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Carol Starkey è morta in una terribile esplosione. Morta per centosessanta interminabili secondi. Poi il suo cuore ha ricominciato a battere. Quello di David "Sugar" Bordeaux, suo compagno e collega, invece, si è fermato per sempre. Lontano dalla Squadra Artificieri, di cui era il fiore all'occhiello, Starkey ha ripreso lentamente a vivere. Ma quando, tre anni dopo, un altro poliziotto muore dilaniato da una bomba, lei sa che non può continuare a nascondersi. Deve incastrare l'artefice di quei perfetti ordigni di morte, il folle artefice di quelle terribili esplosioni.
461 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 2000
1229 people are currently reading
2338 people want to read
About the author
Robert Crais
179 books4,556 followers Robert Crais is the author of the best-selling Elvis Cole novels. A native of Louisiana, he grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River in a blue collar family of oil refinery workers and police officers. He purchased a secondhand paperback of Raymond Chandler’s The Little Sister when he was fifteen, which inspired his lifelong love of writing, Los Angeles, and the literature of crime fiction. Other literary influences include Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway, Robert B. Parker, and John Steinbeck.
After years of amateur film-making and writing short fiction, he journeyed to Hollywood in 1976 where he quickly found work writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Miami Vice, as well as numerous series pilots and Movies-of-the-Week for the major networks. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, but is most proud of his 4-hour NBC miniseries, Cross of Fire, which the New York Times declared: "A searing and powerful documentation of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise to national prominence in the 20s."
In the mid-eighties, feeling constrained by the collaborative working requirements of Hollywood, Crais resigned from a lucrative position as a contract writer and television producer in order to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. His first efforts proved unsuccessful, but upon the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life as the basis of the story. The resulting novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, won the Anthony and Macavity Awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award. It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Crais conceived of the novel as a stand-alone, but realized that—in Elvis Cole—he had created an ideal and powerful character through which to comment upon his life and times. (See the WORKS section for additional titles.) Elvis Cole’s readership and fan base grew with each new book, then skyrocketed in 1999 upon the publication of L. A. Requiem, which was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and forever changed the way Crais conceived of and structured his novels. In this new way of telling his stories, Crais combined the classic ‘first person’ narrative of the American detective novel with flashbacks, multiple story lines, multiple points-of-view, and literary elements to better illuminate his themes. Larger and deeper in scope, Publishers Weekly wrote of L. A. Requiem, "Crais has stretched himself the way another Southern California writer—Ross Macdonald—always tried to do, to write a mystery novel with a solid literary base." Booklist added, "This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience."
Crais followed with his first non-series novel, Demolition Angel, which was published in 2000 and featured former Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey. Starkey has since become a leading character in the Elvis Cole series. In 2001, Crais published his second non-series novel, Hostage, which was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and was a world-wide bestseller. Additionally, the editors of Amazon.com selected Hostage as the #1 thriller of the year. A film adaptation of Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
Elvis Cole returned in 2003 with the publication of The Last Detective, followed by the tenth Elvis Cole novel, The Forgotten Man, in 2005. Both novels explore with increasing depth the natures and characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. RC’s third stand-alone novel, The Two Minute Rule, was published in 2006. The eleventh entry in the Elvis Cole series, The Watchman, will be published sometime in 2007.
After years of amateur film-making and writing short fiction, he journeyed to Hollywood in 1976 where he quickly found work writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Miami Vice, as well as numerous series pilots and Movies-of-the-Week for the major networks. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, but is most proud of his 4-hour NBC miniseries, Cross of Fire, which the New York Times declared: "A searing and powerful documentation of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise to national prominence in the 20s."
In the mid-eighties, feeling constrained by the collaborative working requirements of Hollywood, Crais resigned from a lucrative position as a contract writer and television producer in order to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. His first efforts proved unsuccessful, but upon the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life as the basis of the story. The resulting novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, won the Anthony and Macavity Awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award. It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Crais conceived of the novel as a stand-alone, but realized that—in Elvis Cole—he had created an ideal and powerful character through which to comment upon his life and times. (See the WORKS section for additional titles.) Elvis Cole’s readership and fan base grew with each new book, then skyrocketed in 1999 upon the publication of L. A. Requiem, which was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and forever changed the way Crais conceived of and structured his novels. In this new way of telling his stories, Crais combined the classic ‘first person’ narrative of the American detective novel with flashbacks, multiple story lines, multiple points-of-view, and literary elements to better illuminate his themes. Larger and deeper in scope, Publishers Weekly wrote of L. A. Requiem, "Crais has stretched himself the way another Southern California writer—Ross Macdonald—always tried to do, to write a mystery novel with a solid literary base." Booklist added, "This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience."
Crais followed with his first non-series novel, Demolition Angel, which was published in 2000 and featured former Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey. Starkey has since become a leading character in the Elvis Cole series. In 2001, Crais published his second non-series novel, Hostage, which was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and was a world-wide bestseller. Additionally, the editors of Amazon.com selected Hostage as the #1 thriller of the year. A film adaptation of Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
Elvis Cole returned in 2003 with the publication of The Last Detective, followed by the tenth Elvis Cole novel, The Forgotten Man, in 2005. Both novels explore with increasing depth the natures and characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. RC’s third stand-alone novel, The Two Minute Rule, was published in 2006. The eleventh entry in the Elvis Cole series, The Watchman, will be published sometime in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 518 reviews
March 22, 2022
If it wasn´t for such a forced ending, I may have given this novel a five star rating. A solid standalone from R. Crais, but nothing to do with his Cole/Pike series. For one, it doesn’t have the usual sense of humor and witty dialogues. Never matter, the story is well built. Carol Starkey’s fool mood is quite understandable, and the world of bomb making and the techniques of defusing them, though quite redundant, never made me lose interest. The police investigation is very well delivered, with a good and interesting plot.
Robert Crais proves again that he is a very reliable thriller writer.
Won't be the last novel to read by this author. No doubt about it.
Robert Crais proves again that he is a very reliable thriller writer.
Won't be the last novel to read by this author. No doubt about it.
September 27, 2021
In 2000, Robert Crais took a break from his Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series to write this novel featuring a former bomb squad tech named Carol Starkey. Three years before the book opens, Starkey and her partner, who was also her lover, were attempting to dismantle a bomb when a minor earthquake set off the bomb. Starkey's partner was killed and Starkey herself died for a couple of minutes and then was revived. She's never recovered from the incident, emotionally or physically, and is now working as an LAPD detective. She'd like to get back to the bomb squad, but she's drinking heavily; she doesn't sleep well; she smokes several packs of cigarettes a day, and she is still seeing a therapist. In sum, she's not a great candidate for a return to her former assignment.
Then one afternoon an anonymous caller reports that he's seen what looks like a bomb in a bag near a small shopping center. The bomb squad rolls and as one of the techs is investigating the package, the bomb goes off, killing the tech instantly. Inevitably, large numbers of police race to the scene and the case is assigned to Starkey.
The components of the bomb suggest that it is the work of an infamous bomber named "Mr. Red," who is desperately trying to make a name for himself and get on the FBI's Ten-Most-Wanted List. Starkey is determined to keep the case for herself, even though she fears that her superiors or federal agents may take it away for themselves. Her fears are intensified when an FBI agent named Pell arrives on the scene. He has been hunting Mr. Red for some time but for the moment at least, he is willing to assist in Starkey's investigation rather than assuming responsibility for the case.
This is a novel with a lot of moving parts and complicated relationships and in which not everything is as it seems. The pace picks up considerably when Mr. Red himself comes forward to engage in a personal contest with Starkey. The plot moves at a swift pace and Starkey is a very flawed but compelling protagonist. If I have any complaint about the book, it would involve the addition of a romantic subplot that didn't really seem very believable or critical to the story. All in all, though, I enjoyed rereading the book, and I'm sure it will appeal to a lot of Crais's fans.
Then one afternoon an anonymous caller reports that he's seen what looks like a bomb in a bag near a small shopping center. The bomb squad rolls and as one of the techs is investigating the package, the bomb goes off, killing the tech instantly. Inevitably, large numbers of police race to the scene and the case is assigned to Starkey.
The components of the bomb suggest that it is the work of an infamous bomber named "Mr. Red," who is desperately trying to make a name for himself and get on the FBI's Ten-Most-Wanted List. Starkey is determined to keep the case for herself, even though she fears that her superiors or federal agents may take it away for themselves. Her fears are intensified when an FBI agent named Pell arrives on the scene. He has been hunting Mr. Red for some time but for the moment at least, he is willing to assist in Starkey's investigation rather than assuming responsibility for the case.
This is a novel with a lot of moving parts and complicated relationships and in which not everything is as it seems. The pace picks up considerably when Mr. Red himself comes forward to engage in a personal contest with Starkey. The plot moves at a swift pace and Starkey is a very flawed but compelling protagonist. If I have any complaint about the book, it would involve the addition of a romantic subplot that didn't really seem very believable or critical to the story. All in all, though, I enjoyed rereading the book, and I'm sure it will appeal to a lot of Crais's fans.
November 24, 2012
Bomb technician Carol Starkey got blown to hell. Then she came back. Actually, that’s not right. Starkey got blown up, died for a couple of minute, was revived and her life has been hell ever since.
Three years later and Carol has never emotionally recovered from the blast that temporarily killed her and permanently killed her partner/secret lover. Working as a detective in the LAPD’s Criminal Conspiracy Section, Carol is trying to convince the bosses to bring her back as a bomb tech, but she’s drinking on the job and prone to panic attacks that she‘s trying to hide. She’s also smoking three packs a day, can’t sleep more than a couple of hours a night even after liberal doses of gin, and she changes therapists constantly.
After another bomb tech is killed by a sophisticated device, an ATF agent named Pell shows up with the news that a serial bomber who calls himself Mr. Red has come to LA. Mr. Red’s goal is to make it onto the FBI’s top ten most wanted list, and he likes to target the cops who defuse explosives.
Overall, this was a pretty entertaining thriller. Crais has a background in TV writing, and he tends to set things up in terms of clichés. (His Elvis Cole/Joe Pike characters are classic examples of the smart-ass private detective and his bad ass friend.) This one follows that pattern because the whole cop-traumatized-by-terrible-event-working-another-case-that-brings-back-memories is nothing new. What Crais does well is to start with a familiar set-up and then twist it. That’s definitely the case here with the story zigzagging in several directions I didn’t see coming.
I also liked Carol as a character because she’s a hot mess, but she’s got real reasons for being so. She’s in pain, she’s socially awkward, her life is in shambles, but she’s still trying to pull it together even if she isn’t doing a great job of it.
The main complaint with this is the romantic sub-plot between Carol and Pell that gets shoe horned in here. Far too many stories in the crime thriller genre feel the need to work these in, and they’re generally unbelievable and add nothing to the story. An attraction between Carol and Pell might have been a nice complication, but having two people talking about loving each other just a few days after meeting made me roll my eyes. It felt like Crais put this in just because it’s expected, and that he didn’t really buy it either.
Still, it’s a tense and entertaining thriller with good twists and turns to it. I would have gone a low 4 star on it, but the romance dropped it a high 3.
Bonus feature: Dan and I saw Crais do an interview at Bouchercon last year, and he had a very entertaining story about how he wrote this book in secret when he should have been working on another Elvis Cole novel. You can watch it here.
Three years later and Carol has never emotionally recovered from the blast that temporarily killed her and permanently killed her partner/secret lover. Working as a detective in the LAPD’s Criminal Conspiracy Section, Carol is trying to convince the bosses to bring her back as a bomb tech, but she’s drinking on the job and prone to panic attacks that she‘s trying to hide. She’s also smoking three packs a day, can’t sleep more than a couple of hours a night even after liberal doses of gin, and she changes therapists constantly.
After another bomb tech is killed by a sophisticated device, an ATF agent named Pell shows up with the news that a serial bomber who calls himself Mr. Red has come to LA. Mr. Red’s goal is to make it onto the FBI’s top ten most wanted list, and he likes to target the cops who defuse explosives.
Overall, this was a pretty entertaining thriller. Crais has a background in TV writing, and he tends to set things up in terms of clichés. (His Elvis Cole/Joe Pike characters are classic examples of the smart-ass private detective and his bad ass friend.) This one follows that pattern because the whole cop-traumatized-by-terrible-event-working-another-case-that-brings-back-memories is nothing new. What Crais does well is to start with a familiar set-up and then twist it. That’s definitely the case here with the story zigzagging in several directions I didn’t see coming.
I also liked Carol as a character because she’s a hot mess, but she’s got real reasons for being so. She’s in pain, she’s socially awkward, her life is in shambles, but she’s still trying to pull it together even if she isn’t doing a great job of it.
The main complaint with this is the romantic sub-plot between Carol and Pell that gets shoe horned in here. Far too many stories in the crime thriller genre feel the need to work these in, and they’re generally unbelievable and add nothing to the story. An attraction between Carol and Pell might have been a nice complication, but having two people talking about loving each other just a few days after meeting made me roll my eyes. It felt like Crais put this in just because it’s expected, and that he didn’t really buy it either.
Still, it’s a tense and entertaining thriller with good twists and turns to it. I would have gone a low 4 star on it, but the romance dropped it a high 3.
Bonus feature: Dan and I saw Crais do an interview at Bouchercon last year, and he had a very entertaining story about how he wrote this book in secret when he should have been working on another Elvis Cole novel. You can watch it here.
April 22, 2022
Once blown alcoholic with a poor end. 3 of 10 stars
December 13, 2012
An LAPD bomb squad technician is blown up on the job and Detective Carol Starkey, former bomb squad tech, is on the case. Can Starkey overcome her past and bring the bomber to justice?
I first heard of Demoliton Angel last year at Bouchercon when Robert Crais mentioned working on it in secret after LA Requiem. It sounded okay but I wasn't in a hurry to read it. After Carol Starkey appeared in a couple Elvis Cole books, I knew I had to check out her story. I was not disappointed.
At the beginning of Demolition Angel, Starkey is a wreck. She's a chain-smoker with a drinking problem, trying to forget about a bombing that killed both her and her lover years before. Starkey was resusitated and has been dealing with the scars ever since. When a serial bomber rears his ugly head, Starkey has a chance at redemption. Awesomeness ensues. Starkey's a really good character and I hope Crais uses her as a lead again one of these days. Her relationships with the other characters made the book a joy to read even when things were slow.
The search for Mr. Red takes up most of the book. To be honest, I wasn't that thrilled with the book at first. Then Crais yanked the rug out from under me and crazy things started happening. The last 100 pages blew by at a feverish pace.
While being quite enjoyable, Demolition Angel isn't perfect. The relationship seemed tacked on. Also, Demolition Angel was first published in 2000 and since technology is featured quite a bit, I don't think it has aged as well as Crais' other books written around the same time. Other than that, I've got no complaints. It's right on the line between three and four stars.
I first heard of Demoliton Angel last year at Bouchercon when Robert Crais mentioned working on it in secret after LA Requiem. It sounded okay but I wasn't in a hurry to read it. After Carol Starkey appeared in a couple Elvis Cole books, I knew I had to check out her story. I was not disappointed.
At the beginning of Demolition Angel, Starkey is a wreck. She's a chain-smoker with a drinking problem, trying to forget about a bombing that killed both her and her lover years before. Starkey was resusitated and has been dealing with the scars ever since. When a serial bomber rears his ugly head, Starkey has a chance at redemption. Awesomeness ensues. Starkey's a really good character and I hope Crais uses her as a lead again one of these days. Her relationships with the other characters made the book a joy to read even when things were slow.
The search for Mr. Red takes up most of the book. To be honest, I wasn't that thrilled with the book at first. Then Crais yanked the rug out from under me and crazy things started happening. The last 100 pages blew by at a feverish pace.
While being quite enjoyable, Demolition Angel isn't perfect. The relationship seemed tacked on. Also, Demolition Angel was first published in 2000 and since technology is featured quite a bit, I don't think it has aged as well as Crais' other books written around the same time. Other than that, I've got no complaints. It's right on the line between three and four stars.
August 17, 2019
Read this book when it came out and remember it as one of Crais' better ones. I've met him several times at book conferences and he is generous and sincere. He donated one of his manuscripts to an auction, I bid on it and won, a signed manuscript of Hostage. I still have it.
d.
d.
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November 24, 2025
Audiobook - 10:50 hours - Narrator: Paul Hecht
4.0 stars out of 5.0 - "I really Liked It!"
I had just listened to "The Forgotten Man" by Robert Crais and enjoyed the experience, so I decided to hear another Crais book immediately and chose "Demolition Angel", one of only two stand-alone novels in my Robert Crais collection. This was a fortunate decision as it introduced the character of Carol Starkey, a hardened LAPD detective who later appeared with Elvis Cole in "The Forgotten Man".
In "Demolition Angel", the key character is former bomb squad detective Starkey, who is struggling to rebuild her shattered world after surviving the detonation of a bomb that killed her partner, and who is now a detective in the LAPD’s Criminal Conspiracy Section.
Tense and tightly focussed, with a plot to match, this novel is another excellent example of Crais's expertise as a crime writer.
4.0 stars out of 5.0 - "I really Liked It!"
I had just listened to "The Forgotten Man" by Robert Crais and enjoyed the experience, so I decided to hear another Crais book immediately and chose "Demolition Angel", one of only two stand-alone novels in my Robert Crais collection. This was a fortunate decision as it introduced the character of Carol Starkey, a hardened LAPD detective who later appeared with Elvis Cole in "The Forgotten Man".
In "Demolition Angel", the key character is former bomb squad detective Starkey, who is struggling to rebuild her shattered world after surviving the detonation of a bomb that killed her partner, and who is now a detective in the LAPD’s Criminal Conspiracy Section.
Tense and tightly focussed, with a plot to match, this novel is another excellent example of Crais's expertise as a crime writer.
October 8, 2024
Добра кримка, ако и да е малко остаряла.
Авторът пише добре, с героите почти се е справил, а от самоделни бомби разбира повече от мен. 😁💣
Само не разбрах, кои ли са тия ангели на разрушението?
Авторът пише добре, с героите почти се е справил, а от самоделни бомби разбира повече от мен. 😁💣
Само не разбрах, кои ли са тия ангели на разрушението?
March 20, 2014
Demonlition Angel starts with a BANG! and this review starts with a lame pun.
What looks like a routine defusing of some gangbanger’s pipe bomb left in a dumpster turns into a showering of body parts when the explosive ignites suddenly, completely annihilating a bomb squad technician. Carol Starkey is the detective assigned to the case, which quickly turns into a pissing contest with a self-aggrandizing lunatic who calls himself Mr. Red, and who wants to blow up enough places and people so that he gets his fifteen minutes of fame on the Top Ten Most Wanted List.
Unfortunately for Starkey, she is no stranger to being blown up and dying—it kind of happened to her a few years back when she was a technician herself. These days she is a nervous alcoholic wreck that can barely keep her shit together. While she is actually a good cop, everyone on the force knows that she is getting to stick around out of sympathy.
This is Crais’s first novel that neither stars nor mentions his two usual leads, PI’s Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, and is also the first of his books to be written entirely in third person. While Crais has dabbled with third person narrative shifts in previous books, for the most apart these experiments were unsuccessful. (Except for the Joe Pike flashbacks in L.A. Requiem.) This time around everything moves along smoothly enough: the action focuses almost entirely on Carol’s investigation, but will occasionally take breaks to give a spotlight on Mr. Red or show a few important scenes involving supporting characters.
All in all, Demolition Angel is an entertaining thriller with a few unconvincing “Gee, I know we just met and all, but, my God, I am in love with you” scenes. But for the most part Crais gets it right and gives us a strong female lead with a hot mess of traumatic hang-ups and social anxieties, a competent plot with some surprises along the way, an appropriately flamboyant and nasty baddie, and more than a few scenes of shit getting blown up real good.
What more can any good American want?
What looks like a routine defusing of some gangbanger’s pipe bomb left in a dumpster turns into a showering of body parts when the explosive ignites suddenly, completely annihilating a bomb squad technician. Carol Starkey is the detective assigned to the case, which quickly turns into a pissing contest with a self-aggrandizing lunatic who calls himself Mr. Red, and who wants to blow up enough places and people so that he gets his fifteen minutes of fame on the Top Ten Most Wanted List.
Unfortunately for Starkey, she is no stranger to being blown up and dying—it kind of happened to her a few years back when she was a technician herself. These days she is a nervous alcoholic wreck that can barely keep her shit together. While she is actually a good cop, everyone on the force knows that she is getting to stick around out of sympathy.
This is Crais’s first novel that neither stars nor mentions his two usual leads, PI’s Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, and is also the first of his books to be written entirely in third person. While Crais has dabbled with third person narrative shifts in previous books, for the most apart these experiments were unsuccessful. (Except for the Joe Pike flashbacks in L.A. Requiem.) This time around everything moves along smoothly enough: the action focuses almost entirely on Carol’s investigation, but will occasionally take breaks to give a spotlight on Mr. Red or show a few important scenes involving supporting characters.
All in all, Demolition Angel is an entertaining thriller with a few unconvincing “Gee, I know we just met and all, but, my God, I am in love with you” scenes. But for the most part Crais gets it right and gives us a strong female lead with a hot mess of traumatic hang-ups and social anxieties, a competent plot with some surprises along the way, an appropriately flamboyant and nasty baddie, and more than a few scenes of shit getting blown up real good.
What more can any good American want?
September 27, 2021
Demolition Angel introduces bomb squad veteran Carol Starkey who is now a Detective with LAPD's Criminal Conspiracy Section. It's been 3 years since the detonation that killed Carol's partner and severely scarred her both mentally and physically.
Carol begins to investigate when a bomb call kills another colleague. A series of explosions seem to be aimed at murdering bomb technicians and Starkey quickly discovers she is the killer's ultimate goal.
Robert Crais never disappoints!
Carol begins to investigate when a bomb call kills another colleague. A series of explosions seem to be aimed at murdering bomb technicians and Starkey quickly discovers she is the killer's ultimate goal.
Robert Crais never disappoints!
October 24, 2021
From the old TBR pile...
I'm a huge fan of the author but this was so disappointing. The MC is a barely functional addiction riddled cliché. Sorry but characters who make one TDTL decision after another in order to propel the plot are a personal pet peeve. I think it's best if I redirect you to the many glowing reviews so you can hear from the other side.
Think I'll take a pass on this series & wait for the next instalment of his other one.
Originally published in 2000.
I'm a huge fan of the author but this was so disappointing. The MC is a barely functional addiction riddled cliché. Sorry but characters who make one TDTL decision after another in order to propel the plot are a personal pet peeve. I think it's best if I redirect you to the many glowing reviews so you can hear from the other side.
Think I'll take a pass on this series & wait for the next instalment of his other one.
Originally published in 2000.
October 14, 2025
5 Stars. Crais is reliably great. Here again. I kind of read this out of order and went back to it after she showed up in a Cole and Pike story. Carol is a great character and maybe we’ll see more of her?
This was hard to put down. Tense until the very end. Just a great read. A great cat and mouse game until the end.
This was hard to put down. Tense until the very end. Just a great read. A great cat and mouse game until the end.
October 20, 2013
Not my favorite Crais novel...I am so, so, *so* tired of authors who cast all their female police officers/detectives as dysfunctional, angry bitches...hard to get beyond this and not sure if I more strongly dislike Carol Starkey herself or Robert Crais for creating her. The plot was not up to his usual standards, either. This was an overall disappointment and I am very glad that this was not the first Crais that I encountered...I might have stopped right there.
January 13, 2012
Been reading Crais in order and just love Elvis Cole and Joe Pike so I wasn't anxious to read a stand alone. Didn't think it would live up to my expections. Boy was I wrong.
The last hundred pages or so, there were so many surprises for me...all unexpected, all supported by previous events. No loose threads at the end, either.
His main character, a woman, Carol Starkey, is flawed, flawed to the hilt. She's not a character I thought I would end up really liking but as I got to know her, the more I liked her. She showed up in L. A. Requiem and played a major part, perhaps that's where I decided I didn't care much for her. But as her story unfolds here, she's more understandable, more real. And she knows her business, no doubt. Put her up against any of the other Crais characters.
Really, really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Crais.
The last hundred pages or so, there were so many surprises for me...all unexpected, all supported by previous events. No loose threads at the end, either.
His main character, a woman, Carol Starkey, is flawed, flawed to the hilt. She's not a character I thought I would end up really liking but as I got to know her, the more I liked her. She showed up in L. A. Requiem and played a major part, perhaps that's where I decided I didn't care much for her. But as her story unfolds here, she's more understandable, more real. And she knows her business, no doubt. Put her up against any of the other Crais characters.
Really, really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Crais.
March 26, 2025
Not bad, but nowhere near my favorite Robert Crais novel. But still a good read. My main problem was that the main character, Carol Starkey, was such a self-destructive mess, but I tried to cut her some slack considering what she'd been through, what with dying and all. But really, she knew her drinking was far too over-the-top, and her general fuck-you attitude was a little hard to put up with.
October 9, 2013
"O Anjo da Destruição" é um thriller interessante, que entretém, mas que falha em trazer algo de novo ao género. Robert Crais apresenta-nos uma personagem principal do sexo feminino, traumatizada por acontecimentos do passado, que se vê envolvida num novo caso que lhe desperta a memória e sentimentos antigos.
Carol Starkey é uma confusão da cabeça ao pés. Ela fuma, bebe e queixa-se em excesso. É solitária e frequentemente mal humorada. Contudo, apesar de tudo o que a vida lhe trouxe de mau, ela luta para se manter positiva e activa. Gosto da pessoa e dos seus ideais.
A história tem um ritmo constante e algumas reviravoltas inesperadas. Apesar da simplicidade do enredo, as surpresas são bem-vindas e incentivam à leitura. Contudo, entre os aspectos menos positivos tenho a apontar o romance irrealista entre Carol e um detective com quem troca pouco mais de duas palavras. O amor entre ambos é demasiado intenso para duas pessoas que não se conhecem e esta fantasia não está em sintonia com a história principal.
Relativamente às personagens, sinto que nenhuma, para além de Carol, foi suficientemente desenvolvida para me despertar qualquer tipo de sentimento ou formar opinião. Gostava de as conhecer melhor e sentir a evolução das suas vidas. As suas histórias foram forçadas no caso de investigação principal, e faltam ligações reais.
Em suma, um bom livro para ler entre os grandes e os melhores, um descanso para os olhos e a mente, que não nos faz reflectir em demasia nem exige uma exposição das nossas emoções.
Carol Starkey é uma confusão da cabeça ao pés. Ela fuma, bebe e queixa-se em excesso. É solitária e frequentemente mal humorada. Contudo, apesar de tudo o que a vida lhe trouxe de mau, ela luta para se manter positiva e activa. Gosto da pessoa e dos seus ideais.
A história tem um ritmo constante e algumas reviravoltas inesperadas. Apesar da simplicidade do enredo, as surpresas são bem-vindas e incentivam à leitura. Contudo, entre os aspectos menos positivos tenho a apontar o romance irrealista entre Carol e um detective com quem troca pouco mais de duas palavras. O amor entre ambos é demasiado intenso para duas pessoas que não se conhecem e esta fantasia não está em sintonia com a história principal.
Relativamente às personagens, sinto que nenhuma, para além de Carol, foi suficientemente desenvolvida para me despertar qualquer tipo de sentimento ou formar opinião. Gostava de as conhecer melhor e sentir a evolução das suas vidas. As suas histórias foram forçadas no caso de investigação principal, e faltam ligações reais.
Em suma, um bom livro para ler entre os grandes e os melhores, um descanso para os olhos e a mente, que não nos faz reflectir em demasia nem exige uma exposição das nossas emoções.
August 18, 2022
Except for the feeling that I might get lung cancer after finishing this book, I really enjoyed it. For some reason, the author felt compelled to have Carol Starkey sucking on a cigarette during most of her waking hours. Perhaps it was to demonstrate her fragile hold on reality after having been killed as a Bomb Squad member of the LAPD. or maybe she was a smoking bomb. She was clinically dead for a period of time and then revived. Her partner and lover was not so fortunate. Transferred from that position to the Criminal Conspiracy Section of the LAPD (Dective-2) she catches the lead in investigating the death of another Bomb Squad member. It appears that the bomb in the case she is investigating was made by a serial bomber known as Mr. Red who, while available as a killer for hire with his pyrotechnics, is apparently killing a bomb squad member or two, just for the fun of it. To tell more of the story line would give away some of the twists, turns and quirks of this very well told tale of revenge and betrayal. To do that would be to spoil the soup. Again, this book is evidence of the growth of this author from his early and popular Elvis Cole novels.
January 3, 2013
A novel by Robert Crais that doesn't feature Elvis Cole or Joe Pike but nonetheless is an excellent read. Some really good twist that I had to keep reading to find out was behind the murder. It also has a nice back and forth mouse game between the villian and our hero Carol Starkey. If you a fan of Robert Crais you will not be disappointed.
June 24, 2014
The synopsis or the synopses of this book usually start out telling you about Crais other series. Then they rhapsodize about the action and thrills in this book...
Well, I think that's a little misleading. I mean it's as good as Crais' other books (and if this is a series I plan to follow it). On the other hand it's not a wall to wall to wall action thriller. That's not a bad thing and as you see i like the book. I plan to recommend the book. Just don't go into it expecting a thrill ride that doesn't slow down.
Our protagonist Carol Starkey is hurt, even damaged by events in her past. She was a bomb tech who was in love with her partner (there's a reason police discourage this type of relationship) and he was killed by a bomb. Carol smokes like California during wild fire season, is battling alcoholism and frankly is coasting somewhat. She wants back on as a bomb tech...but this is not in the cards. After all. Carol is the poster child for PTSD...
The book opens with a case of murder by bomb and from there we spin off into an investigation that will uncover more than one plot and end in an...explosive...climax.
I like it, I recommend it, enjoy.
Well, I think that's a little misleading. I mean it's as good as Crais' other books (and if this is a series I plan to follow it). On the other hand it's not a wall to wall to wall action thriller. That's not a bad thing and as you see i like the book. I plan to recommend the book. Just don't go into it expecting a thrill ride that doesn't slow down.
Our protagonist Carol Starkey is hurt, even damaged by events in her past. She was a bomb tech who was in love with her partner (there's a reason police discourage this type of relationship) and he was killed by a bomb. Carol smokes like California during wild fire season, is battling alcoholism and frankly is coasting somewhat. She wants back on as a bomb tech...but this is not in the cards. After all. Carol is the poster child for PTSD...
The book opens with a case of murder by bomb and from there we spin off into an investigation that will uncover more than one plot and end in an...explosive...climax.
I like it, I recommend it, enjoy.
February 25, 2017
I really enjoy Robert Crais's books. There's humor as well as good characters and interesting stories. I read this one back in 2001, and noted that it was excellent. Carol Starkey is an LAPD detective, formerly on the bomb squad, who appears occasionally in other books by Crais. She's one of those "good characters".
September 28, 2019
I didn't really enjoy this book. I actually regret reading it. There was a time when I quit. There wasn't one character in this book that I cared for. Maybe that's more like real life, but I read books to escape, enjoy. Too much dysfunction in the main characters. I read somewhere that Crais feels he relates to women and does a good job writing about women characters. I call bullcrap, his main characters, copyright Samantha Dolan and now Starkey aren't really women, they're men characters in women's bodies. But I decided I wanted to see how it turned out. Meh...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2021
In the reclusive realm of law enforcement, there stands an elite few who possess the skill, technology and courage to defuse danger. Enter the high stakes, life and death world of the public safety bomb technician. Comprised of a small close-knit band of brothers and a few sisters, members of the bomb squad are the point men and women whose sworn duty is to preserve life and property while placing their own lives in harm’s way.
Now, best-selling crime novelist Robert Crais shines the spotlight on the gray areas of the bomb tech’s world in “Demolition Angel.” Meet LAPD Detective Carol Starkey, a flawed and deeply troubled female heroine who struggles with the trauma of a dark and deadly past. A hard-nosed cop who was once one of the LAPD’s top bomb technicians, Carol Starkey lived for the explosive combination of pressure, excitement, intricacies of elaborate devices and the danger that encompasses the thrill of walking a thin blue line of initial success or total failure. Shell-shocked by the death of her partner and secret lover “Sugar” who lost his life downrange attempting to render safe a trailer park IED; a maimed Carol is the lone survivor of one of the darkest days in the LAPD Bomb Squad’s history.
Three years later, as Detective Starkey struggles with psychological demons and heavy alcoholism spawned by survivor’s guilt, her tragic past returns with a vengeance when an experienced bomb tech is slain while x-raying a suspicious package that turns out to contain more than he bargained for. Arriving on-scene to pick up the pieces, Carol now assigned to the Criminal Conspiracy Section of the Los Angeles Police Department, is enraged to discover that the fallen bomb tech Tom Riggio, a close friend on the bomb squad is the murder victim. A personal vendetta is triggered in the wake of tragedy as Detective Starkey follows the clues unraveling an explosive and deadly jigsaw puzzle. At the center of the investigation is a cunning and deadly foe known as “Mister Red;” an assassin with a bomb for hire and a frightening hobby of eliminating bomb technicians with ingeniously simple but lethal devices. Detective Starkey will have to act fast to save an entire city and her brethren on the bomb squad from becoming pink mist.
With the clock ticking down to detonation, local and federal law enforcement agencies scramble to stay one step ahead of the next bombing. Keenly aware of the extreme risks, Detective Starkey and an ATF Agent have no choice but to play an insanely twisted cat and mouse game. Following a trail of bread crumbs that leads to an incarcerated bomber and a macabre internet chat room where the key to a mad man’s wrath lies in cyberspace. Unfortunately for this rough-around the edges bomb detective, she’s in the line of fire. Detective Starkey’s nemesis is a serial killer with a short fuse, and a deadly psycho who has a bomb with her name on it.
This was an amazing work of faction! Robert Crais does an exemplary job creating fictional characters and placing them into high-stakes real world situations. It was a joy listening to this book on Audible. “Demolition Angel” combines the literary style of J.E. Fishman’s “Bomb Squad NYC” and Nora Roberts female heroine universe. Robert Crais certainly did his homework capturing the methodical mindset of the bomb technician and the foreboding psychology of the mad bomber. If you liked the 1994 bomb squad action thriller “Blown Away” or the TV series “Crossing Jordan,” you’ll love Robert Crais’ “Demolition Angel!” Well worth the time to read or listen. Looking forward to seeing this on the big screen someday!
Now, best-selling crime novelist Robert Crais shines the spotlight on the gray areas of the bomb tech’s world in “Demolition Angel.” Meet LAPD Detective Carol Starkey, a flawed and deeply troubled female heroine who struggles with the trauma of a dark and deadly past. A hard-nosed cop who was once one of the LAPD’s top bomb technicians, Carol Starkey lived for the explosive combination of pressure, excitement, intricacies of elaborate devices and the danger that encompasses the thrill of walking a thin blue line of initial success or total failure. Shell-shocked by the death of her partner and secret lover “Sugar” who lost his life downrange attempting to render safe a trailer park IED; a maimed Carol is the lone survivor of one of the darkest days in the LAPD Bomb Squad’s history.
Three years later, as Detective Starkey struggles with psychological demons and heavy alcoholism spawned by survivor’s guilt, her tragic past returns with a vengeance when an experienced bomb tech is slain while x-raying a suspicious package that turns out to contain more than he bargained for. Arriving on-scene to pick up the pieces, Carol now assigned to the Criminal Conspiracy Section of the Los Angeles Police Department, is enraged to discover that the fallen bomb tech Tom Riggio, a close friend on the bomb squad is the murder victim. A personal vendetta is triggered in the wake of tragedy as Detective Starkey follows the clues unraveling an explosive and deadly jigsaw puzzle. At the center of the investigation is a cunning and deadly foe known as “Mister Red;” an assassin with a bomb for hire and a frightening hobby of eliminating bomb technicians with ingeniously simple but lethal devices. Detective Starkey will have to act fast to save an entire city and her brethren on the bomb squad from becoming pink mist.
With the clock ticking down to detonation, local and federal law enforcement agencies scramble to stay one step ahead of the next bombing. Keenly aware of the extreme risks, Detective Starkey and an ATF Agent have no choice but to play an insanely twisted cat and mouse game. Following a trail of bread crumbs that leads to an incarcerated bomber and a macabre internet chat room where the key to a mad man’s wrath lies in cyberspace. Unfortunately for this rough-around the edges bomb detective, she’s in the line of fire. Detective Starkey’s nemesis is a serial killer with a short fuse, and a deadly psycho who has a bomb with her name on it.
This was an amazing work of faction! Robert Crais does an exemplary job creating fictional characters and placing them into high-stakes real world situations. It was a joy listening to this book on Audible. “Demolition Angel” combines the literary style of J.E. Fishman’s “Bomb Squad NYC” and Nora Roberts female heroine universe. Robert Crais certainly did his homework capturing the methodical mindset of the bomb technician and the foreboding psychology of the mad bomber. If you liked the 1994 bomb squad action thriller “Blown Away” or the TV series “Crossing Jordan,” you’ll love Robert Crais’ “Demolition Angel!” Well worth the time to read or listen. Looking forward to seeing this on the big screen someday!
May 22, 2009
Noir lives!
Taking a break from his famous Elvis Cole protagonist, Robert Crais breaks out female bomb squad detective Carol Starkey. Everyone in this book is broken in some way. Carol survived a bomb explosion that killed her lover. Several years later, she is the lead investigator in a bombing that killed her colleague. Enter Pell of the ATF, who insists that this bomber is a serial killer called Mr. Red. As the case unfolds, often based upon persistent gumshoe work on Starkey's part, she suspects that there is a copycat at work. In the meantime, Pell acts weird, and the real Mr. Red comes to town. The ending is predictable, but very enjoyable.
Robert Crais has a way of anchoring the reader into the emotional mind of his protagonists, even the female ones. In contrast to Virgil Flowers (John Sandford's side project), Starkey is a more emotive and sympathetic character. She is tougher, more scarred, and it still hurts to touch many areas of her life. The supporting cast is equally nuanced. Bet you can't figure out Pell's damage before it's revealed. And Red is scary in the way of a psychopath who knows he is a psychopath.
Where Sandford's mysteries are creative and the action better drafted, Crais's story is more immediate and the chain of coincidences more logical. Only the epilogue is tenuous.
Sandford has said in interviews that he reads Robert Crais when he's kicking back. I can see why. Highly recommended.
Taking a break from his famous Elvis Cole protagonist, Robert Crais breaks out female bomb squad detective Carol Starkey. Everyone in this book is broken in some way. Carol survived a bomb explosion that killed her lover. Several years later, she is the lead investigator in a bombing that killed her colleague. Enter Pell of the ATF, who insists that this bomber is a serial killer called Mr. Red. As the case unfolds, often based upon persistent gumshoe work on Starkey's part, she suspects that there is a copycat at work. In the meantime, Pell acts weird, and the real Mr. Red comes to town. The ending is predictable, but very enjoyable.
Robert Crais has a way of anchoring the reader into the emotional mind of his protagonists, even the female ones. In contrast to Virgil Flowers (John Sandford's side project), Starkey is a more emotive and sympathetic character. She is tougher, more scarred, and it still hurts to touch many areas of her life. The supporting cast is equally nuanced. Bet you can't figure out Pell's damage before it's revealed. And Red is scary in the way of a psychopath who knows he is a psychopath.
Where Sandford's mysteries are creative and the action better drafted, Crais's story is more immediate and the chain of coincidences more logical. Only the epilogue is tenuous.
Sandford has said in interviews that he reads Robert Crais when he's kicking back. I can see why. Highly recommended.
August 24, 2022
Carol Starkey is trying to recover from the detonation that killed her partner and lover Sugar Boudreaux. When Charlie Riggio is killed in a detonation and Carol catches the investigation memories come flooding back of the event that changed her life forever.
At first it appears pretty straightforward the detonation is just another example of Mr Red's handiwork. But then Pell (former ATF) shows up and things start taking a turn. After examining the bomb herself Carol realizes Mr Red didn't build it. But who would know enough about Mr Red's work to copy it so precisely. Everything is letter perfect except for the one thing Carol found that no one else had. She soon realizes it had to be one of her former co-workers in the bomb squad.
But Carol isn't the only one hot on the trail of the murderer Mr Red isn't pleased that someone copied his work and when he gets their first the confrontation is explosive. And Carol is his next target. Will a blind Pell be able to save them both?
At first it appears pretty straightforward the detonation is just another example of Mr Red's handiwork. But then Pell (former ATF) shows up and things start taking a turn. After examining the bomb herself Carol realizes Mr Red didn't build it. But who would know enough about Mr Red's work to copy it so precisely. Everything is letter perfect except for the one thing Carol found that no one else had. She soon realizes it had to be one of her former co-workers in the bomb squad.
But Carol isn't the only one hot on the trail of the murderer Mr Red isn't pleased that someone copied his work and when he gets their first the confrontation is explosive. And Carol is his next target. Will a blind Pell be able to save them both?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2020
The book creatures around Carol, a bomb tech who is still recovering from a bomb blast that almost killed her and killed her partner and lover Sugar.
Later one of her colleagues is killed while trying to detonate a bomb. A ADF agent Pell, comes in and he suggests that it is the work of a bomber called Mr Red.
This book was fairly fast paced so it kept me entertained. The biggest issue I had was the relationship between Carol and Pell. I just didn’t feel the chemistry and it felt a bit forced.
Later one of her colleagues is killed while trying to detonate a bomb. A ADF agent Pell, comes in and he suggests that it is the work of a bomber called Mr Red.
This book was fairly fast paced so it kept me entertained. The biggest issue I had was the relationship between Carol and Pell. I just didn’t feel the chemistry and it felt a bit forced.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2012
A thriller.
I enjoyed the concept but the characters were weak. A female lead who is portrayed as a hard maverick, drinking, swearing, smoking and breaking the rules BUT she still falls for the male lead. How this happened I seemed to miss as you are meant to believe there is a "connection" between them. The love / sex interest was not really needed and made the whole book too popcorn for me.
I won't bother reading anymore of Robert Crais.
I enjoyed the concept but the characters were weak. A female lead who is portrayed as a hard maverick, drinking, swearing, smoking and breaking the rules BUT she still falls for the male lead. How this happened I seemed to miss as you are meant to believe there is a "connection" between them. The love / sex interest was not really needed and made the whole book too popcorn for me.
I won't bother reading anymore of Robert Crais.
April 24, 2021
Starts out kinda slow and blossoms in to a really good book. Death, mayhem, gin, cigarettes, bombs, suspense, action, great characters and goes by quickly. Solid audio book.
July 13, 2017
Three years ago, Carol Starkey lost her partner and lover when a bomb exploded. Heck, she almost lost her life herself, and she has lived with the scars, real and emotional, from it ever since. Now she is tasked with solving the murder of another LAPD bomb squad member killed by a bomb. The ATF thinks it was the work of Mr. Red, a serial bomber. Can Carol catch him?
The mystery itself in this book is strong, and I enjoyed the twists and turns as we went along. However, I had a real problem with Carol. She was a walking cliché of the hard-boiled mystery genre right down to her chain smoking, secret drinking, and hard to like personality. Her character arc was a cliché as well, but I finally did find myself caring about her toward the end of the book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
The mystery itself in this book is strong, and I enjoyed the twists and turns as we went along. However, I had a real problem with Carol. She was a walking cliché of the hard-boiled mystery genre right down to her chain smoking, secret drinking, and hard to like personality. Her character arc was a cliché as well, but I finally did find myself caring about her toward the end of the book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
July 9, 2019
Carol Starkey isn't the sort of woman you long to be & probably not one that you'd choose to be friends with. Prickly & with a drink problem she does however make a great character to read about - flaws & all.
Starkey's investigations into a series of explosions see her being paired with an FBI Agent Pell...& she's not happy about it. Pell is someone who is battling demons of his own & the friction in their relationship & their not-so-friendly banter made me wonder about the potential for a romance - a quick fling at the very least!
There's some good twists in this tale & a great villain in Mr Red, a mysterious, appearance changing guy with a warped sense of humour I liked. It all leads to a real nail-biter of an ending which really gets the heart pounding!
Starkey's investigations into a series of explosions see her being paired with an FBI Agent Pell...& she's not happy about it. Pell is someone who is battling demons of his own & the friction in their relationship & their not-so-friendly banter made me wonder about the potential for a romance - a quick fling at the very least!
There's some good twists in this tale & a great villain in Mr Red, a mysterious, appearance changing guy with a warped sense of humour I liked. It all leads to a real nail-biter of an ending which really gets the heart pounding!
September 6, 2025
I didn't think I was going to like this to start with but it got better as I read more, and ended up being tense and exciting and a real page turner.
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