Book Review- Angel of the Dark by Sidney Sheldon and Tilly Bagshawe

Title: Angel of the Dark

Image source: Goodreads

Author: Sidney Sheldon and Tilly Bagshawe

About the story: LAPD detective Danny McGuire confronts the most cryptic and baffling case of his career when an elderly multimillionaire art dealer, Andrew Jakes, is found brutally murdered in his own house. His wife, Angela, was also violently attacked and raped and barely survives the ordeal. But as McGuire starts his investigation he finds himself falling for the beautiful and enigmatic Angela Jakes. 

Danny’s failure to solve the case and the sudden disappearance of Angela, breaks his confidence and he quits the police force only to join Interpol in France. After a decade, during which McGuire compels himself to forget the case and the stunning Mrs. Jakes, Matt Daley, Andrew Jake’s estranged son from his first wife, comes knocking on McGuire’s doors to reopen the case.

Matt has proof that his father’s murderer is still on the prowl and that murders identical to his father’s have taken place in different parts of the world.

The modus operandi is similar in all the murders, the victims being wealthy old men with a young, recently married wife. Not only the men were slayed in gruesome manner but their young wives were assaulted too. After each massacre, the sole beneficiary of will, the widow, donates the entire wealth to children’s charities and vanishes completely.

Danny and his team finally have a breakthrough when they identify the next country where the killer will strike, but can Danny stop the murders before the body count rises? Will Danny be able to solve the case and finally lay to rest memories of Angela and start a new life with his ravishing and devoted wife? Read the book to find out.

My Review:  It’s been years since I read a Sidney Sheldon book, but during a recent book shopping spree in Avenue Road, B ’lore, I couldn’t resist picking up some Sheldon’s books.

Sheldon’s books have been famous for his strong women characters and the twists and turns in the plot. His forte lies in portraying characters with intense, powerful emotions like, passion, rage, love or hate. 

But sadly this book fails to impress, its flaw being that the plot is far too stretched. The book falling under the thriller/suspense genre, perpetually rises and dips in terms of holding reader’s interest. I felt the ending was specifically dragged on to a few 100 more pages. And the plot in those 100 pages had more twists and turns than any roller coaster ride.

At few junctures in the story, the book is absolutely unputdownable especially when Daley comes into the picture and the murder investigation gains speed. But mostly the mystery or the intrigue is sorely missing, since the story gives away the identity of the killers.

Sadly Tilly Bagshawe has not been able to completely justify Sidney Sheldon’s plot.

Verdict: A marginally enjoyable book, if you are not looking for anything great in terms of plot. Don’t read expecting a remarkable Sidney Sheldon novel.

 

Rating: 2.5/5