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scottyb's review against another edition
4.0
Oh man, I had this really bad police-procedural itch and this totally scratched it. In fact, this was one of the best books I've read so far this year. It's a pretty basic premiss: guy gets away with murdering a kid, trail goes cold, police move on, then kids start disappearing again and the police have to do seriously fast damage control. BUT Mofina makes the story so much more interesting by introducing a whole bunch of different view points (shifts every chapter and new characters are still being introduced late in the book - but, it doesn't get confusing) and his characters are really believable and well developed. Even the minor characters are fleshed out and not just introduced in the story to move the plot and then dumped. Reed and Sydowski are both relatable and their back stories are interesting enough that they don't detract from the action when Mofina dips into them. The most believable and, quite frankly, hard to read, part of the book was Mofina's descriptions of grief. Reed's grief over his failing marriage and the reporter he caused to commit suicide, the killer's grief over his drowned children, and the parents' grief over the abductions of the children. I'm sure Mofina looked into how people tend to react to these kind of sudden crimes that leave families not knowing if their children are still alive. Mofina's writing is also a breath of fresh air; the thriller genre could use more of this.
igwill's review against another edition
4.0
If Angerls Fall by Rick Mofina, is a high stakes thriller and a must read...
A finely crafted plot in this police procedural thriller. I really enjoyed this book. It was a recommendation from Bookbub and I am so glad. The base of this story is typical, guy gets away with murdering a child, case goes cold, kids start disappearing again, and police do serious damage control. Here's the thing, this story is fantastically involved, with layers of development. All of the characters are believable and well developed, even the minor ones. This book grabs reader right in the beginning, pulling you into a dark and disturbing child kidnapping. The twists and turns of this roller coaster go on all the way to the end.
POV - There are different pov throughout this story and it lends to the great development. I personally like that and feel that it's done really well in this book.
Let's talk about these players. Tom Reed - reporter fallen from grace due to overzealous reporting and a cover up. He is flawed and just a wonderful character to follow. Walt Sydowski - An all involved, no nonsense, tough as nails detective that's very good at his job. He's a family man who's wife passed away. His children are grown and out of the house. His father is in a nursing home. He is my favorite character. There are other characters that make you want to scream at them because they are just not thinking. The tension builds as each character is introduced adding to this wonderful puzzle. This is why this story is so good. Everyone of these characters and situations are believable.
This book is about child crimes and does get detailed but not to graphic. It is hard to stomach some of it. There are so many other well crafted elements that make it well worth it.
*** I wasn't crazy about the name changing. There's a lot of using first name then last name. Using middle name then first name and then someone else's name. Makes it a little hard to follow.***
The ending is well laid out and not rushed. I was not disappointed about the ending at all. Things were going to go one of two ways and I was prepared for both.
All and all, this is a great detail oriented book. It delivers a well crafted and realistic thriller that will keep you fully engaged from chapter 1. It's a solid read and if you're looking for a thriller, this is a good choice.
A finely crafted plot in this police procedural thriller. I really enjoyed this book. It was a recommendation from Bookbub and I am so glad. The base of this story is typical, guy gets away with murdering a child, case goes cold, kids start disappearing again, and police do serious damage control. Here's the thing, this story is fantastically involved, with layers of development. All of the characters are believable and well developed, even the minor ones. This book grabs reader right in the beginning, pulling you into a dark and disturbing child kidnapping. The twists and turns of this roller coaster go on all the way to the end.
POV - There are different pov throughout this story and it lends to the great development. I personally like that and feel that it's done really well in this book.
Let's talk about these players. Tom Reed - reporter fallen from grace due to overzealous reporting and a cover up. He is flawed and just a wonderful character to follow. Walt Sydowski - An all involved, no nonsense, tough as nails detective that's very good at his job. He's a family man who's wife passed away. His children are grown and out of the house. His father is in a nursing home. He is my favorite character. There are other characters that make you want to scream at them because they are just not thinking. The tension builds as each character is introduced adding to this wonderful puzzle. This is why this story is so good. Everyone of these characters and situations are believable.
This book is about child crimes and does get detailed but not to graphic. It is hard to stomach some of it. There are so many other well crafted elements that make it well worth it.
*** I wasn't crazy about the name changing. There's a lot of using first name then last name. Using middle name then first name and then someone else's name. Makes it a little hard to follow.***
The ending is well laid out and not rushed. I was not disappointed about the ending at all. Things were going to go one of two ways and I was prepared for both.
All and all, this is a great detail oriented book. It delivers a well crafted and realistic thriller that will keep you fully engaged from chapter 1. It's a solid read and if you're looking for a thriller, this is a good choice.
sarahrobins11's review against another edition
4.0
Now I’d say this was around 4 stars. Some parts of the book were maybe too obvious but as far as a crime detective books goes it a good one. I really like the fact that the main role was that if a reporter and the actual crime was slightly different to normal. When children are involved it puts you more on edge. Well written and certainly keeps tour gripped till the end!
amylee218's review against another edition
4.0
This caught my attention from the start. It was pretty dark, but stopped short of being truly disturbing. Good characters, excellent narration.
fxtrtr's review against another edition
4.0
Edward Keller is a troubled man. A tragic accident claims the lives of his three children. But Edward believes that God will rejoin him with his family, and he must begin preparations. When a two-year old is kidnapped and then murdered, the police focus on a former convicted sex offender. Then nearly one year later, another boy is snatched. Did the killer in the other case have a helper? When a second child is abducted the police are grasping at straws with no real leads. Edward Keller knows what those parents are going through losing their children, but Edward will be reunited with his children soon because the Angels have told him so.
prpltrtl946's review against another edition
3.0
Kinda drags a bit
Good characters living their lives. Really crazy bad guy, but what? The rest of the story made sense. It was ok.
Good characters living their lives. Really crazy bad guy, but what? The rest of the story made sense. It was ok.
lauriebuchanan's review against another edition
4.0
IF ANGELS FALL by Rick Mofina is positively chilling. Between the local police, the FBI, the Catholic church, and the local newsroom, it has pulse-pounding, page-turning excitement that kept me up way past bedtime.
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