Demolition Angle by
Robert Crais
pbk out January 03
(Orion)
at £5.99
Robert Crais looks set to become the next American crime writing sensation in the UK - think Michael Connelly, think Dennis Lehane. At least, that’s what his publishers would have us believe. The back of my proof copy says that Demolition Angel is an Orion superlead, soon to be advertised in the national press and found in a dumpbin in your local bookshop. A campaign like that puts massive pressure on a book. Does this one live up to the hype?
Well, up to a point, Lord Wimsey. As the title suggests, this is a novel about bombs. It’s also about Carol Starkey, a former bomb squad technician who miraculously survived the explosion that killed her partner - making her the angel, I guess. Starkey is now a detective in the LAPD’s Criminal Conspiracy Section - yes, this is definitely a conspiracy-led yarn - and she finds herself embroiled in a new case of death by explosion which she quickly realises is not what it seems. As she digs deeper, all the time fighting the mental trauma from her own near-death experience, Starkey uncovers a criminal mastermind with the ultimate bomb-making skills. And she is destined to become his final target...
So far, so good. Demolition Angel contains plenty of the elements we’ve come to expect from a top-notch American crime novel. The lead characters are gritty and determined, but they’re also convincing human beings. Starkey is more than the standard driven protagonist, her efforts to get over the loss of her lover and start a new life adding to her professional integrity. She spends much of the book fighting with her colleague Beth Marzik and, considering the gender of the author, the two women are skilfully drawn.
If anything, it’s the male characters who come across as stereotyped, particularly Jack Pell, the special agent who has a guilty secret, and Mr Red the bomber - the latter being a comic book villain rather than a credible master criminal. These failures impact on the plot, which is workmanlike and gripping in parts but which ultimately suffers from the lack of psychological depth.
So, is Demolition Angelthe business? Not to the extent the publishers are claiming, though it’s still a cut above the majority of thrillers in the bookshops. Crais certainly writes a pacy narrative that’s full of twists. If that’s your priority, you won’t be disappointed. There’s also plenty of the technical know-how that many novelists these days think is essential, as well as plenty of police procedural detail. As a whole, though, the novel doesn’t quite come alive. An infusion of humour might have helped.
Demolition Angle by
Robert Crais
