Barry Forshaw on R. J. Ellory and Stanley Ellin...
A Quiet Belief in Angels was the breakthrough book for British writer R.J. Ellory, and his particular skill lies in a sprawling, ambitious realisation of American locales – at times reminiscent of the great Stanley Ellin. And like the sardonic American author of The Speciality of the House, Ellory has a taste for the darker recesses of human psychology.
January 2008 Book of the Month.
Sarah Broadhust's view...
Named the No.1 Mystery of the Year by The Strand Magazine.
Now for something completely different – a small-town setting for a riveting tale, one that grows so that when the eventual horror comes, it fair hits you in the stomach. It involves the killing of young girls as World War I breaks out in Europe, a period of death and brutality that so affects a young boy that his teacher persuades him to write about his feelings. We get much depth and emotion which in a crime novel lifts it way above the genre. I particularly enjoyed this one.
Reviewed on Richard & Judy on Wednesday 30 January 2008.
Comparison: William Kowalski, John Irving, Edward Wright.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Win an Escape Challenge and a copy of The Spy and the Snake by M J Robotham
Closing date: 02/08/2026
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...
A Quiet Belief in Angels features in the following genres: Thriller and Suspense, Books of the Month, Crime and Mystery, Book Club Recommendations, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
A Quiet Belief in Angels is available in Paperback
A Quiet Belief in Angels was written by R. J. Ellory and published by Orion Publishing Co
A Quiet Belief in Angels has 396 pages
£9.89
