A Quiet Belief in Angels By R J Ellory

Amazing.

Below I have added the blurb from the back of the book so that you can have a rough idea of what the book's about before I ramble on about it.

1939, in the small, rural community of Augusta Falls, twelve-year old Joseph Vaughan hears of the brutal assault and murder of a young girl, the first in a series of killings that will blight the community over the next decade. Joseph and his friends are determined to protect Augusta Falls against the evil in their midst and form The Guardians. But the murderer evades them and they watch helplessly as one child after another is taken.

Even when the killings cease, a shadow of fear follows Joseph for the rest of his life. The past won't stay buried and, fifty years later, Joseph must confront the nightmare that has overshadowed his entire life...

So there it is. A rough outline of the novel. This novel is so deep and is spread over such a long period of time that the blurb only provides a mere snippet of the entirety of the novel.

Along with the main character, Joseph, the characters of the book are complex, ranging from the Sheriff Haynes Dearing to the German Gunther Kruger.

The genre of this book is hard to pinpoint, as it can be argued as being crime, murder mystery, drama and to a certain extent, even a horror.

There have been mixed reviews on A Quiet Belief of Angels, for example, it has been nominated by Richard and Judy for the British Book Awards 2008.

The Guardian said,

"This is compelling, unputdownable thriller writing of the very highest order."

On the other hand, people have said that the ending was too predictable, there is no flow, and that the novel is disjointed.

In my personal opinion the ending wasn't predictable at all, and the book didn't give too much away until the last couple of pages.

I understand that some people may regard the novel as having no flow, and I don't necessarily agree. However, the novel is set over around fifty years, and this could make it seem as if it isn't flowing.

I think that A Quiet Belief in Angels is a sophisticated read with vast descriptive use and a wide ranging use of vocabulary. For the more experienced reader this book is a delight, however the use of word may be lost on anyone below a high standard.

This isn't the kind of book you would read if you like happy stories with a happy ending. But, I'm not saying this book will make you really depressed either. It touches on some deep and serious issues, and has a gripping storyline.

You will find yourself feeling close to the main character, Joseph, and will remain by his side until the very end. The novel is in first person, which reinforces the closeness with Joseph.

Whatever your genre taste, this novel is undeniably, a fantastic and captivating read, and I hope I have inspired someone out there to give this book a go!