Angel of Death
by Rosanna Filippello
4 out of 5
First, let me say I enjoyed this book. The actual reading of it was easy, clear and not once did I have to reread a paragraph or sentence to reacquaint myself with what was going on. (You know how sometimes you get lost in the text and have to reread a section or two; not in this book.) Filippello is clear in explaining to you what’s happening in any given scene. The characters are all in all well-rounded and, since this book is the first in a series, are destined to be even more so. The most enjoyable aspect of Filippello’s story was the hidden light of passion behind each page, a light that shone with her love of being a police officer. I don’t think any author, no matter what research they did, could make the cops in this book as real as they came across. From the dialogue to the mannerisms, this is true police behavior. The kind of stuff you’d see happening in the background of a NYPD Blue episode, but even more so. Except Filippello brings it all to the foreground and, for the duration of the book, you feel like you’re a cop yourself.
Book Two, I’m sure, is going to be even better. At least, that’s the goal of an author (I hope)—to improve their craft and show said improvement in their latest release. I do it, and I know others who do it, too.
If I were forced to nitpick this book, there’s not much I could say. I would only suggest that the intensity of the deaths be taken up a notch and for the book’s ending not to have felt like it was rushed. This is not a bad thing, mind you, but I wanted to live in the resolution a little longer and/or experience each second in the final moments before the killer was revealed and the protagonist’s reaction to that revelation, and any and all action that followed.
This is a good read. Buy it. I’m waiting for Book Two from Rosanna Filippello.
