A review by canada_matt
Broken Angels by Graham Masterton

adventurous emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Eager to continue this series by Graham Masterton, I hoped to remain just as impressed. A police procedural set in rural Ireland, Masterton uses all the elements of a stellar backstory to chill the reader as they forge through this tale of abuse and horrific torture. Then again, those who know his work would expect nothing less of Graham Masterton. A winner in a series that has me completely enthralled already!

In County Cork, Detective Sergeant Katie Macguire has been trying to create new connections for herself while remaining at the top of her policing game. She’s pulled into the middle of a new case when a local priest is found tortured and murdered. A little hunting around shows that he may have been involved in some horrific abuse of local orphans in the past. 

When the forensics from the scene point to genital mutilation with a harp string, DS Macguire and her team are surprised. While there is no love loss for Catholic priests by many, this seems to be slight overkill. They push to learn more, as a second victim turns up, also mutilated and with a similar string left at the scene. Someone is hunting Catholic priests with a murky past!

All the while, a man lurks in the shadows, having captured these priests when they least expect it. He speaks to them about their heinous actors and tries to get them to confess, hoping that their absolution will help lull them into a false sense of relief. Referring to himself as the Grey Mullet Man, there’s something he seeks but he is not completely forthcoming with his victims. Still, he is on a mission and will stop at nothing for answers.

While DS Macguire tries to solve this latest case, she is pulled in other directions by a new man in her life. Not a local, this man has high hopes of getting Macguire to accompany him back to America, where she will be able to reinvent herself. However, the killer out there has kept Macguire from making many of the needed decisions and she is now facing a new crossroads where her future is concerned. Masterton does a stellar job keeping readers enthused by this piece.

I thoroughly enjoyed a previous series of Graham Masterton’s, spurring me on to try this one. After devouring the series debut, I could not wait to get my hands on this book. In a novel that tackles a number of personal issues, Masterton touches on all of them effectively, while providing her reader with a chilling set of murders that weave their way into the mix. Captivating, disheartening, and suspenseful all at once, Masterton has the perfect recipe for a police procedural that is sure to garner a great deal of attention for those who take the time to read his books. I cannot wait to se how things progress from here.

Masterton has a way with his writing that makes the reader want to learn more through his storytelling. He develops a narrative flow that provides a smooth reading experience, while offering some ghastly events throughout, sure to shock the attentive reader. There are strong characters that fill the pages of the novel, permitting the reader to live thought them at various stages of the story. DS Katie Macguire receives more character development throughout, essential for the protagonist, keeping the reader connected to all that she has going on in her life. There were again some well-developed plot twists in the book, as well as the underlying discussion of abuse by priests in the Catholic Church, but Masterton offers his own perspective, which ended up being highly unique. I devoured this book and am again eager to see what happens with everyone in County Cork, especially some of the happenings with DS Macguire.

Kudos, Mr. Masterton, for another series I will be spending the summer enjoying!

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at: