Back in 2002 eighteen-months-old Niamh Temple died whilst on holiday with her family in Portugal. The Temple family are back in Portugal gathering together to share the life of Max Temple who has recently died.

On holiday next door to the Temple family is Vince, his wife Kirsten, their baby and Au Pair, Canadian Amanda. Amanda is also a blogger and recognises the family staying next door as Max was a well-known conspiracy theorist. Niamh was his granddaughter who died in mysterious circumstances.

Amanda does a little digging and soon begins to wonder whether a member of the Temple family is hiding secrets, but poking your nose in other peoples business is risky, very risky.

I haven’t read any of Chris Brookmyre’s work before but I was soon hooked on his style of writing. The book takes place in two different times, 2002 and 2018. There are a lot of characters to remember including one who has changed her identity since the tragedy in 2002.

I was fascinated by the whole situation and whilst I’m not normally a lover of books shifting in time, this book worked. I was also eager to understand what the prologue meant.

The book is also told from multiple points-of-view. Unfortunately, this is something I’m not a lover of and so the book took a little bit more of my concentration and time to read than normal. Whilst the change between different POVs was done well and you always knew which person you were following, and which time zone, I’m just not a lover of multi-point-of-view books, but this is just my preference and may people love them.

Fallen Angel is compelling, gripping and leaves you feeling anxious and cold at times as if you are on the edge of your seat knowing that something is lurking around the corner such as a twist in the plot or a shocking scene.

I will have to go back and read some of Mr. Brookmyre’s earlier work now.

About the Author

Chris Brookmyre was a journalist before becoming a full-time novelist with the publication of his award-winning debut Quite Ugly One Morning, which established him as one of Britain’s leading crime authors.

His Jack Parlabane novels have sold more than one million copies in the UK alone, and Black Widow won both the McIlvanney Prize and the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award.

Share your thoughts in the comment section below!