Customer Reviews

Red Angel

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Looks like I'm the minority opinion on this book. Yes, the book is a quick read, but that has more to do with the large print and 75 chapters in a 358 page book that make it closer to a 240 page adult fiction novel with a higher line count per page and fewer chapters creating blank space. For this book, less results in less. The plot is a familiar one. A psychopath is kidnapping and murdering children. A psychopath in a mental institution is somehow connected, and holds the information needed to find and stop the other before he kills his next victim. Trying to prevent the next murder, are several police characters, and two employees at the mental institution, one previously attacked by a different psychopath, and the other the mother of the next victim. There are many similarities between this novel and Silence of the Lambs, but in every respect this novel compares unfavorably. The characterizations are not that good to begin with, but the small page count combined with a larger cast of characters than needed doesn't help. Too many pages are devoted to characters that just don't add that much to the story. The book also spends a lot of time on exposition and then basically tosses it to accomodate the plot. There are numerous pages devoted to the safeguards in the mental institution, especially regarding the six most dangerous inmates, but when one of the doctors needs to get an inmate out, it's done with ridiculous ease. There are many things in the story regarding the connection between the two psychopaths that are never explained and the ending has a fairly high huh factor. Even Hannibal, the disappointing sequel to Silence of the Lambs, is miles ahead of this one.

I am a huge fan of Harper's alter ego Douglas Clegg, and did find this one very exciting and interesting. The only problem is that the first half of it seemed PAINFULLY similar to The Silence of the Lambs. I guess you can say this is SOTL on speed! A good thriller, but familiar.

Andrew Harper (Douglas Clegg's alter ego)returns with a not-inclusive sequel to BAD KARMA with RED ANGEL. The idea behind these books is to craft a fast-paced, character driven story that you can read in 2-3 sittings. And Harper demands that you stay with the story with enough twist and turns to dare you to try and quit reading. The he throws in enough character development to flesh out the main players all the while twisting your stomach with gut wrenching scenes of torture and murder! The plot is straight forward, the climax worthwhile and most importantly, the characters stay true throughout the novel...they don't have a revelation that is "smart" or "cute". This is lean prose by a master writer. I would recommend any of Douglas Clegg's books after you finish this one....the Clegg books are more richly woven tales but RED ANGEL is a showcase of a imaginative writer on top of his craft!

Tery has to find the killer before he kills his next child. But does trey have to use psychopath to catchone? Find out in this wonderful, fasted paced book. It gets you hooked and you wont beable to put it down. So pick up RED ANGEL!!!

Trey has to capture the killer and he might have to get a psychopathic murderer to catch the killer who is taking his victims one by one on a quick basis. This story is a thriller that you won't beable to put down once you pick it up. So if you need a murder story that keeps you guesing what's going to happen next, you need to pick up RED ANGEL, by Andrew Harper.

A fitting sequel to Bad Karma from the same author (a pseudonym for horror author Douglas Clegg). You don't have to have read Bad Karma to read Red Angel -- they both stand independently, though they share a character. But Red Angel is a tense, disturbing, serial-killer thriller that makes you turn the pages so fast you'll have finished the book before you know it. Highly recommended, and definitely a real chiller.

Red Angel
by
Andrew Harper

Program 28, Ward D., Darden State Hospital for Criminal Justice, the Thrill- Kill row as it is called, houses the most dangerous psychopaths incarcerated on the West Coast. But in the Inland Empire area of Southern California around San Pascal, Redlands and Riverside, a killer, known as the Red Angel, continues to elude the authorities, striking again and again in broad daylight, preying upon the most innocent of victims, young children.

In Ward D., one of the patients, Michael Scoleri, who calls himself Abraxas, the true God, claims to be in telepathic communication with the killer. When the young son of a forensic psychiatrist at Darden State becomes the Red Angel's latest victim, Scoleri offers to help authorities for a price. With time running out, the decision must be made whether to wait and hope the killer is captured in time, or to trust Scoleri, a brutal murderer and rapist, to lead them to the Red Angel.

Andrew Harper, the bestselling author of BAD KARMA, knows our worst nightmares, and he aims straight for the heart. Building layer upon layer of tension, Harper calls upon his extensive knowledge of investigative and forensic procedure to bring characters to life in this fast-paced thriller. Readers are mesmerized as a seemingly invisible monster invades quiet communities, kidnapping children and sacrificing them to his own god. Intense and terrifying, RED ANGEL is dark suspense at its best.

After being attacked by an escaped mental patient in his own home who threatened his wife and children, Troy Campbell needed plenty of time to recuperate both physically and mentally. Now the psychiatric Technician and Supervisor of D ward at the maximum security hospital of Darden State is ready to tackle the six inmates of Program 28, Sexual Sadistic Predator Violent Sociopath Level seven. One of the worst of these offenders is Michael Scoleri, a man who has the looks of a choirboy but the heart of a monster.

Somehow, some way, Scoleri is getting messages from the Red Devil, a disorganized psychopath who is kidnapping young children, drugging them, than drowning them. Before he dumps their dead bodies he attaches bloody wings to their necks, fastened with a coat hanger. His latest victim is the son of Darden State psychiatrist Elise Conroy and she intends to use Scoleri to track down the Red Devil in defiance of all the rules with only the help of Troy Campbell.

Andrew Harper is the one of the best crime thriller writers of the decade just as Douglass Glegg, Harper's alter ego, is a master of horror. RED ANGEL is not for the faint of heart because there are some very gory and visually graphic scenes. The protagonist is a good and noble person who wants to know how a sociopath comes into being, a trait that causes him to become involved in dangerous situations. If this book is an example, Leisure's new line of thrillers will be a smashing success.

Harriet Klausner

RED ANGEL is a suspenseful page-turner that you won't be able to put down once you start it. The central mystery will keep you guessing until the end, and the carefully drawn characters will engender your sympathy. The book is well-researched, with a fascinating look into an institution for extremely insane criminals. As usual, Harper/Clegg takes you into the minds of the characters--both the sane and the insane--and as usual, this inner tour is just as tortuous as the mountain roads traveled by the characters. You will get a good look into the face of evil. Just hope it doesn't look back.

Andrew Harper knows how to write suspense. He does so with the skill of a pro. Reading a Harper novel is like watching a great, intense movie. You can't help the nail-biting, the sweaty palms and the palpitating heart.

Red Angel picks up a year or so after the events of Harper's first novel, Bad Karma. This time, psychologist Trey, who works at Darden State Prison, is going back to work even though he is still haunted by the events of his past. But that will be the least of his worries the moment he steps foot inside the prison.

There just happens to be a murderer on the loose, who abducts young children, murders them and then leaves their body disguised as angels. When the killer, who somehow seems connected to one of Darden's inmates, takes the son of Elise, another woman who works for the prison, Trey will be thrown into of yet another nightmare.

The book moves along with the speed of a bullet. The action is more intense as anything you will read this year. There isn't a dull moment in Red Angel, let alone a few pauses to let the reader breathe a little. Do not pick up this book if you do not want to finish it in one sitting. It is that good.

I had a blast reading Red Angel. This book is actually as good as what Thomas Harris has written. This is a great thrill ride you won't soon forget, guaranteed!