Angels Burning
Overview
On the surface, Chief Dove Carnahan is a true trailblazer who would do anything to protect the rural Pennsylvanian countryside where she has lived all fifty of her years. Traditional and proud of her blue-collar sensibilities, Dove is loved by her community. But beneath her badge lies a dark and self-destructive streak, fed by a secret she has kept since she was sixteen…
When a girl’s body is beaten to death and tossed down a fiery sinkhole in an abandoned coal town, Dove is faced with solving the worst crime of her law enforcement career. She identifies the girl as a daughter of the Truly family, a notorious dynasty of redneck irascibility and petty criminals.
During her investigation, the man convicted of killing Dove’s mother years earlier is released from prison. Still proclaiming his innocence, he approaches Dove with a startling accusation and a chilling threat that forces her to face the parallels between her own family’s trauma and that of the Trulys.
With countless accolades to her credit, author Tawni O’Dell writes with the “fearless insights” (The New York Times Book Review) she brought to the page in Back Roads and One of Us. In this new, masterfully told psychological thriller, the past and present collide to reveal the extent some will go to escape their fate, and in turn, the crimes committed to push them back to where they began.
“In Angels Burning, Tawni O’Dell ratchets up the suspense with stunning twists and turns that send the unsuspecting reader careening toward a shocking ending. Angels Burning is a no-holds-barred, page-turning, perfectly crafted thriller that kept me reading long into the night. I can only hope that this is not the last we hear of O’Dell’s feisty and complicated protagonist Dove Carnahan.” — Heather Gudenkauf, author of THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE
“With a writer as insightful as Tawni O’Dell, and a protagonist as fascinating as Dove Carnahan, from the first page you brace yourself for the hard truths of the town of Campbell’s Run. Angels Burning lives up to every bit of its promise. This is a terrific book.” — Jamie Mason, author of THREE GRAVES FULL and MONDAY’S LIE
“O’Dell returns with a captivating mystery… Filled with surprising twists and turns, this whodunit in a sullen town is a page-turner.” –Kirkus Reviews
Tawni O’Dell is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels including Back Roads, which was an Oprah’s Book Club pick and a Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection. Back Roads is currently in development to be made into a film by Michael Ohoven, the producer of the Academy-Award-winning, Capote. She is also a contributor to several anthologies including Becoming Myself: Reflections on Growing Up Female. Her works have been published in over 40 countries.
Tawni was born and raised in the coal-mining region of western Pennsylvania, the territory she writes about with such striking authenticity. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and spent many years living in the Chicago area before moving back to Pennsylvania with her two children.
My Thoughts
Chief Dove Carnahan is the main character of this story. She is a police chief in a small community in Pennsylvania. There is an abandoned mine just out of town where the body of a teenage girl is found, partly buried and partly burned. It is up to her and her team to figure out what happened to her and why. She is identified as Camio Truly, a member of the Truly family, notorious for being rednecks and petty criminals. Suspects abound, Camio's family and her boyfriend are among them.
Dove has issues of her own and her story is told along with the ongoing investigation of the girl's murder. Dove's mother was murdered when Dove was a teenager. Dove also has a sister Neely and a brother Champ. Their stories are also mingled in. Neely is a dog trainer with issues of her own, Champ left the family shortly after their mother was murdered and has not returned in 20 years, then suddenly turns up with a son. The man who was tried and convicted for the murder is out and he is not happy that he had to be imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.
All of these stories combine to tell tale of dysfunctional families at their best, and worst. A suspenseful story that gets even more suspenseful as the story goes on. Definitely twists that I never saw coming. I love a good mystery/thriller type story and Angel's Burning is one of the better ones that I have read. All of Tawni O'Dell's books take place in Pennsylvania coal mining communities and she writes of the locality very well. This is the first book I have read by this author but I certainly will be reading more. I give this book 5 stars.
I received a copy of this book for review and my honest thoughts.
Kathleen, I love that I've been introduced to Tawni O'Dell on your site. You've shared a very compelling review with your followers and an author that I am wondering how in the world I could have missed; she has six books out! But this review is seriously riveting and I am so glad I've come across it. Here's to Tawni O'Dell, and here's to The Celtic Lady!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Claire for stopping by and your nice comments.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first book I have read by her also. Not sure why but will have to correct that!