Byline: MICHELE PATTERSON
In stunning departure from his ever-so-popular
Elvis Cole mysteries,
Robert Crais gives us a stand-alone chiller
and thriller. The main
character is an Los Angeles Police Department
bomb squad investigator
named Carol Starkey. Like Humpty Dumpty, she
is trying in vain to put
her life back together after her stint as a bomb
squad technician three
years ago. Her last day on that job ended with
an explosion that "killed"
her as well as her partner and lover, David Boudreaux.
The only difference
being, that the paramedics could revive her,
bring her back to a disfigured,
dysfunctional and lonely life. Three things fuel
her life these days: gin,
Tagamet and her intense desire to be back as
LAPD's finest bomb squad
technician.
The death of another bomb technician was thought
to be an accident until
pieces of a radio-controlled device were found.
Meaning that Charlie Riggio
was murdered by someone not 100 yards from
the point of detonation. What
is worse, is when the feds discover the fragments
with Starkey's name on it --
and don't tell her. That means that Carol has
been chosen by Mr. Red, the
infamous bomber for hire and bomb technician
hitman. Carol is in for the
fight of her life, personally, professionally
and literally. "Demolition Angel"
is an intense, in-your-face page turner.
On a scale of 1 to 5, this is a 4 1/2.
(Note: this is an excerpt from a longer article.)