Angel Fire (Lydia Strong Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lisa Miscione (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2003 | Series: Lydia Strong Novels

The bloody murder of her mother when she was a teenager made Lydia Strong into a woman obsessed with bringing brutal killers to justice. Now thirty years old, she is a reclusive bestselling true crime writer and investigative consultant whose intuitions never lie. The latest case to capture her attention is the disappearance of three adults, each the kind of loner whose sudden absence isn't missed-they have no family, few friends. The Santa Fe Police don't see a pattern, just three people who left their empty lives behind. But when another woman turns up missing, her apartment streaked with blood, even the police have to admit that something is wrong in their usually quiet town. Lydia and P.I. Jeffrey Mark, the ex-FBI agent who solved her mother's murder, begin a relentless investigation. But it is only when the killer ups the ante and goes after Lydia herself that, just like fifteen years ago when she put the FBI on the trail of her mother's killer, the real hunt begins...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Miscione hits the ground running, quite literally, in her debut novel featuring crime writer Lydia Strong, who tries to exorcise through running ("her religion," she says) the demons that haunt her from her mother's brutal rape and murder some 15 years earlier. Strong has taken refuge in rural Angel Fire, N.Mex., far from suburban New York where, delinquent from school one day, she returned home to find her mother's "arms tied over her head, her wrists bleeding.... Her throat was slit from ear to ear." This early scene of mayhem sets the tone for a grim tale of dark and twisted minds committing ever more ghoulish crimes against parishioners of a local church run by a sinister priest and a blind mystic. The author spares no detail in her descriptions of mutilated bodies buried in odd places with their hearts cut out. Strong herself becomes the target of a psychopathic killer and seeks assistance from sympathetic former colleague Jeffrey Mark, an ex-NYPD investigator who flies in for the duration. There's a surreal and nightmarish quality to this story as innocents, one after another, are drawn to their slaughter soon after seeking help from Juno, an enigmatic guitar player believed by the locals to have godlike healing powers. Vengeance Is Mine, the title of Strong's bestseller (not to mention of an early Mickey Spillane bestseller), is also the message sent by a sick mind bent on destroying nearly everyone in this unfortunate mountain village. This novel isn't for readers with weak stomachs, but it remains gripping and terrifying right through the carnage of its final scene. Agent, Elaine Markson.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Award-winning true crime writer and intuitive investigative consultant Lydia Strong discovered her mother dead, the gory victim of a serial rapist/murderer. Still haunted by the memory but looking for new subject matter 15 years later, she finds clues to what she believes is another serial murderer in Santa Fe. It soon transpires that Lydia is on the short list of a warped, scary perpetrator with a penchant for scalpels, blood, and dissection. Taut prose, insidious suspense, psychological motivation, police procedural sidebars, and a would-be lover make this debut from a former member of the publishing world a real winner. Don't miss it.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (January 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 190500527X
• ISBN-13: 978-1905005277
• ASIN: 0312989180
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,034,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific story and characters, March 10, 2003

By 

S. Gould "gouldpjaks" (Woodmere, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angel Fire (Hardcover)

I hope this is the first in a long series about Lydia Strong and Jeffrey Mark. Lisa Miscione has created two characters that you can care about. Their lives and issues are so well developed that you seem to know them, their fears and their motivations.

Her writing is both crisp and haunting. The story takes us to Angel Fire New Mexico, a small town suddenly beset by a high number of missing persons, possibly a serial killer's doing. The problem is that the bodies are not found and the missing persons could have just fled. Lydia, in town to rest after the publication of her most recent true crime book, is certain that something sinister is afoot and she calls upon her friend and partner, ex FBI agent Jeffrey Mark, to help convince the authorities. The reader is fortunate to be along for every carefully plotted step of this fascinating investigation.

I could not put this book down. I can't wait for the sequel, 'The Darkness Gathers', and then for even more new episodes.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a very good first novel worthy of widespread acclaim, March 9, 2004

By 

Larry Gandle (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Angel Fire (Lydia Strong Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Lydia Strong has a gift of acutely accurate intuition. She can find clues that elude others. She helped determine the killer of her mother fifteen years ago and, now, as a thirty year old woman, she is a bestselling author of true crime books and a consultant for law enforcement. Young women are disappearing in the Santa Fe area. Lisa suspects something is very wrong and calls her friend, PI Jeffrey Mark, ex FBI agent, into town for his help. The two investigate the deaths and soon realize a serial killer may be at work. Things heat up when the killer targets Lydia as his next victim.
Lisa Miscione has written a very good first novel worthy of widespread acclaim. She has the ability to write with great beauty in describing the landscape and setting of this character rich debut. There is enough of a feeling of underlying dread to keep the reader's interest at all times and the relatively rapid pacing also contributed to the pages flying. Overall a well recommended debut.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great new author, riveting new book, February 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Angel Fire (Hardcover)

Lisa Miscione's debut novel, Angel Fire, is a real thrill ride. Great character development and compelling relationships between the main characters add depth and intrigue to the already strong story line. I look forward to her next book.