Death Angel [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Martha Powers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2007

Kate and Richard Warner have a quiet life, a routine life, until the one afternoon that changes them forever. Within a few short hours they are thrust into the black hole of every parent's worst nightmare. Suddenly they are at the center of attention of their community, the media, and the police. Richard has been singled out as the primary suspect in a heinous crime that took more than an innocent life. With Richard as a suspect, Kate's life unravels into unbearable chaos, grief, and a whole new world of deception. After a second murder and Richard's disappearance, Kate sets out to find the killer in their midst and clear her husband's name. She begins to piece together an eerie puzzle, finding clues in the heart of her own community. In Death Angel anguish, suspicion and death combine in the horrifying aftermath of a vicious crime that pits a mother's love against a ruthless killer. In a stunning conclusion, Kate risks her own life to track down and kill the Death Angel.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Powers's third thriller (after Sunflower and Bleeding Heart), a gripping mix of a smalltown police procedural with a snazzy woman-in-jeopardy plot, will remind many of early Mary Higgins Clark and Sandra Browne. Working mother Kate Warner's peaceful life in suburban Pickard, Ill., is shattered when her eight-year-old daughter, Jenny, gets off the school bus one afternoon and disappears just steps away from home. To make matters worse, Kate's husband and Jenny's devoted dad, Richard, becomes the prime suspect. Other suspects include Richard's sophisticated business associate, a local physician and the spooky anonymous caller who keeps taunting the Warners. Despite some predictable twists, this tight suspense novel with its credible characters will keep readers turning the pages.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

Beth Anderson for Rendezvous Review Kate Warren, watching from her home, sees her young daughter get off the school bus, turns away for just a minute or so, and her daughter disappears. A few hours later the eight year old's body is found in a nearby wooded area, and the worst nightmare imaginable begins for Kate and Richard as Richard is immediately fingered as primary suspect by police, who are not really interested in looking at anyone else. Then, little by little, due to Richard's strange behavior, Kate begins to suspect him herself. This is just the beginning of an intricate and suspenseful novel of the worst kind of betrayal you can imagine. Powers has instilled just a touch of the child's own story without pummeling us with the sad details of her murder, instead concentrating on the chase and capture of the killer. I think it's safe to say that every reader of DEATH ANGEL will cheer out loud, as I did, when the killer is revealed, and more than that, how the killer receives full justice, if there is such a thing for a sexual predator who rapes and kills children. A dark, suspenseful novel, full of wrong deductive turns for the reader, huge surprises all the way through, and beautifully crafted justice at the end. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 563 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (April 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786293942
• ISBN-13: 978-0786293940
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,193,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Writing has always been a part of my life. In college I worked on the class musicals. My first job was in an advertising agency and I and a band of loonies wrote the twisted ads for the Christmas party. Then I worked on musical comedies for a theater group in Chicago and had a humor column in the local paper. I started writing romances but my heart belonged to the mystery genre and eventually I sold a suspense thriller to Simon & Schuster. I miss the humor writing so occasionally I write a column for the senior women's web online.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, Chilling , Courageous Thriller, November 1, 2006

By 

Elizabeth Plese (Amagansett, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Angel (Hardcover)

In Death Angel, the tragedy of losing a child to a heinous crime is the impetus for the book's main character, Kate Warner, to dive headfirst into a world of sleuthing, danger and ultimately, revenge. As a parent, Kate's determination and courage are inspirational in the face of horrendous circumstances and utmost despair. Determined to find her child's killer and clear her husband's name, Kate takes the law in to her own hands and leads the reader on an unexpected journey into the darkness of everyday America.
Her character adds new heights to the emotional complexity of a child's murder and grips the reader like few characters can. A must read for any mystery lover and avid reader alike.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent mystery; average characters, February 9, 2007

By 

Loves to Read (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Angel (Hardcover)

This mystery grabs your attention at the very beginning and holds it through the entire book. It is the story of Kate, a sheltered stay-at-home mom whose life is destroyed when her eight year old daughter is kidnapped, raped and murdered. Kate's husband becomes a suspect and then disappears. Kate begins to investigate her daughter's death and her husband's disappearance at the possible price of her own life. It is an excellent mystery that keeps you guessing. Just when you think you know who did it, Powers throws a curve ball and you doubt your prediction and add another suspect to your growing list.

I cannot give this book 5 stars, however, because I did not care for the characters. They never seemed to fully develop and instead were superficial. I found Kate and her husband, Richard to have a strange relationship and even Kate herself was odd. She had one child and a part time job but no real friends. In some ways, her husband seemed to be dominate (he laid out her clothes for her to wear each day) but in other ways he didn't. The only character I liked, who seemed like she could be a real person, was Kate's elderly next door neighbor.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting Suspense, October 17, 2006

By 

Wantz Upon A Time Reviews (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Angel (Hardcover)

Kate Warner is living every mother's worst nightmare. Her young daughter, Jenny, has been brutally murdered, and the investigation has focused on her husband. Unable to accept Richard's possible involvement in Jenny's death, Kate feels helpless in the face of public and private scrutiny.

Pickard's chief of police, Carl Leidecker, is a former member of Chicago's finest. He also knows the Warners. Leidecker dives into the case of Jenny's murder with all available resources. When Richard Warner, Leidecker discovers there's more to the family than meets the eye.

The case follows a twisted trail of leads that pull Kate Warner and Carl Leidecker in a deadly direction. Not knowing who to trust and who to blame is a dangerous game. If the killer isn't found in time, the Death Angel will be sure to strike again.

In this haunting suspense, Martha Powers weaves a spell of heartbreak and rage guaranteed to affect even the most jaded readers. She dives into the psyches of the grieving mother, a dogged investigator, and the sadistic killer. Readers will be kept guessing until close to the end, with a chilling climax sure to keep you on edge.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
9/26/2006