Product Description

"A terrific book-what might have happened if Raymond Chandler had written The Exorcist."-Stephen King

"Falling Angel combines the best of the classic detective story . . . with elements of the occult with surprising humor and wit. . . . This is the literary love-child of Raymond Chandler and Stephen King. . . . Not for the faint-of-heart."-from the foreword by Ridley Scott

Falling Angel pits a tough New York private eye against any detective's most fearsome adversary. A routine missing-persons case soon turns into a fiendish nightmare in which the shadow detective Harry Angel chases seems to be his own.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 36 reviews)

Good read

From all the reviews I expected one of the great horror novels and while this is a good novel, I dont think its great. Part of the problem, at least for me, is I guessed very early on in the novel the big ending. I have never seen the movie and Im not claiming Im the most perceptive reader in the world but the author gives very obvious hints, expecially the name of the client, throughout and the ending wasnt so shocking, at least not to me.
Its well written from a first person POV, the descriptions of 1959 New York put you there and I thought the characters were nicely drawn. There were some surprises and it was a fairly quick read but the big payoff at the end was the payoff I expected so it wasnt as powerful.
Definitely worth the read, though.
August 13, 2008

A Review

Great book. It's written very well. Hjortsberg is great author. I couldn't put it down. The novel totally absorbed me. Finished it in two days. The ending totally surprised me. I didn't see that coming. After I finished reading it, I had a nightmare about Louis Cyphre, and luckily I woke up before it ended.
November 29, 2007

I am proud to own this book!

In mystery there are lot of great writers. I horror, nowadays, you name it. In expetional cult and urban details, it has become a trend.
Mr.William has it all in on in lifetime book, amd with twist in the tale that makes it an inordinary book. Stephen King, the master said, I never really read anything like it. Well, neither have I?
Angel is a detectecitve with an awkward edge, asked by amysterious Lu Cypher, if you know what I mean, to investigate the disppearence of a famous singer. Simple. Easy. And to the point investigation that takes you into the darkened alleys of New orleans, the wicked melodies of jazzy contabass players, chicken foot naked women voodoo, sexy black girl history, rich white girl delllima and her father who holds the keys to not just solving teh mystery or finding the singer or exposing who the man is who wants to find the singer. Bur ultimately, to Angel himself.
The writing is very easy relaxed, Hjortsberg does nothing but just tell you the story. No comlications, mastery of prose, innuendo writing. He is much more brilliant than that. He know he has a climax in the novel that will shock you and will break through into your very soul. A climax dealing with one the most suppressed and hidden fears in history. If I had a plot like that handy, I would have become a millionare and took a six figure check in advance.
If you are into horror or mysteries, this is a must book on your shelf.
Remember , the end is shocking and you will read this book again.

May 31, 2007

A truly creepy read

I learned about this one from the credits of the movie, Angel Heart and then looked it up on Amazon. It's genuinely creepy and perfectly captures the atmosphere of New Orleans (which, as he tells it, is just about the gateway to Hell!). Very powerful with lots of high tension. A nail biter.
July 19, 2006

Thrilling and athmospheric

That's a book magnificently written, devilishly coiling the reader in a chilling spiral of madness and evil.The title is truly apt. The athmosphere of late forties -early fifties New York is magnificently rendered. As for the occult part,it's interesting to note that one of Dashiel Hammett novels, The "Dain Curse", also featured an occult sect. This novel has all the crisp pacing of Hammett and Chandler's labyrinthine convolutions of plot. Esgar Allan Poe meets Jonathan Lethem A must read!
June 07, 2006

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