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DARK ANGELS
by Grace Monroe
Avon, November 2007
464 pages
6.99 GBP
ISBN: 1847560342


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

DARK ANGELS is a debut double act from a former solicitor who obviously had a lively time with the Scottish legal establishment, and a journalist.

The former's agenda permeates DARK ANGELS, and the legal eagles don't come out of it with much credit. Within the first few pages one is found dead outside a gay haunt and another is the main character's bete noire, with a history of dodgy sexual practices.

The main character, Brodie McLennan, has possibilities, but she is hampered by this sprawling novel. There's a good book and plot in here, but it suffers from debut novel (and more!) syndrome where the authors include everything but the kitchen sink.

They introduce us to some intriguing characters in the form of Kailash Coutts, Edinburgh's most notorious dominatrix who's accused of murdering a famous lawyer, and the vividly-described Dark Angels, a street gang led by Moses Tierney. Then, just as we're getting hooked, the authors go charging off in the other direction.

Brodie is appointed to represent Kailash, but they have past history. As she delves deeper into the case, she unearths links with a paedophile ring – and people are willing to kill to keep it covered up.

The characterisation is uneven, to put it mildly. I liked 'Patch' Patterson, the 'Wee Free' pathologist with a secret love of Elvis Presley that he has to keep from his church mates. But by comparison we learn next to nothing about Brodie's cop housemate Fishy, despite him being a significant figure in the book.

Brodie's a ballsy character, but she's crowded out by strong men rushing to protect her – we have Fishy, journalist Jack Deans and her former schoolmate Glasgow Joe. Yes, we know they all secretly fancy her, but one of the characters could have gone without any lessening of the tension.

The last third of the book drags and feels like a series of disjointed and random scenes. One, where Brodie engages in some highly dubious hypnotherapy, left me growling angrily. In fact, it all gets so melodramatic and unlikely that I started to lose interest. Oh, and if you're burned out on Dan Brown-alikes, give DARK ANGELS a miss.

DARK ANGELS is a dark and creepy exploration of Edinburgh's streets and the secret lives of the legal establishment. At times it feels like one of those ghost walks round the Scottish capital. But a hefty edit and some stronger characterisation would have turned a promising book into gripping one.

Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, November 2007

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