Angel in the Dark: A New Age Mystery (Five Star Mystery Series) (Hardcover)

by Catherine Dain (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Shamus Award nominee Dain (Dead Man's Hand) offers a refreshing, self-styled "New Age" mystery, with a glimpse into the world of spiritual consciousness and apparitions of the past and present. In an effort to reestablish herself after the sudden death of her husband, Tim, Mariana Morgan joins a meditation circle in Los Angeles led by her friend Karella. The group persuades Mariana to visit eccentric psychic Suzanne. Mariana is initially skeptical, but she can't deny the truths that come to light through their sessions. The spirits who speak through Suzanne to Mariana answer difficult questions and quell her guilty feelings about Tim's death. Yet they also introduce concepts alien to Mariana, telling her that she is a natural healer who must put her gift to work helping those in need. Mariana is puzzled, though after a series of bizarre, unsettling events, including the "freak" deaths of two group members, she realizes that Suzanne's spirits may be right. It appears the group is under attack by a killer who assaults his victims' souls. Mariana faces the dilemma of what to do with the healing energies that rub off on everything she touches, knowing she must take action to stop the negative forces that plague her community. Though at times circuitous, Dain's entertaining novel does a convincing job of describing Mariana's ethereal journey toward love and peace. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Mariana Morgan, unraveled by her husband's "random" murder and the loss of her job, turns to the psychic world, not so much to find her husband's murderer as to regain some order in her life. She joins a meditation group, consults a psychic channeler, then learns she's a healer and asks for angelic help. She ultimately develops her healing powers to pursue a killer who attacks through the psyche. The intriguing New Age subject matter (including flaky characters and at least one fatal "accident") is related in smooth, down-to-earth prose; from the author of the Freddie Neal mysteries.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Five Star (ME); 1st edition (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786222514
• ISBN-13: 978-0786222513
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,996,928 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY IMPRESSED!, February 28, 2009

By	Lynne (Hollywood,CA USA) - See all my reviews

This is the first book I've read by this author, and I am very impressed! So much so, that I am definitely going to read the sequel(Darkness At The Door), and then her other books & short stories. I read a lot(non-fiction and fiction), and this is the best fiction novel I have read in a long time. Very well written, I felt as if I knew and cared about the main character Mariana Morgan. It is set in the Los Angeles area, so living here I could really relate to the people and places mentioned. The book is not too long, at a length of 252 pages, it felt just right to me. And I love a book that keeps me guessing, I never guessed who the killer was until I read it near the end of the book, well done! I think if you are interested at all in psychic phenomena, karma, past lives, New Age thinking, cats, or books set in the Los Angeles area, you will like this book.