This is the 3rd (and final?) book in the trilogy that started with "The Straw Men", and while I had high hopes for it after not having liked "The Upright Man", I have to say that I was disappointed.Yet again the author takes 3 seemingly unconnected storylines and brings them together into a conspiracy theory which, this time, manages to involve, of course, September 11. I'm always leary of any book that contains the stupid theory that September 11 wasn't exactly was it was, and I have to admit that as soon as I read this bit in this book, I totally disconnected from the story(which, by the way, continues to harp on the very ancient non-civilization of The Straw Men and the fact that they might have caused the annihilation of every great civilization in our past history, and that the Church and the Masons, amongst others, are the only organizations standing in their way.)This book, in my view, would have been much better if it had focused on the story of Jim/John, the crazy old serial killer. Mixing the serial killers and the Straw Men bit is too far-fetched, like 2 types of books rolled into one by incongruous links, even though the Straw Men are serial killers themselves, although on a larger, terrorist scale. Since they've managed to get the more run-of-the-mill serial killers to be their go-getters and their errand (and "delivery") boys, they've created their own society, which is, supposedly, what they're against in the first place. They also all seem to live together in rich enclaves while enslaving the mere "mortals" around them into doing their bidding, whether they realize it or not. This makes no sense whatsoever in the context of the conspiracy being described here.What is truly horrifying is the internal struggle of Jim/John as he tries to resist the killer impulses in him, as he observes how easy it would be for someone to snatch kids out of their own backyards, supermarket parking lot... how easy it is for parents not to know what is happening in their teens' lives just because they have decided to trust that their kids are good kids and that bad things only happen to someone else. This is the true horror: the banal suddenly becoming horror and the fact that it can befall any of us, at any instant.
So sadly I come to the finale of "The Straw Men" trilogy - Blood of Angels. Now I'm feeling vaguely bereft again. I have absolutely loved my re-read of this set of books and I'm sad that I am done. I can't start again right away can I? No perhaps not. But I'm sure this will not be the last time I read them.This part of the tale finds Ward and Nina hiding out in a remote cabin and trying to leave the world behind them. John is nowhere, unable to contact him they reluctantly decide that their friendship is over. Then Nina's boss at the FBI, Monroe, brings news of two murders..and everything changes. Dragged back into the horror, Nina finds herself haunted by ghosts from the past - and Ward is suspicious of the reasoning behind Monroe's request for Nina's assistance. Trying once more to contact John, he starts to untangle this latest mystery...The Straw Men mythology deepens in this book - intriguing and well imagined it makes you wonder what exactly might be lurking behind closed doors.....hey how well do you REALLY know your neighbours, friends, confidantes. Many tangled webs weave themselves into the ultimate showdown..and its a corker of an ending trust me. But is it the end? I truly hope not.The story taken as a whole, over the entirety of the three books is extremely well done. And yes there is room for more to happen in this world..I really need to know about a lot of things. Are you listening Mr Marshall? Having built up this whole mythology around Serial Killing do you know I would not be at all surprised if at least one recent tv show that will remain nameless ( Hint: Kevin Bacon gets in on EVERYTHING) has at least one writer that has read these particular books. The story may be different but the ambience is the same. So still, after this go round, this remains in my top 3 trilogies of all time. If you want to know what the other two are watch this space.Next on my list for my re-read for the Michael Marshall section of my website is "Killer Moves" - a book I remember kept me on the edge of my seat the first time around - and it didnt even need an Upright Man to do so.Happy Reading Folks!
Do You like book Blood Of Angels (2005)?
The cover reads, "The heart-stopping conclusion to The Straw Men trilogy". I wouldn't go quite that far, but it was a good story. Is it the actual end? I guess we'll see. Enough of the plot is left open-ended for it not to be. But, John, Ward, and Nina do take it to Paul (The Upright Man) and it does have an ending, if not a definitive one. As for "heart-stopping", I would disagree. But, overall, I did enjoy the trilogy. And I would definitely recommend this installment to people who enjoy conspiracy theories! This book really has a doozy!
—Donald
As always, Marshall entertains. This time, he also explains. I'm not a huge fan of 'series' books, simply because, in most cases, you can count on the protagonists living through - at least till the last book. That takes away any real sense of drama for me. True, if it were a series of romances, that might not be such a consideration. In an 'action' or thriller series, it does limit the plotline. Blood of Angels extends and theoretically closes the series begun with The Straw Men. I'm not one to really discuss or disclose plots, so let's just say it's a conspiracy theory kind of series. Bad guys on one side and good guys on the other. Or are they? Who knows - we judge by what's "good" right now to determine bad and good. The writing, as always is entertaining, highly readable and fun. Reasonably plausible and interesting, too. Hard to maintain all those in one of those conspiracy theory type runs. Of the three (The Straw Men, The Upright Man and Blood of Angels), I think it's the best. The first two had more of a promise than a delivery and that disappointed me. This one has both. Now, you're going to have to suspend disbelief a little more than normal, but if you do and can, you will be rewarded for a night or two of solid thriller/action type reading. No matter what, I'll complain and wish Marshall's endings were as good as the other 90% of the book, but I'll keep reading him. Stupid me. :0)
—Al Swanson
This was an exciting conclusion, but I must admit that the ending was not as conclusive as I had hoped. Perhaps the author will continue the series... the groundwork is certainly there! This book, though interesting and very exciting, was really ultimately soured by the loose ending. After building the conclusion up over the course of three novels, I was left wanting something more solid and satisfying. This is not stopping me from reading his other books, though, because this is a very talented author! I only hope that his future endings are more well-rounded.
—Victoria
