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R.J. Ellory

A Quiet Belief in Angels Mass Market Paperback – Import, January 2, 2008

by R.J. Ellory (Author)

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A superb, atmospheric thriller from 'one of crime fiction's new stars' [Sunday Telegraph]

Joseph Vaughan's life has been dogged by tragedy. Growing up in the 1950s, he was at the centre of series of killings of young girls in his small rural community. The girls were taken, assaulted and left horribly mutilated. Barely a teenager himself, Joseph becomes determined to try to protect his community and classmates from the predations of the killer.

Despite banding together with his friends as ' The Guardians', he was powerless to prevent more murders - and no one was ever caught. Only after a full ten years did the nightmare end when the one of his neighbours is found hanging from a rope, with articles from the dead girls around him. Thankfully, the killings finally ceased. But the past won't stay buried - for it seems that the real murderer still lives and is killing again. And the secret of his identity lies in Joseph's own history...

Print length

396 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Orion
Publication date

January 2, 2008
Dimensions

5.16 x 1.06 x 7.76 inches
ISBN-10

0752882635
ISBN-13

978-0752882635
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orion; New Ed edition (January 2, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 396 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0752882635
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0752882635
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.16 x 1.06 x 7.76 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #6,649,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #16,369 in Serial Killer Thrillers
- #51,203 in Murder Thrillers
- #311,200 in Mysteries (Books)

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4.2 849 ratings

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R.J. Ellory

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RJ Ellory is the author of eighteen novels, all published in the UK by Orion, and available in twenty-six additional languages. They are:

CANDLEMOTH (2003)

GHOSTHEART (2004)

A QUIET VENDETTA (2005)

CITY OF LIES (2006)

A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS (2007)

A SIMPLE ACT OF VIOLENCE (2008)

THE ANNIVERSARY MAN (2009)

SAINTS OF NEW YORK (2010)

BAD SIGNS (2011)

A DARK AND BROKEN HEART (2012)

THE DEVIL AND THE RIVER (2013)

CARNIVAL OF SHADOWS (2014)

MOCKINGBIRD SONGS (2016)

KINGS OF AMERICA (2017)

THREE BULLETS (2019)

PROOF OF LIFE (2021)

THE DARKEST SEASON (2022)

THE LAST HIGHWAY (2023)

Additionally, in 2020, he independently published 'THE MAN WHO ATE THE WORLD', with all proceeds being donated to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

'Candlemoth' was shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Steel Dagger, and went on to win the Grand Prix des Lecteurs and the Balai d'Or 2017. His fifth novel, 'A Quiet Belief In Angels' was a Richard & Judy Book Club selection in 2007, and won the Livre De Poche Award, The Strand Magazine Novel of The Year, The Mystery Booksellers of America Award, the USA National Indie Excellence Award for Best Mystery, the Inaugural Nouvel Observateur Prize and the Quebec Booksellers' Award. 'A Quiet Vendetta' won the Quebec Laureat, the Avignon Readers’ Prize and the St. Maur Prize. 'A Simple Act of Violence', Ellory’s sixth novel, won the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year 2010. He has been nominated for a further thirteen international awards including two Barrys, the Association 813 Trophy, and the Europeen Du Point. He has also written the screenplay of 'A Quiet Belief In Angels' for Oscar-winning director, Olivier Dahan, and has optioned 'A Dark and Broken Heart' for film. His novella 'Three Days in Chicagoland' was released as a French graphic novel at the end of 2014 (in collaboration with Fabrice Colin), as was 'Seul le Silence' in 2021. He has published short stories in numerous British and American magazines. Currently working on two TV series adaptations, he is also writing for the screen with two original feature films in production. Ellory - alongside Martin Smith (formerly of ELO) - is a founding member of The Whiskey Poets, a country-blues band, and they have released three albums, 'Low Country', 'Native Strangers' and 'The Garage Tapes'.

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David Antrobus

More Than A Crime Novel

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 18, 2012

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At first glance, A Quiet Belief In Angels is a coming-of-age crime melodrama with an ameliorating breath of Steinbeck. But if we recall the familiar dictum that truth is stranger than fiction, we can appreciate that RJ Ellory's plot owes at least as much to his own backstory as it does to any lurid dimestore novel. It earns its occasional extravagances, in other words. And it does this in two ways. First, as mentioned, the author's own life has been punctuated by some remarkably similar losses and heartaches as those of his protagonist, Joseph Vaughn. And second, the gentle, lyrical tone of the novel manages to temper and even mask what might otherwise appear ludicrous.

In an interview with fellow author Richard Godwin, Ellory claims there are "two types of novels [...] those that you read simply because some mystery was created and you ha[ve] to find out what happened. The second kind of novel [i]s one where you read the book simply for the language itself, the way the author use[s] words, the atmosphere and description. The truly great books are the ones that accomplish both."

Ellory very much accomplishes that difficult synthesis. It's flawed, of course; what isn't? But the balance between the dismaying mystery that emerges from a series of violent child murders in small town 1940s Georgia onwards, and a soft, lush lyricism redolent of the southern landscape itself, is both a satisfying and a successful one. This is a mystery yet it transcends genre conventions. It is a story of serial killings yet it transcends the police procedural. It is character-driven (Vaughn in particular is a compelling and unorthodox protagonist) yet quietly contemplative. It's a haunted tale, more than anything, a branch of southern gothic with a tragic twist.

Finally, I was also extremely impressed with the deft manner in which an English author manages to capture the authentic atmosphere, speech rhythms and culture of the American south, with very few jarring notes ("launderette" for "laundromat" was one of them, alongside the publisher's puzzling decision to use British style single quotes for dialogue in the Kindle version I had).

That aside, this is a novel well worth your time.

David Antrobus, author of Dissolute Kinship: A 9/11 Road Trip .

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Donatien

A quiet Belief in Angels

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 19, 2012

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« A quiet belief in Angels »
There are some really great titles, and this is one of them : intriguing, enticing, mysterious.
When I started reading, I had two initially negative reactions :
The first one was toward the style : almost every sentence, at the start of the story, is constructed without a subject. It feels like a succession of hammer blows.
The second was toward the subject matter : "Oh no ! Not another serial killer !"
Fortunately, the hammering does not last. Sentences become whole again. In fact, the style soon turns wonderful, laced with blinding images and poetic undertones.
Fortunately also, this serial killer plot is definitely not a detective or a police story, even if the Police do play an important part in it.
So, what is it ? Well, it's a partly fictitious, partly authentic autobiography. It suffuses the work with deep-seated feelings, wonderful nostalgic descriptions, but also suspense born out of the stifling, threatening atmosphere of a small Southern town ruled by bigotry, intolerance, narrow-mindedness and gossip.
"Atmosphere" is the key word, here. It almost chokes you, the reader. It traps you in a mentally claustrophobic world. You suffer, but you keep reading. At the end, you are relieved that such unbearable tension should be over, and at the same time, as with all great novels, you are sorry to have reached the last page.

2 people found this helpful

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PaleolithNick

Kick Off Your Shoes and Set a While

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 4, 2011

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No author suspense author savors the moment as thoroughly as RJ Ellory does. Like his prior two books, Ghostheart and Candlemoth, A Quiet Belief in Angels is all about voice. This time, it is the slow, thick voice of a main character simmering in the dark, forced (even self-consciously pretentious) lyricism of the rural poet.

This is a not a fast-past thriller, nor historical fiction, nor poetry-in-prose form. This book captures the spirit a person. Everything else is seen through that person's eyes, expressed through that person's voice, and filtered through that person's soul. The novel isn't about a place or a time; it's about one man's experience of that place and time. The novel isn't about a vast array of diverse characters' it's a window onto those characters through one man's life. Like a dish cooked in a heavy, southern sauce, it's true that there's a sameness that coats the individuals within this book -- and that's by design.

Enjoy this book for everything it is; don't judge it as falling short of what it was never been intended to be.

One person found this helpful

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Arnold Slater

Magic on paper! Dark and beautiful at once!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 26, 2010

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R. J. Ellory's story A Quiet Belief in Angels is nothing short of a literary masterpiece. The landscape and time of rural Georgia from the 30's to the 60's is illustrated with an artistic touch. The setting sets the tone and feel of this amazing mystery that spans decades and concludes as beautifuly as it begins. You are drawn into the mind and heart of Joseph Vaughn as he travels through various stages of his life; all the while he is haunted by the tragic events of his youth. It is an epic journey that leaves you breathless. R. J. Ellory is almost poetic in his use of language without resorting to poetry itself. To me personaly--He is on a par with J.D. Salinger. If there is such a thing as a classic literary mystery, this is one that should not be missed by any fan of the mystery genre.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Claudio D'Ambrosio

awesome

Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on January 31, 2014

Verified Purchase

awesome. I received it fast, perfect conditions. i don't know what else to write so I write this . bye

spider queen

truly remarkable

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 26, 2022

Verified Purchase

First of all, the description on the Kindle product page has absolutely nothing to do with the book, so don't be misled.

I can't remember that last time I stayed up all night to finish a book. This is not an easy read--there are horrors, losses, grief, tragedies, and injustices. This is the story of one man's life, from childhood to resolution. One can feel oneself embedded in that life, and its struggles, and the happenings that derailed it--and his tenacity throughout, never giving up.

The story-line held my attention throughout. I read a LOT of mysteries, etc., and I was in doubt about the perpetrator of these terrible crimes almost until the last page.

The characters are very alive--I could see their faces, their movements, and some (mercifully only some) of their experiences.

The writing is so clean, so literate, so deft.

I will now go on to read the rest of the author's work.

Very highly recommended--not for the faint of heart.

S. B. Kelly

Utterly gripping but marred by purple passages

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 24, 2008

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For the first couple of chapters, I thought I wasn't going to like this book. The prose struck me as overwrought, with words like 'myriad' cropping up to spoil everything, the way it always does.

Then the story began to suck me in and I read the remaining 380 pages in a couple of days, although the odd purple passage would make me wish for more restraint from a writer who is, otherwise, a fine prose stylist. It's that which prevents me from awarding the full 5 stars.

The identity of the killer was obvious enough, but it's not a whodunnit, so that didn't matter. What counted was Joseph's life, dogged by ill fortune: he grows up in a hick town in Georgia during the great depression and WW2; his father dies and his mother has a nervous breakdown and ends up in hospital where the primitive medication of the time deprives her of any hope of recovery; his wife dies in childbirth. And that's just the start of his troubles!

He makes an implausibly successful escape to Bohemian Brooklyn to establish himself as a writer, but the deaths of the little girls down south still haunt him, and then the worst thing of all happens to him. I found myself panting for breath in the very few chapters that wreck his life completely. I was angry and indignant, feeling emotions that only the best writers can arouse for fictional characters.

I would recommend this book to anyone; I have done so. Just be prepared to wince at the odd 'poetic' extravagance that gets in the way of the story and the characters.

3 people found this helpful

Harry

An intense, heartbreaking voyage of true finesse and beauty

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 11, 2008

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I didn't simply read this book, follow its passages glibly, only briefly envisioning the scenes described. I didn't, because that was simply not possible; I lived it, felt it, and was drawn inexorably within it. This work, by Ellory, is an experience that will stay with me for many years, and anybody who is conversant with Quiet Belief In Angels will have a clear idea as to why.

The premise of the book is not convoluted, or impregnable, it is actually simple, if rather harrowing. The story follows the life of Joseph Vaughan, haunted by the child killings in his hometown; Augusta Falls. These shadows follow him, haunt him and fortify his desperate desire for deliverance. In his yearning to escape he is fully possessed by them, until they dominate his very being.

I was moved by the style, the description, the deftness and mastery with which Ellory creates this world and draws one into it. The way you become emotionally attached to the characters, experiencing real emotion, exhilaration and despair. I can actually see the protagonist, Joseph Vaughan in my minds eye; I feel I know him, his reactions, attitudes and decisions, like I do a close friends. I can feel, breath, almost experience Augusta Falls, and thus created an emotional attachment to the stricken town. So much so, that when the passage of time creates irrevocable changes, I found myself yearning nostalgically for the more rustic humble town of the 1940's.

Throughout this journey, I felt the anguish in the inequity of Joseph Vaughan's fortune, yet beamed, at his times of happiness. I certainly agree with the reviewer, who mentioned reading his books chronologically will allow you to develop with the author, but this is not essential, everyone of his books are stand out experiences in themselves

It is very pleasing to see that an erudite author of such talent is finally getting deserved recognition. Many more can now avail themselves to his unique gift, and sail into a resonant journey that is quintessentially an RJ Ellory novel. Highly recommended.

11 people found this helpful

sweet petite

Just missed being great

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 5, 2011

Verified Purchase

This could have been a remarkable book. Descriptions of the small, southern town were captivating and how it represented the whole world through the eyes of a child. Joseph Vaughn was a character who you cared about. The trauma of living amongst the murders of children he knew, understandably became an underlying obsession which came to haunt his life.

*Possible spoiler alert*

This obsession was so great and the subsequent tragedies that dogged Joseph gave the impression that we were privvy to the narrative of a psychopath disassociating from his crimes (bit like in secret window with Johnny Depp). The true culprit however, is provided with no explanation of why or how he carried out the crimes.

The book was badly let down by the affairs with the female characters, these seemed uneccessary and annoying and detracted greatly from an otherwise good book. Descriptions of Brooklyn were flat and could have been a great opportunity to contrast with his quiet and sleepy hometown.

This is a book of two parts - when it is good it is excellent and this brings annoyance at the parts where it is weak because you know the author has the ability to captivate and transport you through those beautiful descriptions of Augusta Falls.

One person found this helpful

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