Blood of Angels

by Reed Arvin

Book Overview

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,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006059635X
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: HarperTorch
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.0" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

This Is As Good As It Gets!!!! Great Writing!!!

I'm so glad that Reed Arvin didn't settle for being a successful Nashville music producer, because he is well on his way to being one of the best of the court room/thriller/mystery writers of our time. His previous two novels (The Will and The Last Goodbye) are excellent reads and all three are stand alone books. Thomas Dennehy is the central character in this book, but he has a wealth of company from the fertile mind of Mr. Arvin to keep this novel going at full throttle from page one to the end. Others have set out the story line quite well, so I will only say that if you enjoy this type of novel, there is none better on the market right now that you could buy. The characters and dialogue are so authentically written that their voices and sounds come right off the pages. The villian in this book does not reveal himself for a while, but when he does, he is enough to give you nightmares.

Awesome legal thriller!

Thomas Dennehy works as a prosecutor for the District Attorney's office in Davidson County, Tennessee. He has worked his way up the ladder, sacrificing his marriage, to be able to prosecute capital crimes. Three years ago, Wilson Owens killed Stephen Davidson, the manager of the Sunshine Grocery store. Owens received the death penalty. Thomas is now prosecuting a Sudanese refugee for the rape and murder of a local resident. Another criminal already in jail confesses to the Sunshine murders which sets his office into turmoil. Reverend Fiona Towns complicates matters further for Thomas. The heart-pounding action builds as those close to him suffer consequences. The edgy writing and the range of characters keep you in suspense. Excellent page-turner!

A Southern Gem of Suspense

With "Blood of Angels," Reed Arvin joins the ranks of James Lee Burke and Scott Turow. He takes the legal thriller and ratchets it into a pure suspense novel, full of believable characters and nail-biting situations. The setting is modern-day Nashville. Arvin reveals this southern city in a realistic light, never condescending, never kissing up. Music City has become a true melting pot of nationalities, and we see this clearly through the story of a Sudanese man accused of murder. Racial tensions build, deceits grow numerous, and pressing legal questions rise to the surface. Soon the characters are enmeshed in a deadly game that will push them to their limits. The magic of the book is the protagonist. Tom Dennehy is intelligent, successful, and admired. But he's also wounded. His divorce still wears on him, and his anger tends to boil to the surface at inappropriate moments. As his career and loved ones face threats, he lets himself get involved with a female minister. Even as the story closes, his soul and his integrity are sitting in the scales. Arvin is a wonderful writer. His themes are serious and hardhitting, his dialogue is coarse while his prose is picturesque, and the plot is a thing of beauty. "Blood of Angels" proves we have a master novelist rising through the ranks.

(4 1/2) Another Compelling Story by an Excellent Storyteller

This is the third book by REED ARVIN which I have read, and the third which I have rated five stars. The author is an excellent storyteller; what I feel differentiates his books from the standard thrillers are the complexity of the plots and the extensive character development of the key participants in his stories. His previous two books (I have not read his first) also raise significant philosophical issues as well. BLOOD OF ANGELS has a much more straightforward storyline than his two other books which I have read, and in my opinion is marginally less enjoyable. But the themes are so different that I suspect many readers may not share my opinion. In fact, readers who enjoy a more linear story and also speedreaders for whom nuances are less important may actually find this book the most enjoyable of the three. Another differentiating factor in this book is the importance of the locale in which the story is set and Arvin's choice of the town where he lives, Nashville, TN. The details utilized in the construction of this story, including the regional political climate, the local neighborhoods (especially the juxtaposition of the Nations and Tennessee Village), the nature of the sanctuary of The Downtown Presbyterian Church, and the central role of the "lost boys of the Sudan" all lend an aura of reality to it. The author has such detailed knowledge of the area that he has created what I call "reality based fiction"; the real people and places which comprise the background of the story lend it sufficient authenticity so that the reader feels much of it is not beyond the realm of possibility despite the fact is not based on an actual series of events. There are several intertwined threads to this story; a full description would both be beyond the scope of this review and also impossible without spoilers. The central character is Thomas Dennehy, an Assistant District Attorney in Davidson County, TN whose life is about to be completely disrupted by the intersection two seemingly unrelated cases. Almost immediately, Dennehy and his associates in the DA's office are notified by Georgetown University Professor and death penalty opponent Phillip Buchanan that a prison inmate named Charles Bridges has just confessed to a murder for which they convicted Wilson Owens and then successfully argued for the imposition of the death penalty. Since Owens has already been executed, Dennehy suddenly starts "to seriously pay attention. The fact that my life is about to change is vaguely announcing itself now, a light humming in my synapses." He gradually comes to believe that it is quite possible that he will have the notoriety of becoming the prosecutor on the first case where an innocent man actually was executed. Coincident with the investigation into Bridges' claims, Dennehy is the lead prosecutor in another potential death penalty case. Moses Bol, a Sudanese refugee living in Tennessee Village (largely populated by immigrants) is accused of the brutal mur

Reed Arvin delivers with Blood of Angels

Blood of Angels was the first Reed Arvin book that I have read, and it is not going to be the last. Blood of Angels delivers on all levels and introduces a cast of characters that is very interesting. While you are reading from the perspective of a lawyer, this is not a court room legal thriller, this is a book about revenge pure and simple. There are multiple sub-plots and action that keep the story moving along, and you will not want to put this one down. Reed Arvin writes in the first person, which I thought would be a distraction, but I really enjoyed the smooth style. I would recommend this book to all who are looking for an interesting plot, and a fast moving book that will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.