A Novel with Thoughts and Ponderings

ANGELS FALL

Author: Nora Roberts ISBN: 0399153721 7/2006 SUSPENSE Publisher: G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS

Angels Fall by Nora Roberts

Reece Gilmore has come a long way to see the stunning view below her. As the sole survivor of a brutal crime back East, she has been on the run, desperately fighting the nightmares and panic attacks that haunt her. Reece settles in Angel's Fist, Wyoming-temporarily, at least-and takes a job at a local diner. And now she's hiked this mountain all by herself. It was glorious, she thought, as she peered through her binoculars at the Snake River churning below.

Then Reece saw the man and woman on the opposite bank. Arguing. Fighting. And suddenly, the man was on top of the woman, his hands around her throat . . .

Enjoying a moment of solitude a bit farther down the trail is a gruff loner named Brody. But by the time Reece reaches him and brings him to the scene, the pair has vanished. When authorities comb the area where she saw the attack, they find nothing. No signs of struggle. No freshly turned earth. Not even a tire track.

And no one in Angel's Fist seems to believe her. After all, she's a newcomer in town, with a reputation for being jumpy and jittery-maybe even a little fragile. Maybe it's time to run again, to move on . . .

Reece Gilmore knows there's a killer in Angel's Fist, even if Brody, despite his seeming impatience and desire to keep her at arm's length, is the only one willing to believe her. When a series of menacing events makes it clear that someone wants her out of the way, Reece must put her trust in Brody-and herself-to find out if there is a killer in Angel's Fist before it's too late.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I love the natural, quaint feel of ANGELS FALL—the characters are easy and realistic, but not slow. The setting (the Grand Tetons) is magnificent and not overdone. The writing is slim and forthright, just like the dialogue, but don't read into that. It's more than substantial so everything holds your attention. And, the main mystery and sub-plots are given just enough cleverness to draw you in, keep you hooked, and maybe even surprise you a bit in the end.

All of the things I mention above make this a comfortable read. Comfortable, not boring. Sure, there are some thrilling and scary moments—the heroine's past, and even her future, appear grim and daunting. But the overall tone is deceptively calm. Like "the calm before the storm" calm. Perhaps that is why the ending plays out the way it does.

You can devour ANGELS FALL in a day, maybe even feel compelled to do so, but it's not heavy or depressing despite some of its content. I like that, and I certainly like ANGELS FALL.

Shannon Johnson

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