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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Touch of Vance in the Noir, Sep 28 2002
"Angel of Destruction" is the fourth in Susan R. Matthews' "judiciary" series ("Prisoner of Conscience," "An Exchange of Hostages," "Hour of Judgment"), described by the publisher as "a stand-alone novel" in the series (which seems fair: a sequel would be fun but hardly necessary). This time out Inquisitor Andrej Koscuisko is confined to a cameo role, as the action focuses around Bench intelligence Garol Vogel (he himself had a cameo in "Judgment") who, having offered the rogue Langsariks a home of their own (while banning them from space), now has to prove they're the victims of a frameup: a group is staging bloody raids and blaming it on the Langsariks. Who are they? How are they accomplishing this? Vogel quickly forms some ideas, but proving it is another matter altogether.The tale is told in a multi-POV noirish police procedural style manner (for that matter with some alterations it could have been set in the John Ford-John Wayne west, so readers looking for Catherine Asaro-style science lessons may be disappointed). The real perps are revealed early on and the plot centers on how they will be captured, and whether the capture will come in time to save the Langsariks. In addition to Vogel himself the action focuses on the Langsarik leader Walton Agenis, her nephew Hilton Shires, her beautiful niece Modice, rogue pilot Kazmer Daigule, Cousin Stanoczk the Malcontent, and the wounded foreman Fisner Feraltz. Ms. Matthews skillfully interweaves what the characters are saying with what they are thinking, and these characters are intelligent. Ms. Matthews shows a great sense of place here. Although the novel jumps around quite a bit you'll always know where you are. Her descriptions of dwellings, gardens, warehouse facilities, and the like will give you a great feel for the locations. In one sequence, when Hilton, on warehouse duty, hears two apparent drunks talking nearby, you'll almost be able to smell the dust as he moves along the aisles trying to locate them among the stacks of merchandise. By the way: The author is perhaps paying subtle tribute to Jack Vance here (he would have loved the name Fisner Feraltz, and the Langarsarik colors are "rose gold," described as a yellow-pink), although her cleancut prose style is far less ornate than The Master's. Anyhow, it's fast-paced, entertaining, and as always with Ms. Matthews very very dark.
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