepared for how truly awful he really is! And the scary thing about it is... you just know there are people out there like this!

Of course, Mr. Neiderman also wrote The Devil's Advocate which was a major motion picture. I don't know about you... but I smell a movie deal here! Guardian Angel is that good and that suspenseful! If you want a non-stop thrill-ride... order this book today. And check out his entire library of thrillers!

Did you see and enjoy Fatal Attraction? Was the same true for the Harrison Ford thriller The Fugitive? If so, this is the book for you because it captures the key elements of both and weaves them into a tight, eerie suspense thriller that will make every woman more cautious on the dating scene. The twists had me glued to the pages, especially when the main character finally realizes she is in the hands of a dangerous madman. Neiderman caught this reader early on but cleverly held me until I discovered I was nearly finished reading the entire book. Get this one. You won't regret it.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 7 reviews  3.4 out of 5 stars