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Souls of Angels: A Novel
Set amid the haciendas and fragrant orange groves of Los Angeles in the 1880s, Souls of Angels is an enthralling story of family and faith, loyalty and betrayal.
When Isadora Lugo learns her that father has been convicted of murder, she reluctantly travels home for the first time in ten years. At age seventeen she’d fled her troubled home life in Los Angeles to serve Christ in India as Sister Ria, never planning to return. Yet as a child, Isadora had promised her dying mother that in times of trouble she would care for her father, the eccentric Don Maximiato Lugo. And trouble had indeed come. Following a haphazard investigation and speedy trial for the brutal killing of a local prostitute, Don awaits his fate in the family hacienda, sketching and painting and sinking into madness.
Believing it is too late to save her father’s life, Sister Ria urges him to confess his sins and save his soul. But he only mocks her efforts. Those around Don Lugo–the loyal Mexicans who consider him a saint; his eldest daughter, Milagros; and the family’s longtime housekeeper, Aba–are adamant about the patrón’s innocence.
For her own peace of mind, Sister Ria seeks evidence of her father’s innocence or guilt in the side streets and back alleys of Mexican Los Angeles. But every clue she finds hints at something darker and more sinister and weakens her faith, as her very life is threatened by an ominous unseen figure that shadows her every move.
Souls of Angels captures the vibrant and conflicting cultures of Anglo and Hispanic Los Angeles at the end of the nineteenth century. Brilliantly balancing emotion and suspense, Thomas Eidson takes us deep into the heart of an extraordinary woman as she faces the ultimate test of family loyalty and risks her soul to uncover the truth.
When Isadora Lugo learns her that father has been convicted of murder, she reluctantly travels home for the first time in ten years. At age seventeen she’d fled her troubled home life in Los Angeles to serve Christ in India as Sister Ria, never planning to return. Yet as a child, Isadora had promised her dying mother that in times of trouble she would care for her father, the eccentric Don Maximiato Lugo. And trouble had indeed come. Following a haphazard investigation and speedy trial for the brutal killing of a local prostitute, Don awaits his fate in the family hacienda, sketching and painting and sinking into madness.
Believing it is too late to save her father’s life, Sister Ria urges him to confess his sins and save his soul. But he only mocks her efforts. Those around Don Lugo–the loyal Mexicans who consider him a saint; his eldest daughter, Milagros; and the family’s longtime housekeeper, Aba–are adamant about the patrón’s innocence.
For her own peace of mind, Sister Ria seeks evidence of her father’s innocence or guilt in the side streets and back alleys of Mexican Los Angeles. But every clue she finds hints at something darker and more sinister and weakens her faith, as her very life is threatened by an ominous unseen figure that shadows her every move.
Souls of Angels captures the vibrant and conflicting cultures of Anglo and Hispanic Los Angeles at the end of the nineteenth century. Brilliantly balancing emotion and suspense, Thomas Eidson takes us deep into the heart of an extraordinary woman as she faces the ultimate test of family loyalty and risks her soul to uncover the truth.
287 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 19, 2021
Library book. Sister Ria returnsa home to Los Angeles to save her father from murder charges. Years before she had fled from her home where she had been known as Isadora Lugo. To say her father is eccentric would be kind. The truth is he is wildly insane and delusional. How is Sister Ria to save him when she does not believe he is innocent nor will he help her in any way. Sister Ria is faced with the task of determining if the murder is linked to the tragic and terrible childhood she indured at the hands of her father after her mother died. Or if it is the result of the growing pressure between the old(mexican) Los Angeles and the newer (anglo) Los Angeles. Eidson does a very good job keeping the reader guessing between the two! Throw in that he has also done a good job recreating the atmosphere of late 19th century Los Angeles and one has a good historical mystery!
April 12, 2018
Sadly not a patch on the other books. Frenetic and somewhat repetitious in plot.
November 3, 2022
Found this a strange read yet I wanted to keep on reading. Loved the ending!
May 3, 2021
The mystery Souls of Angels is expertly crafted and executed. It features a cast of unusual but believable characters who are entangled in an unusual but believable story. The book has a satisfying suspense because of the stark prose. Los Angeles' transformation from a Spanish to an American city underpins the plot, making the setting more dynamic and adding complexity to the story. It is well worth your time to learn.
Thomas Eidson's book was a fantastic read. The plot is difficult to follow, even though it is always present. There's comic relief, assassination, twists and turns, and a fascinating conclusion. You get to meet the characters and they are realistic. Have fun with the novel.
Thomas Eidson's book was a fantastic read. The plot is difficult to follow, even though it is always present. There's comic relief, assassination, twists and turns, and a fascinating conclusion. You get to meet the characters and they are realistic. Have fun with the novel.
August 26, 2015
I read this right after St. Agnes' Stand. I preferred the latter; however, they are very different novels, although they both play with the same time period and incorporate characters that are nuns. This book is very plot driven where I thought St. Anges' Stand although plot-driven delved into the characters more deeply. This book is very suspenseful, I found my heart racing while reading late at night by myself. I couldn't imagine doing the things the protagonist had to go through to determine whether her father is innocent or guilty. But, was her father the only sane one amongst these characters?
June 17, 2009
I read a book by this author a long time ago and I really, really liked it. I think it was called "All God's Children". I didnt' like this book as much. The main characters were a little unusual and I had a hard time connecting with them. Once I got past that obstacle however, I did enjoy the book.
March 17, 2011
I really enjoyed this murder mystery. It was a good read and the author's descriptions of the area and hacienda were outstanding. It takes place in the early 1880's in the Spanish Los Angeles area.It had me hanging on through the last chapter. Very good. Nice to read a book without cussing and sex. Yet it was colorful.
May 10, 2011
This book by Thomas Eidson was a very good read. It is difficult for you to catch the plot, though it is always there. There is comedy relief, murder, shifts and turns and the end is fascinating. The characters are believable and you come to know them. Enjoy the book.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'".
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'".
September 28, 2012
So that is what life was like in Los Angeles 100 years before I arrived. . . Sounds a lot like Tijuana today.
That was not the only part that I found interesting. While mysteries are not my favorite, I always feel like I am being manipulated, I did enjoy the unique charachters, their development, and interactions. It is a smartly written tale.
That was not the only part that I found interesting. While mysteries are not my favorite, I always feel like I am being manipulated, I did enjoy the unique charachters, their development, and interactions. It is a smartly written tale.
December 18, 2012
Souls of Angels is a deftly constructed and executed mystery. It has unusual yet believable characters involved in an unusual yet believable plot. The writing is stark giving the book a tension that satisfies. The transition of Los Angeles from a Spanish into an American city underlays the story making the setting complex and giving more depth to the story. Well worth reading.
June 11, 2013
A story of family love, forgiveness and faith. I've also read The Last Ride by this author and this was similar in some ways with regard to the main characters being a father and daughter who have been estranged.
Beautifully written with some light relief from a cat named Fernando.
Beautifully written with some light relief from a cat named Fernando.
June 7, 2008
Hated it. Made myself finish it just on principle. I don't recommend it.
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February 5, 2010An awesome book with a blend of mystery and the Father - Daughter relationship ......different from the usual....
February 18, 2010
Slow start but picked up towards the end with quite a twist. I prefer his other books.
January 13, 2012
Pretty impressive book, with some of the key motifs readers of St Agnes Stand will recognise.
Eidson has a very readable style, puts his characters through hell, then redeems them.
Eidson has a very readable style, puts his characters through hell, then redeems them.
November 18, 2012
I do not usually read murder mysteries, took this one by mistake. It was not bad, but it was not great either. The book has certainly not inspired me to read anymore of this author's books.
August 14, 2008
It was a beautiful book and written very well.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews