Demolition Angel Author:Robert Crais 4 Cassettes, 6 hrs. — Performance by Patricia Kalember — With the most unforgettable female lead character since Clarice Starling, Demolition Angel is a blistering stand-alone thriller from the freshest bestselling voice in crime fiction. — Carol Starkey is struggling to pick up the pieces of her former life as L.A.'s finest bomb squad technician. ... more »Fueled with liberal doses of alcohol and Tagamet, she's doing time as a Detective-2 with LAPD's Criminal Conspiracy Section. Three years have passed since the event that haunts her--a detonation that killed her partner and lover, David "Sugar" Boudreaux. Fragments from the same explosion sliced through Starkey's protective Kevlar, scarred her beyond repair, and left her outside looking in at the life she left behind. Now she can't bear her reflection in the mirror, and hasn't been with another man since Sugar left her bed the morning they rolled out to the bomb site.
When a seemingly innocuous bomb call turns into a devastating murder scene, Carol catches the case and embarks on an investigation of a series of explosions that reveal intentions far more disturbing than one-shot acts of anarchy. The bombs are designed expressly to kill bomb technicians, and as the one tech who survived the deadliest of blasts, Carol is in for the most intense fight of her life.
Against the dazzling and lonely backdrop of contemporary Los Angeles, Robert Crais has crafted a work of ingenious depth of character, matched with a transcendent narrative velocity. Demolition Angel is sure to take its place among the finest thrillers of the modern age.« less
Robert Crais, known for his Elvis Cole novels, has taken a break from his famous Private Eye! I never did get "into" the Cole Series, but I really liked Crais' writing style, so I decided to give this one a shot. This time Crais has created Carol Starkey, a female bomb-squad vet doing time as a Detective 2 with LAPD's Criminal Conspiracy Section. After suffering a catastrophic explosion 3 years earlier that left her literally in pieces, both physically and emotionally, she is placed on a case that dredges up old feelings, unleashing her inner demons all over again! Her main nemesis is "Mr. Red", who's main desire is to become the most feared man in the world! (what do you want to be when you grow up!) Crais manages to depict him in such a way that you almost want to root for him. It's this ability, coupled with Starky's character that makes this book a very entertaining listen. The solid supporting characters, and Crais' well-written knowledge of bombs and bomb-making will maintain your interest throughout. Personally, I found this heroine to be on the level of a Clarice Starling! - you remember her - right? Remember Jodie Foster with Hannibal Lecter!!! I know ladies don't normally gravitate to Mystery/Thrillers (my entire bookshelf), but mayber this book will get some of them to come over to my side! C'mon ladies, reach into the unknown - you may find that you like it after all!
