Blood of Angels

By Reed Arvin

Reed Arvin's previous novel, The Last Goodbye, was "the best thing a thriller can be: suspenseful, intelligent, and well written" (Harlan Coben), and had the critics raving: People magazine stated, "You'll be hooked," and the New York Times declared it "sultry, devious, adrenaline-boosting suspense." Now comes a vivid and haunting tale of one man's search for the truth -- no matter what the consequences.

Thomas Dennehy, senior prosecutor in Davidson County, Tennessee, doesn't recognize Nashville anymore: a decade of relentless immigration means cops are learning Spanish, and the DA' s office is looking for Vietnamese translators. Thomas's latest case is prosecuting Moses Bol, a Sudanese refugee who faces the death penalty for killing a white woman in the Nations, a notorious, racially charged part of town. Bol's conviction seems certain, until a university professor claims Thomas sent the wrong man to the death chamber in a previous case. The DA' s office is rocked to its core, but within days another blow falls: a beautiful and brilliant anti-death penalty activist mysteriously surfaces as Bol's alibi, claiming she was with him at the time of the crime. Bol's case becomes a lightning rod as protesters on all sides converge on Nashville and tensions threaten to explode.

Meanwhile, Bol's alibi has her own secrets -- and is terrified of someone working behind the scenes to get what he wants -- even if it means murder.

Will Dennehy be able to piece things together before everything he believes about the law, and about justice, is torn apart?

Vivid with the emotional complexity that has become the hallmark of Reed Arvin's work, Blood of Angels is filled with nonstop action, impeccable detail, and unforgettable characters, making this a novel that is impossible to resist.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061739439

Reed Arvin

Reed Arvin grew up on a cattle ranch in rural Kansas. After a successful career as a music producer in Nashville, Arvin began writing full-time. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Reviews for Blood of Angels

[runner56_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The crucial thing about Michael Marshall is that he is enormously readable....Once you have started one of his books you won't want to stop" (The Independent uk) His books are much more than mere thrillers and his characterization creates memorable participants in stories that have a certain gothic/horror feel similar to the Charlie Parker series created by the amazing John Connolly. Connolly in his books has the shadowy figure of "The Collector" and Marshall has created in this trilogy (The Straw Men, The Lonely Dead and Blood of Angels) a group known as the Straw Men who operate outside the conventional rules of society guided in their endeavours by a serial killer known as The Upright Man...."He's a serial killer. He also abducts people for others to murder for kicks. He has a theory that mankind was infected by a virus tens of thousands of years ago. It made us more sociable, enabled modern society to coalesce by obscuring some or our natural enmity towards our fellow men. We started living closer together, began farming, developed the modern world. They don't like it. They want the planet back the way it was." Raged against this attempt by a shadowy group to spread fear, confusion and death amongst an unsuspecting populace is an eclectic group of characters; Ward Hopkins ex CIA agent recovering from the shock and death of his parents and their association with The Straw Men; John Zant an ex LA homicide detective with a personal interest in the capture of The Upright Man who he believes was responsible for the death of his only daughter Karen; Nina Baynam discredited FBI agent believing totally in both the existence of The Straw Men and their murderous agenda; Paul Hopkins, brother to Ward and identified as the notorious serial killer The Upright Man. What is so readable about Blood of Angels is that even the minor characters we meet play an important role in the unfolding drama and they all contribute to the pulsating tension that radiates from page one; James Kyle/Jim Westlake is a killer in retirement in Key West Florida until his services are required by The Straw Men one last time; Lee hHudek his friends Grant and Sleepy Pete all wealthy middleclass kids dealing drugs until they encounter The Upright Man, a meeting that will alter their lives irrevocably......there is no going back! The search is on for Ward's brother The Upright Man who has escaped from a secure institution. Has he been broken out for a reason? Have The Straw Men got a hidden agenda that will ultimately mean the destruction of society as we know and love. Ward, Nina and John are on the case and in the very capable hands of Michael Marshall we are treated to an extraordinary reading experience. The UK paperback version of this story is some 540 pages but I can honestly say I devoured this story in some 3 reading sessions. It still puzzles me that Michael Marshall, although a popular author, has never received the acclaim and credit he so deserves.....so, dear reader of my review, do yourself a favour and read all 3 books in this well researched, intelligent, dark and above all well written tale. A pleasure to read and a pleasure to recommend 5+++++ stars!

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The cover reads, "The heart-stopping conclusion to The Straw Men trilogy". I wouldn't go quite that far, but it was a good story. Is it the actual end? I guess we'll see. Enough of the plot is left open-ended for it not to be. But, John, Ward, and Nina do take it to Paul (The Upright Man) and it does have an ending, if not a definitive one. As for "heart-stopping", I would disagree. But, overall, I did enjoy the trilogy. And I would definitely recommend this installment to people who enjoy conspiracy theories! This book really has a doozy!

[piratejenny_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The third in the Straw Men trilogy. After the events of the first two books, Nina finds herself called back by the FBI in Virginia because there's a serial killer at work (shockingly) who may just be female. For some reason, Nina is the person to call. Yes, we find out why. So Ward heads off with her to discover that his nice twin brother has escaped federal prison. Not that that's all that shocking--without him, who would be Ward's big antagonist? After all, the Straw Men need a face, so to speak. Not that the feds believe in the Straw Men or kept that part of the report or anything. So the SM have a big day coming--The Day of Angels. It seems to involve the slaughter of innocents, although it's never really clear what that's supposed to bring about, which rather miffed me. It seems like maybe it's the start of their big war, but I wasn't exactly clear about it. Other than that, a good read and it fits well with the first two books.

[iamiam_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Solid third novel of the series, wraps up necessary details without sacrificing story or character development. Surprises and twists galore, but none are beyond belief. Marshall has a fourth in the series out in the spring of 2009 (?), and it's possible the first is to be made into a film. This could very well be a saga, as the capacity for humanity's deprivation knows no bottom limit.

[litelady4ajh · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Great final book to this series... I am about 100 pages from finishing, this book is much better than 2nd one. All-in-all I'm glad I read this series. This writer's style is similar to Koontz & the master of horror, Stephen King.

[tsana_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first two books in the series set up a creepy conspiracy of serial killers and this, the last in the trilogy, picks up right where the second left off. By breaking Ward's murderous brother out of gaol.We follow three separate story threads starting out at opposite ends of America as they inexorably tie themselves in a murderous knot.What strikes me most about Marshall's work is his subtle, yet completely realistic commentary on the human condition. That and the fact that I love a good conspiracy theory.