The Tears of Angels
"..a taut thriller which has a series of twists Chubby Checker would be proud of."
Synopsis:
A few days before the summer solstice a 92-year-old woman is found burned to death in her home. On the same day, a man's mutilated corpse is discovered in a field, his arms ripped from their sockets, a Tarot card depicting The Fool inserted in his mouth.
When the victim is identified as someone for whom the police have been looking for almost a year, detectives Anderson and Costello find themselves caught up in a case where nothing is as it seems. Was the dead man really responsible for three child murders? And what is the connection with the death of the elderly woman?
The investigation leads to the tranquil shores of Loch Lomond where Anderson and Costello will finally uncover the shocking truth.
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Review:
With 'The Tears of Angels', Caro Ramsay has penned a taut thriller which has a series of twists Chubby Checker would be proud of. From first page to last, I was kept guessing as to the identity of the killer. For the record, I guessed one twist, suspected another and was blindsided by a third which dispelled any feelings of smugness. Throughout the book, the plotting was sublime with lots of development and more than enough pace to keep the pages turning. Ramsay's writing is thoroughly dark, yet there are lighter moments where she shows a keen sense of humour to alleviate the bleaker, more horrific moments. Costello is her favourite mouthpiece for these asides and comments and as such I was drawn more to her than to Anderson. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with him as a character, it's just that for my taste, Costello's star shines brightest. The other characters were all ably drawn, but from the supporting cast it was Daisy who most appealed.