Angel of Death [Paperback]

Jay Brandon (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Forge Books (1998)
• ASIN: B000OTK3OA
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Jay Brandon (1953- ) grew up and his lived primarily in San Antonio, Texas. A graudate of the University of Texas, he also has a Master's degree from The Writing Seminars of Johns Hopkins University, and a J.D. from the University of Houston.
Brandon is the author of 15 novels and one book of non-fiction, as well as a number of short stories published in anthologies.
Brandon has also been a lawyer since 1985. His first job out of law school was at the Court of Criminal Appeals, the highest criminal court in Texas. He then served as an assistant district attorney of Bexar County (San Antonio), Texas, and a staff attorney on the Fourth Court of Appeals of Texas, before going into private practice in 1990.
Brandon's 1990 novel FADE THE HEAT, his first legal thriller, was shortlisted for the Edgar Award and optioned by Amblin Entertainment. That and later novels have been published by more than a dozen foreign published, with worldwide distribution.
Brandon is married and the father of three children. He is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and the American Crime Writers League (although he generally dislikes belonging to any group; just a natural prejudice).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deeply penetrating yet exciting legal thriller, November 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Angel of Death (Hardcover)

Who is the real Malachi Reese? The African-American community of San Antonio feel he is a genuine hero, a pillar of the city, who helps the poor, down-trodden, and hungry. However, to District Attorney Chris Sinclair, Malachi is the ANGEL OF DEATH, whose need for power is that of an addict.

ANGEL OF DEATH is an exciting legal thriller that is a fabulous one-sitting read that asks penetrating questions about how equal is the so-called blind justice system? Without preaching, the story line is fast-paced and moving and filled with action that occasionally overwhelms the poignancy of the tale. The characters are fully developed, especially the enigmatic Malachi and the obsessed Chris, who will leave readers wondering about each of them. Clearly, this novel is one of the sub-genre's best books of the year.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Book !, January 11, 2000

By 

Isabel Diaz Jr. (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angel of Death (Mass Market Paperback)

Jay Brandon mixed in his thorough understanding of how the criminal justice system works, a very original and intelligent villian, and a uncanny depiction and right on the mark description of the relationships and dynamics within the African-American community and how that community precieves the Legal Justice System to create a thrilling,page turning book that you can't put down.His protagonists Sinclair and Greenwald are a great match romantically and in helping to take down the killer Reese. Unlike other books that basically are written as screenplays/scripts or their antagonist are more interesting and way smarter than the hero i.e. James Patterson-"Pop goes the Weasel". Malachi Reese and Chris Sinclair are both very smart and cunning in their own ways, making for some great suspense and good reading.Look forward to the sequel to this book if for nothing else to read about the on going relationship of Sinclair/Greenwald and the other strong characters in the book, Asst DA Lynn Ransom and Councilman Winston Phillips. Get the book because you won't see it on the Hollywood screen because the villian is too Politicallly Incorrect for Hollywood to allow the book to be made into a movie.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hoping Malachi is fictional!, December 29, 1999

By 

Frank's Daughter (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angel of Death (Hardcover)

As a resident of San Antonio, I found myself hoping that the villain in Jay Brandon's latest effort, Angel of Death, is entirely fictional! The author's depiction of District Attorney Chris Sinclair and his obviously strong attraction/repulsion with the locally revered Malachi Reese is very well done. Although I bought the premise of the saintly appearing bad guy, I did think that the evidence leading up the trial needed a bit more set up. The case as presented did not seem to be as open and shut as Chris Sinclair seemed to feel. Was a scene left on the cutting room floor? In fact, the book seems very close to being a screen play screaming for production. I liked the bare bones presentation of the legal matters--not too much detail, just enough for the reader to follow it without getting caught up in too much jargon. And the ending caught me by surprise--perhaps it's because I was reading this on a three-leg flight from Providence to San Antonio and had to be interrupted! At any rate, this is a fast read but not a light read. Compare it, possibly, with Diehl's Primal Fear. I also would like to see more of the Chris Sinclair/Anne Greenwald relationship.