Angel Killer by Andrew Mayne – Review

Published: September 23, 2014

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks

Series: Jessica Blackwood #1

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Pages: 368 (Paperback)

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Synopsis:
FBI agent Jessica Blackwood believes she’s left her complicated life as a gifted magician behind her . . . until a killer with seemingly supernatural powers puts her talents to the ultimate test.

A hacker who identifies himself only as “Warlock” brings down the FBI’s website and posts a code in its place that leads to a Michigan cemetery, where a dead girl is discovered rising from the ground . . . as if she tried to crawl out of her own grave.

Born into a dynasty of illusionists, Jessica Blackwood is destined to become its next star—until she turns her back on her troubled family to begin a new life in law enforcement. But FBI consultant Dr. Jeffrey Ailes’s discovery of an old magic magazine will turn Jessica’s world upside down. Faced with a crime that appears beyond explanation, Ailes has nothing to lose—and everything to gain—by taking a chance on an agent raised in a world devoted to achieving the seemingly impossible.

The body in the cemetery is only the first in the Warlock’s series of dark miracles. Thrust into the media spotlight, with time ticking away until the next crime, can Jessica confront her past to stop a depraved killer? If she can’t, she may become his next victim.

---

Soooo, its been probably a month and a half since I actually finished this up. That’s what happens when I prioritize review copy write ups over the books I pick up for funnies. Fortunately this is a memorable series opener and I haven’t forgotten too much! I’m back tracking a little with this series, since my first intro to Jessica Blackwood was in Mastermind, where she teams up with Theo Cray. I loved it and knew I had to go back and see where Jessica’s story began.

Jessica Blackwood is from a family of famous stage magicians, and having had her fill of the limelight, she went off to college, became a police officer, and then joined the FBI. It’s clear from the start that she takes her work very seriously and that a work-life balance is sort of non-existent. When she’s pulled into a special team headed up by Dr. Robert Ailes, a brilliant mathematician known for thinking outside the box, it becomes clear that Jessica is in for a unique challenge. There’s an individual known only as the Warlock who is performing what appear to be miracles, though clearly something sinister is afoot. The first “miracle” is a girl who died years past clawing her way from her grave, seemingly only just deceased. It really had me intrigued from the start, especially since each time I started to form a guess about how it was done, it would be wrong! There are three “miracles ” in total with each being more sensational than the last.

I have to say, this was really over the top and I loved every page of it! Jessica is easy to root for, and I like that she acknowledges when something is outside her realm of knowledge. Her background as a stage magician is uniquely suited to unraveling the mystery of the Warlocks miracles and showing what they really are – smoke and mirrors. The Warlock himself remains an unknown figure until the end of the book, but his influence continues throughout the series and beyond into Mastermind. 

I think it almost goes without saying at this point, but I’d highly recommend Angel Killer, particularly if you’ve enjoyed Andrew Mayne’s other series. This book is ultimately a satisfying set up for not only the next two books in this series, but also a crossover series starring Jessica Blackwood and Theo Cray. This is a fun, fast paced read where the mysteries lean perilously close to the supernatural while remaining firmly rooted in the natural. The science and techniques behind it are pretty far-out, but it’s extremely fun if you can suspend disbelief for the sake of some brilliant entertainment.