Book Review: The Angel Gateway

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

[3 stars]

The Angel Gateway Amazon UK HC
Jane Adams
Class/Genre: Mystery
Macmillan; 2000; £16.99; 373 pp
Classification: Adult fiction (Supernatural thriller)

Taking a break from her Mike Croft series, Jane Adams introduces a new character, DI Ray Flowers. Severely burned in a petrol bomb attack, he goes to his aunt's cottage to contemplate his future. There, he discovers that Kitty, a woman tried as a witch in 1643, often visits the cottage.

Flowers tries to piece together her history, played out against the backdrop of the English Civil War, and coming to realize that he played a part in her fate - but 300 years before he was even born. Can he solve this mystery and that of who attacked him?

The last time that Adams wrote a ghost story, 'Bird', I did not think much of it and so I looked at this novel with interest, wondering if it would be any different. I am pleased to say that it was. Adams has written an interesting mix of the past and the present, a ghost story and a police procedural, throwing in some romance and other elements as well.

She tells the story of Ray and Kitty at the same time, changing from the present to past but always making sure that the reader understands what is going on. The pace is of a medium speed, which is suitable for the novel as a whole and overall; it makes for an enjoyable tale. It could be said that Ray's story takes a bit of a backseat to that of Kitty, but they are intertwined. The only other little niggle that I had with the story was that it could have done with slightly better proofreading. Flowers' rank changes from DS to DCI to DI throughout the story.

'The Angel Gateway' deserves a recommendation and certainly, if you are a fan of any of Adams' previous work, you are going to enjoy this one. She is writing more in the Flowers series and I look forward to reading them.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
http://lukecroll.translatorscafe.com

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