Angel Solitary Man (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) [Paperback]

Jeff Mariotte (Author)

Book Description

Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Publication Date: December 1, 2003

Widow Mildred Finster is a life-long fan of mystery and suspense. When she decides, at the tender age of 71, that she'd like to become a private detective herself, she knows there's more to sleuthing than is revealed in her favourite books. She has found a card for Angel Investigations and thinks the name sounds very sweet. After all, she loves angels and has a large collection of figurines. What could be more perfect? The staff of Angel investigations are hip-deep in their own personal problems, so when Mildred offers her services, they don't have much time for her. And when a truckload of antiquities from a local Mission is stolen and ransacked, they don't get too worked up over what is obviously a simple theft. But nothing in LA is that simple, and the arrival of some ruthless killers from overseas finally gets the gang's attention. Now they are followed at every turn by a well-meaning old lady, fighting off attacks from poltergeists, and trying to set their personal differences aside to defeat a supernatural foe before a centuries-old mystery reaches its final chapter.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeff Mariotte is Senior Editor at D.C. Comics and creator of the cult comics Desperadoes and Countdown. An experienced tie-in author, he has written novels for Angel, Star Trek and CSI. Before he became a writer he was a partner in a speciality bookstore, Mysterious Galaxies, which his wife still runs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743477960
• ISBN-13: 978-0743477963
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,410,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good distraction until Season Four comes out on DVD, January 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Solitary Man (Angel) (Mass Market Paperback)

When Cordelia gets a vision about a murdered trucker, the Fang Gang wind up involved in a centuries-old conflict that could get them all killed. Meanwhile, a well-meaning pensioner who's bored with retirement wants to join the team and doesn't seem to be able to take 'no' for an answer, and a couple of strange Englishmen who seem to know an awful lot about what's going on begin interfering with the case. Add in the character dynamics resulting from Wesley being called in to help, and you've got an "Angel" mystery that rips along at a nice pace.

If you're missing the unique tension of Season 4, you could do a lot worse than to pick up this paperback. Mariotte writes with good humor that doesn't insult the reader's intelligence, and it's apparent from the level of detail and care taken in writing the caracters that he's an honest-to-goodness fan of the show.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced and fun, July 19, 2004

By 

jsdunk "jsdunk" (Camas, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Solitary Man (Angel) (Mass Market Paperback)

Solitary Man is a fast paced, fun Angel story. Set in the fourth season of Angel, relationships are falling apart all around -- Fred and Gunn are pretending they don't have a problem, Angel is pretending that he isn't in love with Cordelia and that he isn't upset that Connor has moved out and Wes is pretending that he isn't involved with Lilah.

Jeff Mariotte, an experienced Buffy/Angel writer portrays all the drama and angst realistically. The characters and their interactions with each other ring true, providing the perfect backdrop for any story.

And the story is a unique one. Imagine a seventy-something widow, Mildred Finster, who decides that she wants to be a private investigator and that she wants to work for Angel investigations. When Angel and company decline her services, she sets out to prove that she can do the job. After getting results where Angel can't a couple times, Mildred gets herself into more trouble than she bargains for and everyone comes together to save the day.

This book was totally unexpected. The story was a little fluffy, but it was loads of fun. I highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "A solitary man is either a beast or an angel", April 14, 2004

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Solitary Man (Angel) (Mass Market Paperback)

Mildred Finster simply has too much time on here hands. At 71 she's grown tired of her comfy mysyery stories and has decided to venture out on her own, solving crimes and bringing evildoers to justice. Unfortunately Mildred has decided to set her eyes on Los Angeles where she intends to apprentices and an agency with a 'cute' name - Angel Investigations.

In the meantime Fred and Gunn are barely talking, Cordy is living (?) at Connor's place, Wesley it staying carefully away and Angel is, as usual, being moody. When ex-higher being Cordelia has a vision of a weak old man tearing a truck driver into shreds the team investigates but gets nowhere. What is even more embarrassing, Mildred manages to to go where Angel fears to tread (sorry about that) and the gang has to cope with being outplayed by a 71-year-old Miss Marple.

But the vision is serious, and events quickly reveal that the little old man is pure badness on the hoof. Soon the team is mixing it up with Spanish mission priests, unconscious poltergeists, and the little old man from hell. Not good, and, as you might expect, the world hangs in the balance.

Basically, this is a good book. The characters are well drawn, which is what we should expect from a writer with Mariotte's experience. Th plot is good, but the dialog is a bit stilted due to the fact that everyone is having problems with someone.

What keeps it from being topnotch is that it overplays, for the umpteenth time, one of the standard Buffy/Angel themes - the 'big hero learns not to turn his (or her) back on the team and go it alone' theme. If you are new to the stories, this shouldn't bother you. But long term addicts will find themselves wondering why, with fragments of relationships flying all over the pages, the big story is about killing something together. Grump!!