Customer Reviews

Angels Fall (A Mike Travis Novel)

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Mike Travis is a man with hidden hurts, but one whose heart appears to embrace and give love and caring, out of his own need for love, to others. He comes from a very wealthy family, one that he never sees anymore, but often wishes things could have been different. He lies in Hawaii, is retired from Law Enforcement, but it always remains a part of him, even though now he has a scuba charter business.
In this read we find a young girl is missing, and Mike is asked by her friends to investigate. Feeling obliged to help, he is drawn into the lives of some of the young people on the Island. Lives filled with lies, drugs and sex, a life that sickens him. What he discovers is not pleasant and will rock this part of the Island, and awaken many to the realization that evil does exist, even in Hawaii.
I enjoyed this read. The author did a top-notch job at his description and portrayal of Mike Travis. Making him a likeable guy; one whose heart is wanting what is right for people, and frustrated that it can't always be obtained. The cast of players in this read were also described well, and the locals were vivid. The storyline had a good emotional pull, concerning family and friends. I liked that, it brought the characters down to earth and alive. Yet, the story also gave way to the mysterious as you watched the mystery unfold, bringing you to one surprising conclusion. Quite a good mix. All in all a very good story and one I recommend.

It was a pleasure having "Angels Fall" take place in Hawaii and not the usual New York, Miami, LA scene. Mike Travis, former LA cop, owns and helps run a coffee plantation. Usually Travis avoids any type of police-related work but at the insistence of a good friend he is persuaded to look into the disappearance of a teenage girl. Delving in to this mystery causes Travis to reflect back to his teenage years which cause mental wounds from his past to be reopened. A resident of Hawaii, Baron A. Birtcher gives first-hand, detailed descriptions of the many different landscapes of this state. Birtchers has a casual and relaxed writing style that makes his book very readable. Using well placed flashbacks, Mike Travis' haunted past is slowly revealed and explains why his current case has such a strong effect on him. Mike Travis is a down -to-earth and plausible character and I hope this is not the last we see of him.

Take the phone off the hook, turn off the computer. You won't want to be interrupted on your journey with Birtcher's haunted and charismatic Mike Travis as he searches for a missing teenager on the Big Island of Hawaii. Despite the lush and fascinating setting, this thriller reveals a cruel subculture that is all too familiar.

There's some absolutely beautiful writing here-- evocative descriptions of the Big Island of Hawaii, and strong emotional insight. Baron Birtcher shows the Hawaii behind the tourist postcards, and that can be a dark place indeed.
Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu: A Hawai'ian Mystery (A Kimo Kanapa Mystery)

I loved this book for several reasons. The Hawaii setting, the story within the story and mostly how I was able to connect with the charaters. There is a little of Mike Travis in all of us.

Mike Travis, a retired Los Angeles police detective, now lives in Hawaii running a scuba charter business. Approached by friends of a missing teenage girl, he agrees to try to find the girl, but in his way are some road blocks, deception, and in the middle of this, his wife, his own darkness, and the sudden appearance of a spoiled nephew create some interesting side-plots.
All in all, the book was slow in catching my interest, but towards the middle of the book I felt the real story was beginning. I had to stay up late to finish it to the very end. The unnecessary expletives distracted me from the story. I felt the author was very good in his descriptions and dialogue and the rough edges of Mike Travis were adequately described without the use of cuss words. The trial described at the beginning of the book was unnecessary and distracting as well as the car exploding came and went without really getting back to it. Several times I had to go back and re-read a few paragraphs. Overall, this author is a great writer with the ability to bring out the character by showing rather than telling. I would like to see other titles of this author.

Nikole Hahn