Customer Reviews

Demolition Angel

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Unplug the phone. Call in sick for work or school. Once you start this awesome new novel, you won't be able to put it down!

Robert Crais is a master at creating believable characters and delivering a white-knuckle ride of suspense. Readers of his Elvis Cole novels already know this. Demolition Angel is his first stand alone book and it's an amazing novel.

Carol Starkey was horribly scarred and her lover was killed in a bombing. A few years later, Carol is tough as nails and determined to overcome her troubles. Pulled into an investigation of another bomb tech who was blown away, she has to face down all her old fears to stop a serial bomber who takes pride in killing bomb-techs. With fully realized characters and blistering conflict, Demolition Angel takes you inside the world of the bomb squad. Wait until you meet Mr. Red, the bomber who wants to be on the FBI's Most Wanted list.

This is a brilliant novel. Even while Crais gets your heart racing, he manages to explore a great many emotional truths along the way. The depth of emotion heightens the suspense. I read this book in one sitting. Robert Crais has outdone himself with this one.

Don't miss it!

At first, I was somewhat disheartened to learn that this would not be an Elvis Cole novel. One the one hand I was looking forward to something different from Crais because he is a fantastic author, but on the other hand I need my Elvis fix! But I can now say that after reading Demolition Angel I have forgotten about Elvis (temporarily, of course).

Demolition Angel is much darker and edgier than the Elvis Cole novels. The main character, Carol Starkey, is on a path to self destruction. Bitter, alienated, and self-abusive since the bomb blast death of her partner, she must regain control of her life or be destroyed herself. While struggling with her personal demons, she must catch the killer who is targeting bomb squad technicians in a series of explosions. Is Mr. Red the mad bomber or is it someone else?

Non-stop action, intense suspense, and plenty of twists along the way lead to an explosive climax. An intelligent, multi-dimensional thriller, Demolition Angel will keep your heart racing and keep you on the edge as you race through the pages. Crais at his best matches up with anyone else. Period.

Demolition Angel begins with the harrowing scene of a bomb squad member being blown to bits and never lets you go. Crais introduces a new character, Detective Carol Starkey, a former bomb squad technician who was almost killed three years ago in a similar bombing that killed her partner and lover. Left scarred both physically and emotionally and drinking to excess, Carol gets to work to find this serial bomber before he strikes again. What she begins to realize, as she investigates, is this terrorist is after bomb squad techs, and she is the one that got away. This is a fast paced, compelling story with strong, realistic characters. The writing is gritty and true to life. The scenes vivid and frightening. Mr. Crais has obviously done his homework on the bomb squad and bomb building techniques and this adds real credibility to the story. Demolition Angel will put you on the edge of your seat and keep you there to its very satisfying ending. A terrific, suspense-filled read that will pull you in and keep you turning pages all night long.

This one works. A complex plot peopled with complex characters should put this one on everyone's thriller list. Action starts before chapter 1, so don't skip the Prologue.

Carol Starkey is a bomb-hardened Los Angeles Detective-2 in the Criminal Conspiracy Section working her way back to the bomb squad. A simple-looking pipe bomb detonates in a shopping mall and turns out to be much more than your standard pipe bomb. It's Starkey's turn in rotation, and she begins the investigation. The FBI Bomb Data Center and the ATS National Repository turn up similarities between this bomb and others found around the country, which lead her into the more complex world of a "chronic", a person who is addicted to bombs and the excitement of seeing their effects. Sometimes her own worst enemy, Starkey manages to move from one extreme to the other and back again during the chase. Many twists, dead ends, and convolutions make this a test of your predictive and investigative skills.

Tightly plotted, tightly written, and complex with non-stop action. This will keep you reading into the night.

As I read Robert Crais' latest, "Demolition Angel", I couldn't help but wonder if Jodie Foster would consider playing the novel's heroine, Carol Starkey. Crais, author of the Elvis Cole series, takes the reader on a tour of the life of a former member of the L.A. Bomb Squad. You can feel Starkey's pain and apprehension as she investigates the death of a member of the bomb squad and tackles the most most sadistic and demented criminal mind since Hannibal Lecter. The novel has numerous twists that come together in an exciting climax that will leave the reader asking for the film. Let's hope that Crais will continue to work his magic on both Elvis Cole and Carol Starkey.

OK -- I'm another reviewer wishing this was an Elvis Cole book and immediately disliking Crais' female protagonist Carol Starkey right from the beginning. She's adversarial and has more demons of her own than she knows what to do with. Somewhere, midway through the book, she becomes more vulnerable and consequently more likeable to this reader. Carol Starky is with the bomb squad in LA when she and her partner/lover are victims of a bomb blast that kills him and puts Carol in the hospital for 54 days. Now, 3 years later, she is a bomb investigator and is investigating the death by bomb of another friend and bomb squad technician. Her mind is very keen as she unravels one clue after another amazing the reader page after page. Everyone thinks that this bomb has been planted by a serial bomb-for-hire specialist, Mr. Red. Carol is not so sure about this and sets out to find out if Mr. Red is involved. While she is investigating him, he becomes fascinated by Carol which could turn up deadly for her. My one complaint about this book is that Crais never gives you a description of Carol until after page 200 where he tells you that she is tall and athletic -- nothing more. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine. So even though this isn't another Elvis Cole masterpiece by Crais, he does prove once again that if you're a great author, it doesn't matter who your main character is.

This was an interesting change for me. It is the story of Carol Starkey who is a former member of the L.A. Bomb Squad. After a catastrophic explosion three years prior that left her literally in pieces, emotionally as well as physically; Starkey is placed on a case that dredges up old feelings and her demons are unleashed once again.

The elusive Mr. Red wants one thing, to make the FBI's top ten list. His modus operandi is an elite bomb that he strategically places with the name of his intended victim carved into it. Who is next on his hit list and will Starkey be able to get to him in time. Sounds simple but the plot thickens when Starkey starts to see discrepancies in how the latest bomb was manufactured and Mr. Red becomes an undaunted companion in a chat room on the Internet.

This was a good who dun it and a book the men in your crowd might enjoy as well. The author made a fine presentation of his research on bombs and the bomb squad technicians who bravely answer the call. I would give this one a 3.5. Kelsana 7/14/01

His last Elvis Cole novel was the best thing Crais has ever written. "Demolition Angel" is the worst thing he's ever written. All too obviously it's written in a way to try to sell it to the movies. The characters are very broadly drawn, when they're drawn at all (often supporting characters are the faintest of sketches), and the lead character is so brassy and angry that she's repellent. You WANT her to blow up.

The situations are simplistic, the plotting pointlessly tricky, the villain utterly unbelievable. AND Crais thinks Tagamet is merely a powerful antacid. He uses lots of Los Angeles street names without capturing anything remotely like the flavor of the city.

The book reads as though it was written in a way carefully calculated to make it a best-seller, and completely without the spirit and sense of involvement that he'd been slowly and competently developing in the Elvis Cole series. This is a disaster.

This is really a great book. For fans of Elvis Cole, you have to stay with it in the early going. Crais has created a wholly different character -- none of the snappy, wise-cracking, easy likeability that Elvis has, but a deeper, poignant picture of a woman who has "always been a tough girl" struggling to keep it together after some horrible trauma. Carol Starkey, a detective, was with the bomb squad until she and her lover were killed when a bomb exploded in their faces. The paramedics re-start Carol's heart after 2 1/2 minutes or so, but she carries vicious physical and emotional scars three years later. When a bomb kills another member of the squad, Carol gets the lead on the investigation, and it takes her through a series of twists and turns that will keep you turning pages as fast as you can read. This one shows that Crais has a lot of range. Read the Elvis Cole books too. They'are all great. (L.A. Requiem is the best of the lot, but you'll enjoy it more if you read the earlier books in the series first -- you need to know Cole's sidekick, Pike, well to appreciate the book properly.)

Bomb squad technician Carol Starkey is struggling to put her life back in order after an explosion kills her lover/partner, and leaves her scarred for life.

When a bomb call turns to murder, Carol takes charge of the case. Teaming up with Special Agent Jack Pell, they begin to discover that the bombing was not just a random terrorist act, but a very clever plan, targeted at specific bomb technicians.

Robert Crais has written a totally original, powerhouse of a novel.

"Demolition Angel" begins with a bang (literally) and keeps on moving to a stunning climax.

Crais has created a novel that will further cement his bestselling status.

A MUST read.

Nick Gonnella