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Erin Solomon Pentalogy #1
All the Blue-Eyed Angels
Alternate Cover Edition for ASIN B007B2IG1A.
Jonestown. The Solar Temple. Heaven's Gate. In the summer of 1990, the Payson Church of Tomorrow joins the ranks of those infamous cult suicides when thirty-four members burn to death on a small island off the coast of Maine. At ten years old, Payson member Erin Solomon watches helplessly as the church and its congregation are reduced to ash and embers.
More than twenty years later, Erin is an accomplished investigative journalist when she receives word that she has inherited Payson Isle... and all its ghosts. She returns to Maine to learn the truth behind the tragedy that has haunted her since childhood, aided by the rakish mentor who's stood by her side since she was a teenager, her trusty mutt Einstein, and a mysterious stranger with his own dark past.
Soon, Erin is enmeshed in violence, conspiracy, and scandal, as she fights to unearth the secrets of the Payson Church of Tomorrow -- secrets someone will kill to keep buried.
Jonestown. The Solar Temple. Heaven's Gate. In the summer of 1990, the Payson Church of Tomorrow joins the ranks of those infamous cult suicides when thirty-four members burn to death on a small island off the coast of Maine. At ten years old, Payson member Erin Solomon watches helplessly as the church and its congregation are reduced to ash and embers.
More than twenty years later, Erin is an accomplished investigative journalist when she receives word that she has inherited Payson Isle... and all its ghosts. She returns to Maine to learn the truth behind the tragedy that has haunted her since childhood, aided by the rakish mentor who's stood by her side since she was a teenager, her trusty mutt Einstein, and a mysterious stranger with his own dark past.
Soon, Erin is enmeshed in violence, conspiracy, and scandal, as she fights to unearth the secrets of the Payson Church of Tomorrow -- secrets someone will kill to keep buried.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2012
982 people are currently reading
2963 people want to read
About the author
Jen Blood
18 books331 followersJen Blood is a professional editor and publishing consultant, and author of the bestselling Erin Solomon Mysteries. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing/Popular Fiction, with writing influences ranging from Emily Bronte to Dennis Lehane, and any number of genres and authors in between. Her work has earned accolades and awards including the AIA Seal of Quality and the B.R.A.G. Medallion for ALL THE BLUE-EYED ANGELS, and honorable mention for Best in Fiction from the New England Book Festival for her second novel, SINS OF THE FATHER. All four of her novels have reached the Amazon Bestseller list in Mystery, Suspense, and Women Sleuths.
Born and raised among the smaller fishing villages of midcoast Maine, Jen's writing is rich with the details and tone of that isolated, occasionally harsh landscape. Today, after spending several years traveling the country, Jen is once again living in midcoast Maine, busily working on the next installment in the Erin Solomon series.
Born and raised among the smaller fishing villages of midcoast Maine, Jen's writing is rich with the details and tone of that isolated, occasionally harsh landscape. Today, after spending several years traveling the country, Jen is once again living in midcoast Maine, busily working on the next installment in the Erin Solomon series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 335 reviews
May 21, 2018
34 people, members of the Payson Church of Tomorrow, died during a fire on 22nd August 1990. Were their deaths an act of mass suicide or murder? Erin saw those flames and 23 years later she decides to uncover the mystery.
Okay, the police did their investigation and ruled it a mass suicide. We all know about religious nutters and how cults work. But the purpose of this novel was to create doubt that it may have been murder. Normally people move on after the event and the police investigation, letting sleeping dogs lay. Erin however, will not move on and so plunges the reader into this mystery.
So I needed to forget about Erin raking up old ground after 23 years and enjoy this novel for what it is. I found Jen Blood very good at planting the seeds of doubt in the reader's mind. The pace was okay and the characters motives were skillfully developed. One of my pet hates is novels that flash back and forth in time. This book keeps flashing back to 1990, which is awkward as the reader is getting information that Erin is blind to. This makes the story a little clumsy but does make you second guess where the plot is going.
I did enjoy the twist and turns along the way with the constant finger pointing. Character development is good and nothing in this story would offend your grandmother. Erin does have the odd kiss but there is no steamy sex. I found this to be a good mystery and although it had it's faults, was still a GOOD read that I will vote 4 stars.
Okay, the police did their investigation and ruled it a mass suicide. We all know about religious nutters and how cults work. But the purpose of this novel was to create doubt that it may have been murder. Normally people move on after the event and the police investigation, letting sleeping dogs lay. Erin however, will not move on and so plunges the reader into this mystery.
So I needed to forget about Erin raking up old ground after 23 years and enjoy this novel for what it is. I found Jen Blood very good at planting the seeds of doubt in the reader's mind. The pace was okay and the characters motives were skillfully developed. One of my pet hates is novels that flash back and forth in time. This book keeps flashing back to 1990, which is awkward as the reader is getting information that Erin is blind to. This makes the story a little clumsy but does make you second guess where the plot is going.
I did enjoy the twist and turns along the way with the constant finger pointing. Character development is good and nothing in this story would offend your grandmother. Erin does have the odd kiss but there is no steamy sex. I found this to be a good mystery and although it had it's faults, was still a GOOD read that I will vote 4 stars.
April 29, 2015
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Narration: ☆☆☆
I was surprised how much I ended up enjoying this book! It started off a little slow and the narration was a bit monotone. However, as I continued reading, I found I enjoyed the author's pace of delivering information and kept needing to know what was going to happen next. Since it is a first in series, at the end of the book there were a lot of questions answered ~ but not all of them!
Although the rest of the series is not yet available on audio, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be as I'd like to continue on with the next book.
Thanks to Audiobook Blast, Audiobook received free in exchange for an honest review.
Narration: ☆☆☆
I was surprised how much I ended up enjoying this book! It started off a little slow and the narration was a bit monotone. However, as I continued reading, I found I enjoyed the author's pace of delivering information and kept needing to know what was going to happen next. Since it is a first in series, at the end of the book there were a lot of questions answered ~ but not all of them!
Although the rest of the series is not yet available on audio, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be as I'd like to continue on with the next book.
Thanks to Audiobook Blast, Audiobook received free in exchange for an honest review.
July 19, 2014
SPOILER ALERT: Most of the reason for my low rating for this book has to do with the end.
Because there IS no end. I guess this author wanted to set up a long involved mystery series, but I can't even say how frustrating it was to get through the elaborate setting up of the complex mystery and have it end without resolving the biggest questions. I can't understand how this book got so many high ratings, I really can't. Maybe those people like mysteries that aren't resolved at the end?
All of that said, the characters were interesting and original, if at times oddly overlapping. The writing was clear and the main character/narrator was strong and interesting, if a bit stupidly fool-hardy at time. She also set off to interview people quite a few times and then didn't ask key questions which was highly irritating.
But what a let-down.
Because there IS no end. I guess this author wanted to set up a long involved mystery series, but I can't even say how frustrating it was to get through the elaborate setting up of the complex mystery and have it end without resolving the biggest questions. I can't understand how this book got so many high ratings, I really can't. Maybe those people like mysteries that aren't resolved at the end?
All of that said, the characters were interesting and original, if at times oddly overlapping. The writing was clear and the main character/narrator was strong and interesting, if a bit stupidly fool-hardy at time. She also set off to interview people quite a few times and then didn't ask key questions which was highly irritating.
But what a let-down.
January 9, 2017
They say you can't go home again. In my case, it seems more apt to ask why the hell you'd ever want to.
Cliffhanger alert! This seemed like an interesting mystery, but unfortunately, it was never actually solved. Although I really want to know what happened, I highly doubt I'm going to read three or four more books just to get the answers to Book 1's questions.
Three stars, rounded down to 2.5 for the cliffhanger.
Cliffhanger alert! This seemed like an interesting mystery, but unfortunately, it was never actually solved. Although I really want to know what happened, I highly doubt I'm going to read three or four more books just to get the answers to Book 1's questions.
Three stars, rounded down to 2.5 for the cliffhanger.
August 11, 2015
Books With No Endings! What is it with books that have no ending? It is so annoying! Truly I invest my time into a story and then at the end of the book it tells me to buy the next book, of which there are three next books? Yes, I did know there were other books based on this first book, but usually a book wraps up one story fairly well with a hook that will go into the next book. Here's the thing, overall I liked this book and the characters. I would have read another book by this author, but now I am not interested, I feel like I have been had, and maybe I have and maybe I haven't, but nevertheless that is how I feel.
May 17, 2018
Erin Solomon returns to her home town to investigate the fire that killed a community of religious believers on Payson Island. As the body count rises, Erin is increasingly desperate to uncover the part her parents played that night, aided by childhood friend Diggs and FBI agent Jack Juarez. Definitely a page turner & great start to the series.
August 3, 2015
I had such high hopes for this book. I've never read a book by this author, but considering it has received almost 4 stars here on Goodreads, I assumed it was definitely a great read. Oh, how Goodreads has let me down this time.
I realize that part of my issue with this book could be me. It's taken me a week to get through this book, which is so not normal for me, but I started it just before I returned home from an amazing vacation. My goal was to read something spooky and heart-pounding, however, and this book seemed like it would fit the bill.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. For one thing, I had a really hard time with the main character. Erin Solomon just seemed so whiny at times (though I do agree she had had a really awful life), and she made epically bad decisions. Plus I didn't care for the way Blood would always have some guy bailing Erin out of various situations, or trying to protect her. I'm more a fan of a strong woman that can take care of herself.
The love triangle also didn't work for me. And I guess that's one of my biggest peeves with this book. What IS it?! Is it a mystery? Is a thriller? Is it a romance? Is it all three? I was really looking for a heavy thriller, and instead got a love triangle romance with a mystery thrown in.
And then we come to the end of the novel. As soon as the words "THE END" came across my Kindle screen, I literally yelled out, "What the actual shit!" What kind of ending is that?? I realize that Blood intends to continue the mystery in the next book, but this is not how you do it. Alan Bradley manages this well in his Flavia de Luce series; he ends most of the novels on a cliffhanger, but at least he has Flavia solve the main mystery for each novel first. That way, the reader is left wanting more, yet feels mostly satisfied as well. This abrupt end does nothing but anger the reader.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book, unless you enjoy feeling frustrated because the mystery was never solved.
I realize that part of my issue with this book could be me. It's taken me a week to get through this book, which is so not normal for me, but I started it just before I returned home from an amazing vacation. My goal was to read something spooky and heart-pounding, however, and this book seemed like it would fit the bill.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. For one thing, I had a really hard time with the main character. Erin Solomon just seemed so whiny at times (though I do agree she had had a really awful life), and she made epically bad decisions. Plus I didn't care for the way Blood would always have some guy bailing Erin out of various situations, or trying to protect her. I'm more a fan of a strong woman that can take care of herself.
The love triangle also didn't work for me. And I guess that's one of my biggest peeves with this book. What IS it?! Is it a mystery? Is a thriller? Is it a romance? Is it all three? I was really looking for a heavy thriller, and instead got a love triangle romance with a mystery thrown in.
And then we come to the end of the novel. As soon as the words "THE END" came across my Kindle screen, I literally yelled out, "What the actual shit!" What kind of ending is that?? I realize that Blood intends to continue the mystery in the next book, but this is not how you do it. Alan Bradley manages this well in his Flavia de Luce series; he ends most of the novels on a cliffhanger, but at least he has Flavia solve the main mystery for each novel first. That way, the reader is left wanting more, yet feels mostly satisfied as well. This abrupt end does nothing but anger the reader.
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book, unless you enjoy feeling frustrated because the mystery was never solved.
March 27, 2015
Book: All the Blue Eyed Angels
Genre: Thriller
Type: Audiobook.
Book rating: ☆☆☆▪5
Narration rating: ☆☆☆▪5
Review
Audiobook received free in exchange for an honest review (Thanks to Audio Blast)
This book was actually a pleasant surprise, I enjoyed it very much and will certainly be looking out for the Authors other titles and the 2nd book to this series.
Narration of the audiobook was good after she got "into the swing" of it, as at the beginning it was very monotone, and I was dreading listening to the rest.
The story follows Erin Solomon as she tries to find out what really happened to 34 people who died on a small island that she has recently inherited.
The story jumps between past and present to keep us in the loop and also throw in a few clues, but this was not confusing at all and I was able to keep up with the story.
I will certainly be reading book 2 in the series but I will wait for the audio to be released first.
Genre: Thriller
Type: Audiobook.
Book rating: ☆☆☆▪5
Narration rating: ☆☆☆▪5
Review
Audiobook received free in exchange for an honest review (Thanks to Audio Blast)
This book was actually a pleasant surprise, I enjoyed it very much and will certainly be looking out for the Authors other titles and the 2nd book to this series.
Narration of the audiobook was good after she got "into the swing" of it, as at the beginning it was very monotone, and I was dreading listening to the rest.
The story follows Erin Solomon as she tries to find out what really happened to 34 people who died on a small island that she has recently inherited.
The story jumps between past and present to keep us in the loop and also throw in a few clues, but this was not confusing at all and I was able to keep up with the story.
I will certainly be reading book 2 in the series but I will wait for the audio to be released first.
July 10, 2012
I've been reading Indie authors exclusively for a couple years and have only found a handful that were worth leaving a review on. (caveat...I am very hard to please) Yet I thoroughly enjoyed Jen's writing style. Her characters popped. She didn't bore me with 'the stuff readers skip over'. Her action was believable, and pressed me to continue reading. On top of that, for an Indie...this was one of the better edited novels I've come across in a while as well. Kudos to Jen. I hope she'll be a guest on my auhtor blog.
April 9, 2017
Great thriller/mystery with some deeply twisted but also some truly noble characters too. I won't repeat the plot summary but the main character, Erin provides both determination and sarcasm to stand against the darker themes of the book.
The central mystery around Erin's father is established quite well in this first volume and I get the feeling readers who like everything wrapped up quickly will not enjoy the ending to All the Blue-Eyed Angels, which leaves some big questions unanswered (something I enjoyed). Have already read the next one since I'm keen for those answers :)
The central mystery around Erin's father is established quite well in this first volume and I get the feeling readers who like everything wrapped up quickly will not enjoy the ending to All the Blue-Eyed Angels, which leaves some big questions unanswered (something I enjoyed). Have already read the next one since I'm keen for those answers :)
March 29, 2013
ALL THE BLUE-EYED ANGELS by Jen Blood is popular lit at its best. It took me a day to devour it, the first book in the author’s pentalogy, and I have to tell you that there ain’t nothin’ like it, nothing that has the allure of the story of Erin and Stein and Diggs and Jack, nothing with its particular brand of humor, its touching love story, its sense of place, nothing with its sometimes lovable, often grizzly cast of minor characters, nothing that compares with the action and exhilaration that Jen Blood packs into this character-centered story.
Investigative journalist Erin Solomon returns to her roots, a small fishing village on the coast of Maine. With the help of her trusted dog Einstein and her lifelong more-than-friend Diggs, she risks everything to uncover the truth behind a tragedy that has haunted her since childhood—a fatal fire that destroyed the fundamentalist island community where she and her father lived for the first ten years of Erin’s life, a fire immortalized in Erin’s memory and the beginning chapters with such fury that I thought my kindle was going to explode.
Toward the end of the book, Erin discovers that honing in on the culprit only uncovers the hint of a more powerful devil behind him, someone elusive and hidden and unnamed, someone controlling the strings. Call him the angel of death or the puppet master, this embodiment of evil is unstoppable and cries out for more from Erin and her loyal companions—more strength, more questing, more pain. And while the ending swept me away in its bone-chilling action and I felt a sense of closure, ALL THE BLUE-EYED ANGELS also compelled me to read the next book in the series.
So if you like mystery with sometimes dark and graphic detail, an intricate plot, a love story that is elegiac in its beauty, even as the story’s action is unrelenting; if you long for smooth, clean writing with a unique sense of humor, then ALL THE BLUE-EYED ANGELS is for you.
Investigative journalist Erin Solomon returns to her roots, a small fishing village on the coast of Maine. With the help of her trusted dog Einstein and her lifelong more-than-friend Diggs, she risks everything to uncover the truth behind a tragedy that has haunted her since childhood—a fatal fire that destroyed the fundamentalist island community where she and her father lived for the first ten years of Erin’s life, a fire immortalized in Erin’s memory and the beginning chapters with such fury that I thought my kindle was going to explode.
Toward the end of the book, Erin discovers that honing in on the culprit only uncovers the hint of a more powerful devil behind him, someone elusive and hidden and unnamed, someone controlling the strings. Call him the angel of death or the puppet master, this embodiment of evil is unstoppable and cries out for more from Erin and her loyal companions—more strength, more questing, more pain. And while the ending swept me away in its bone-chilling action and I felt a sense of closure, ALL THE BLUE-EYED ANGELS also compelled me to read the next book in the series.
So if you like mystery with sometimes dark and graphic detail, an intricate plot, a love story that is elegiac in its beauty, even as the story’s action is unrelenting; if you long for smooth, clean writing with a unique sense of humor, then ALL THE BLUE-EYED ANGELS is for you.
August 20, 2016
I give this 4.5 stars. It certainly garnered some mixed reviews. OK, yes, it had no end. Fortunately I loved it and will just have to get the rest of the books soon.
What an engrossing mystery it was. And the telling was a bit like unpeeling the layers of an onion (quite a few layers to go I think). I liked the characters too, even the ones I didn't like. They were all good strong characters. Erin Solomon, a journalist, returns to the town she grew up in to find out the truth behind a fire that claimed the lives of a bunch of people who lived on the island she grew up on. It is a sort of cult, commune-type place. Erin wasn't there when the fire was lit. She hooks up with old friend and once-upon-a-time boyfriend Diggs who showed her the ropes in the journalism business, and Juarez, an FBI agent who is staying at Diggs' place. There is a bit of lust triangle happening here but relax, its not mushy and the action is front and centre.
The story was not what I was expecting, luckily in a good way. The mystery, instead of getting slowly solved through the book just got more and more complex so that by the end (or non-end) I felt like I was holding a mass of wriggling worms. Nothing made sense but in a good was because - did I mention I love a complex mystery?
And what a messy review, but I couldn't possibly say any more about the plot in a meaningful way. Hopefully the next book will be more illuminating and I can post a more sensible review!
What an engrossing mystery it was. And the telling was a bit like unpeeling the layers of an onion (quite a few layers to go I think). I liked the characters too, even the ones I didn't like. They were all good strong characters. Erin Solomon, a journalist, returns to the town she grew up in to find out the truth behind a fire that claimed the lives of a bunch of people who lived on the island she grew up on. It is a sort of cult, commune-type place. Erin wasn't there when the fire was lit. She hooks up with old friend and once-upon-a-time boyfriend Diggs who showed her the ropes in the journalism business, and Juarez, an FBI agent who is staying at Diggs' place. There is a bit of lust triangle happening here but relax, its not mushy and the action is front and centre.
The story was not what I was expecting, luckily in a good way. The mystery, instead of getting slowly solved through the book just got more and more complex so that by the end (or non-end) I felt like I was holding a mass of wriggling worms. Nothing made sense but in a good was because - did I mention I love a complex mystery?
And what a messy review, but I couldn't possibly say any more about the plot in a meaningful way. Hopefully the next book will be more illuminating and I can post a more sensible review!
January 2, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. The mystery was intriguing and kept me interested in the story. And, of course, any book with a dog is probably going to be a winner with me.
SPOILER ALERT:
This is the first book in a pentalogy. So, no, it does not solve all of the mysteries. Yes, it ends on a cliff-hanger. However, it does, in fact, solve the primary mystery despite what many reviewers claimed. This book was about the mystery of who set the fire and what happened that day. And while there are a few lingering details that lead to the rest of the series, the answer to who set the fire was resolved.
The only problem I had was how Erin came to know that Rebecca knew Adam's secret and was using it against him. The reader knew because of her part of the story. But I don't remember anyone who knew Rebecca telling Erin. So how did she know?
SPOILER ALERT:
This is the first book in a pentalogy. So, no, it does not solve all of the mysteries. Yes, it ends on a cliff-hanger. However, it does, in fact, solve the primary mystery despite what many reviewers claimed. This book was about the mystery of who set the fire and what happened that day. And while there are a few lingering details that lead to the rest of the series, the answer to who set the fire was resolved.
The only problem I had was how Erin came to know that Rebecca knew Adam's secret and was using it against him. The reader knew because of her part of the story. But I don't remember anyone who knew Rebecca telling Erin. So how did she know?
April 15, 2012
In All the Blue-Eyed Angels, Jen Blood has created an excellent mystery that is sure to satisfy. Ms. Blood’s writing envelops the reader, dissolving the boundary between reality and the page. The plot’s twists and turns will surprise and reward even the most stalwart readers of the genre. From beginning to end, major and minor characters alike are rendered in ways that propel the story while giving it depth. I look forward to continuing my relationship with these characters in the next installment in the Erin Solomon series. The only advice I can offer Ms. Blood is to write more and, for the benefit of your eager fans, to write quickly!
June 6, 2018
Fast paced and addicting. It’s not very often I find a book on the first try in which the first chapter reels me in. Jen Blood does exactly that. I initially got the book as a free read and gave it a shot. Here I am now, finding it impossible to put them down.
Truly if you love a good mystery, true-crime-esque feel, of a book, this does not disappoint!!
Truly if you love a good mystery, true-crime-esque feel, of a book, this does not disappoint!!
June 16, 2012
What could be more disturbing than dozens of people dying at a church compound? With only a child's hazy memory of events before the disaster, protagonist Erin Solomon goes to an isolated island to investigate her very personal family tragedy. You'll be on the edge of your seat trying to guess who's who and who will be killed next to protect the ugly secrets. I finished this book yesterday, and the scenes still haunt me. I'll definitely look for the next book in the series, because Erin Solomon has more mysteries to solve.
March 17, 2021
I read this without knowing the extent of the "pentology" - it's important.
Set in the gloomy and barren islands off the coast of Maine, the potential for heavy tension and angst was high, but I never got dragged in. The short flash-backs didn't really contribute except to support one minor clue. This ends with a minor mystery, that almost no one actually cared about, being partially resolved. There is a strong to-be-continued.
There is a very long arc that ties the 5(!) books together, and I am reading #2 to see how things develop.
Set in the gloomy and barren islands off the coast of Maine, the potential for heavy tension and angst was high, but I never got dragged in. The short flash-backs didn't really contribute except to support one minor clue. This ends with a minor mystery, that almost no one actually cared about, being partially resolved. There is a strong to-be-continued.
There is a very long arc that ties the 5(!) books together, and I am reading #2 to see how things develop.
June 7, 2012
Awesome! Can't wait for Sins of the Father on kindle!
June 27, 2021
All the Blue-Eyed Angels by Jen Blood is a compelling mystery and thriller novel that will keep you guessing. It is the first book in the Erin Solomon pentalogy.
A religious cult went up in flames decades before, in what had been written off as a mass suicide. Erin Solomon, who belonged to the cult as a child, knows something more went on that fateful night, and when new evidence surfaces, she returns to Maine in search of the truth.
The mystery is solid and intriguing. Even though I’ve read this before, I had forgotten a lot of the intricacies. The author clearly put a lot of time and energy into developing the mystery, and I think it paid off.
While some might find the beginning a little slow (personally I didn’t mind the pace), the latter half of the book is tense and suspenseful. Since this was a reread for me, I did remember some of the key things that happened, so it wasn’t as suspenseful, but the first time I read this book, it had me on the edge of my seat.
*Mild spoilers*
I think my biggest gripe with the book is the unnecessary drama between Erin and her pal/former lover Diggs. Disagreement is inevitable in relationships. For example, I think the author does a great job portraying the complicated relationship Erin has with her mom. However, I get the sense we’re supposed to be shipping Erin and Diggs, but I don’t get why when they are always at one another’s throats. If your romantic pairings spend more time bickering than enjoying one another’s company, then that’s a sign that there is something wrong with this pairing. Also, it’s kind of creepy that Diggs was in love with Erin when she was 16 and he was 24.
*End spoilers*
If you’re looking for a well-formulated and intense mystery, though, you may want to check out All the Blue-Eyed Angels.
cw: physical violence, domestic violence, death, suicide, hair shaving, dead animal, human remains
A religious cult went up in flames decades before, in what had been written off as a mass suicide. Erin Solomon, who belonged to the cult as a child, knows something more went on that fateful night, and when new evidence surfaces, she returns to Maine in search of the truth.
The mystery is solid and intriguing. Even though I’ve read this before, I had forgotten a lot of the intricacies. The author clearly put a lot of time and energy into developing the mystery, and I think it paid off.
While some might find the beginning a little slow (personally I didn’t mind the pace), the latter half of the book is tense and suspenseful. Since this was a reread for me, I did remember some of the key things that happened, so it wasn’t as suspenseful, but the first time I read this book, it had me on the edge of my seat.
*Mild spoilers*
I think my biggest gripe with the book is the unnecessary drama between Erin and her pal/former lover Diggs. Disagreement is inevitable in relationships. For example, I think the author does a great job portraying the complicated relationship Erin has with her mom. However, I get the sense we’re supposed to be shipping Erin and Diggs, but I don’t get why when they are always at one another’s throats. If your romantic pairings spend more time bickering than enjoying one another’s company, then that’s a sign that there is something wrong with this pairing. Also, it’s kind of creepy that Diggs was in love with Erin when she was 16 and he was 24.
*End spoilers*
If you’re looking for a well-formulated and intense mystery, though, you may want to check out All the Blue-Eyed Angels.
cw: physical violence, domestic violence, death, suicide, hair shaving, dead animal, human remains
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2018
There's nothing quite like a cliffhanger - which none of the reviews I read here beforehand helpfully mentioned - to ruin a promising book.
If the mystery is Just Too Big to be solved in one book, I seriously doubt I can suspend my disbelief long enough to trust it'll be resolved in the next one - or ever.
Do not recommend.
Stick to books that don't need such contrivances to stand on their own.
Ugh. I'm going to have a bad taste in my brain for days now.
If the mystery is Just Too Big to be solved in one book, I seriously doubt I can suspend my disbelief long enough to trust it'll be resolved in the next one - or ever.
Do not recommend.
Stick to books that don't need such contrivances to stand on their own.
Ugh. I'm going to have a bad taste in my brain for days now.
April 26, 2024
A new series which came out before the Flint K9 series but I've not read them that way but it means that some of the characters are familiar. Interesting story took a while to learn what it was about but it was a great listen. I really like the characters and glad to have found another series to enjoy.
January 12, 2016
SPOILER WARNING!
This atmospheric novel starts with a young girl running through a forest being chased by a figure. She stops running outside a church and hugs her father who is kneeling in front of the burning building.
Fast forward 20 years and the young girl, Erin Solomon has inherited an island from Malcolm Payson, the brother of Isaac Payson, leader of the Payson Church of Tomorrow. Erin ventures to the island with police officer Hammond and old colleague and friend journalist Diggs. There are some hints to the back story as we discover than Erin is recently divorced and that she had some kind of romantic relationship with Diggs before she was married. We also discover than Hammond took some photos of the church fire crime scene all those years ago, and it transpires that the church was padlocked from the outside while the congregation burnt inside.
By this point I was sufficiently hooked! I couldn't shake the feeling that the Payson Church was a cult. On an island. Cut off from the mainland. At one point early on Erin says "once I started studying cults and cult behaviour, I knew the Paysons didn't fit the profile. I knew mass suicide didn't make sense for who they were and what they believed in." I don't know much about cults but wondered if this was her character defending her upbringing, or if the author was dropping hints that a twist was coming. I haven’t read many books about cults, but the main similarity between the fictional Payson Church and a cult was that the congregation lived secluded away from mainstream society.
Once I stared to discover more about what happened on the night of the fire I was even more intrigued! The fire chief at the time was Joe Ashmont; who already threatened Erin and hit her dog nearer the start of the book. It transpires that he initially called the mainland and said the fire wasn't major and that everything was under control, however contradicting information was received over 4 hours later. By the time police and coroners get to the scene, Ashmont has cleared rubble and stacked bodies. Tampering with evidence?
By the time I was less than half way through I decided I would download (and pay for – which is very rare for me) the following 4 books in the series. The main criticism I would have of All The Blue-Eyed Angels is that it ended without neatly tying up all the loose ends; there were still many many questions left unanswered. Because I already had the next instalment Sins Of The Father waiting in the wings, this didn’t bother me too much as I started the second book within minutes of finishing the first. Sins Of The Father picks up with the same unanswered questions hanging about (hopefully some of which will be answered!) and poses more questions about Erin’s Father right from the off.
I have never read anything by Jen Blood before, but after only reading one and a bit of her books, I would definitely read more! Out of the 7 books I’ve read so far this year; All The Blue-Eyed Angels is by far the best!
This atmospheric novel starts with a young girl running through a forest being chased by a figure. She stops running outside a church and hugs her father who is kneeling in front of the burning building.
Fast forward 20 years and the young girl, Erin Solomon has inherited an island from Malcolm Payson, the brother of Isaac Payson, leader of the Payson Church of Tomorrow. Erin ventures to the island with police officer Hammond and old colleague and friend journalist Diggs. There are some hints to the back story as we discover than Erin is recently divorced and that she had some kind of romantic relationship with Diggs before she was married. We also discover than Hammond took some photos of the church fire crime scene all those years ago, and it transpires that the church was padlocked from the outside while the congregation burnt inside.
By this point I was sufficiently hooked! I couldn't shake the feeling that the Payson Church was a cult. On an island. Cut off from the mainland. At one point early on Erin says "once I started studying cults and cult behaviour, I knew the Paysons didn't fit the profile. I knew mass suicide didn't make sense for who they were and what they believed in." I don't know much about cults but wondered if this was her character defending her upbringing, or if the author was dropping hints that a twist was coming. I haven’t read many books about cults, but the main similarity between the fictional Payson Church and a cult was that the congregation lived secluded away from mainstream society.
Once I stared to discover more about what happened on the night of the fire I was even more intrigued! The fire chief at the time was Joe Ashmont; who already threatened Erin and hit her dog nearer the start of the book. It transpires that he initially called the mainland and said the fire wasn't major and that everything was under control, however contradicting information was received over 4 hours later. By the time police and coroners get to the scene, Ashmont has cleared rubble and stacked bodies. Tampering with evidence?
By the time I was less than half way through I decided I would download (and pay for – which is very rare for me) the following 4 books in the series. The main criticism I would have of All The Blue-Eyed Angels is that it ended without neatly tying up all the loose ends; there were still many many questions left unanswered. Because I already had the next instalment Sins Of The Father waiting in the wings, this didn’t bother me too much as I started the second book within minutes of finishing the first. Sins Of The Father picks up with the same unanswered questions hanging about (hopefully some of which will be answered!) and poses more questions about Erin’s Father right from the off.
I have never read anything by Jen Blood before, but after only reading one and a bit of her books, I would definitely read more! Out of the 7 books I’ve read so far this year; All The Blue-Eyed Angels is by far the best!
July 17, 2016
It is often stated, “You can never go home again.” This statement is obviously erroneous as you can always return home; it just won’t be how you remembered it. Time has a way of transforming everything.
Redheaded, green eyed Erin Solomon returns to Littlehope, Maine after years of enforced absence. Mysteries and scores of unanswered questions from the past, hang over her homecoming like a black veil of smoke. Her life is drawn back to that fateful day that changed her, and all those of the surviving community lives.
August 22, 1990, was the day that the Payson Church of Tomorrow, burned to the ground with thirty-four people behind her closed doors. Although the church and its congregation were located on Payson Isle, far removed from the village proper, their demise left deep scars, and time hasn’t completely healed the gaping wound.
Now, years later, Erin returns to the place with the expertise in investigative journalism behind her. The devastating story from the past slowly reveals itself and doesn’t resemble what it was assumed to be, as presumed suicides transform into premeditated murders. Only the who, what, and why remains elusive.
The Jonestown Massacre (Jonestown, Guyana November 18, 1978, 912 victims), the Solar Temple Massacre (Waco, Texas March 26, 1997, 75 victims) and the Heaven’s Gate Massacre (Bugarach, France December 21, 1997, 39 victims) are all real, which brings the premise of this story firmly in the realm of reality.
This story keeps the reader guessing and slightly off-kilter as it unfolds. Einstein, Erin’s trusty but moody dog, adds another dimension to a tale of small town horror. Stephen King has pioneered Maine’s reputation for horror stories and Jen Blood has added to it.
All the Blue-Eyed Angels is the first book of the Erin Solomon Mystery series. This said, the cliffhanger ending serves as a prelude to the second book, Sins of the Father. I don’t know when but I plan to read it too.
Redheaded, green eyed Erin Solomon returns to Littlehope, Maine after years of enforced absence. Mysteries and scores of unanswered questions from the past, hang over her homecoming like a black veil of smoke. Her life is drawn back to that fateful day that changed her, and all those of the surviving community lives.
August 22, 1990, was the day that the Payson Church of Tomorrow, burned to the ground with thirty-four people behind her closed doors. Although the church and its congregation were located on Payson Isle, far removed from the village proper, their demise left deep scars, and time hasn’t completely healed the gaping wound.
Now, years later, Erin returns to the place with the expertise in investigative journalism behind her. The devastating story from the past slowly reveals itself and doesn’t resemble what it was assumed to be, as presumed suicides transform into premeditated murders. Only the who, what, and why remains elusive.
The Jonestown Massacre (Jonestown, Guyana November 18, 1978, 912 victims), the Solar Temple Massacre (Waco, Texas March 26, 1997, 75 victims) and the Heaven’s Gate Massacre (Bugarach, France December 21, 1997, 39 victims) are all real, which brings the premise of this story firmly in the realm of reality.
This story keeps the reader guessing and slightly off-kilter as it unfolds. Einstein, Erin’s trusty but moody dog, adds another dimension to a tale of small town horror. Stephen King has pioneered Maine’s reputation for horror stories and Jen Blood has added to it.
All the Blue-Eyed Angels is the first book of the Erin Solomon Mystery series. This said, the cliffhanger ending serves as a prelude to the second book, Sins of the Father. I don’t know when but I plan to read it too.
March 26, 2013
All the Blue-Eyed Angels by Jen Blood
2 stars
Good book. Started slowly, she kept going back over & over the same background info and plot points so it was a little tedious. Okay, the island was deserted and spooky, you have a dog and a tragic past; got it, now tell me the story without revisiting those points over and over.
Once the author got comfortable with her characters & locations, she moved the plot right along. It was told in first person which made sense but she switches to a different character's point of view to go over yet again the mysterious island and the tragic fire. I would have liked less of that and more of the family story and interaction between the characters. They weren't fleshed out too well so more depth to them would have helped understand their actions a little better. Also, several choices made by Erin didn't make sense if she was an investigative journalist. I kept wondering why she didn't just make a call or go talk to someone instead of all the nail biting and indecision.
I 'get it'-this is romantic fiction with a mystery twist but it turned out to be not very romantic nor very mysterious. Blood tried to walk that thin line between dropping enough clues to keep the reader interested and giving the whole thing away-she succeeded at keeping me in the dark so much that I didn't really care by the end who had done it or even much of why they did it. But, I will say the last two chapters of the book were a lot tighter and I was intrigued enough by the clue crumbs about Erin's father that I will read the next in the series.
Also spotted a minor error that bugged me to the point I stopped reading and looked it up for myself! The entire sentence could have been left out-it had no relevance to the story and only served to make me wonder what else the author tried to slip past me.
2 stars
Good book. Started slowly, she kept going back over & over the same background info and plot points so it was a little tedious. Okay, the island was deserted and spooky, you have a dog and a tragic past; got it, now tell me the story without revisiting those points over and over.
Once the author got comfortable with her characters & locations, she moved the plot right along. It was told in first person which made sense but she switches to a different character's point of view to go over yet again the mysterious island and the tragic fire. I would have liked less of that and more of the family story and interaction between the characters. They weren't fleshed out too well so more depth to them would have helped understand their actions a little better. Also, several choices made by Erin didn't make sense if she was an investigative journalist. I kept wondering why she didn't just make a call or go talk to someone instead of all the nail biting and indecision.
I 'get it'-this is romantic fiction with a mystery twist but it turned out to be not very romantic nor very mysterious. Blood tried to walk that thin line between dropping enough clues to keep the reader interested and giving the whole thing away-she succeeded at keeping me in the dark so much that I didn't really care by the end who had done it or even much of why they did it. But, I will say the last two chapters of the book were a lot tighter and I was intrigued enough by the clue crumbs about Erin's father that I will read the next in the series.
Also spotted a minor error that bugged me to the point I stopped reading and looked it up for myself! The entire sentence could have been left out-it had no relevance to the story and only served to make me wonder what else the author tried to slip past me.
May 2, 2012
***Spoiler Alert***
This is the first time I have read one of Jen Blood's Novels and I already absolutely love her writing style.
Erin Solomon returns to her childhood home of Littlehope after inheriting Payson Island but of course not everybody are as they appear. She is there to solve the mystery of a fire but there is plenty of story packed in along the way.
I loved everything about this book. Mystery novel's are my favourite Genre, I have read a fair few and this certainly lived up to my expectations.
The book is thoroughly written, the characters are well developed and I was completely engaged throughout the book.
There are some creepy parts in the book too which made for tense reading but this is everything I look for in a book. There are also some elements of humour and a complicated love triangle too but the overall setting is dark and powerful.
The story has a lot of unexpected plot twists that will keep you turning the pages in astonishment.
I read this book in two sittings as I had to know how the story would unfold.
I loved the main character Erin Solomon and I particularly enjoyed the way the story was set in Erin's past and present.
I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who likes a good mystery with a slightly different style. Nothing predictable here!
My advice would there are some spine chilling moments so if you're easily scared don't read before bedtime! There are also some stomach churning parts so if you don't have a strong stomach beware!
The only thing is I can not wait for the next installment of the Erin Solomon series, I will definitely buying the second book.
A strong 4 stars from me.
Becky Sherriff (The Kindle Book Review)
This is the first time I have read one of Jen Blood's Novels and I already absolutely love her writing style.
Erin Solomon returns to her childhood home of Littlehope after inheriting Payson Island but of course not everybody are as they appear. She is there to solve the mystery of a fire but there is plenty of story packed in along the way.
I loved everything about this book. Mystery novel's are my favourite Genre, I have read a fair few and this certainly lived up to my expectations.
The book is thoroughly written, the characters are well developed and I was completely engaged throughout the book.
There are some creepy parts in the book too which made for tense reading but this is everything I look for in a book. There are also some elements of humour and a complicated love triangle too but the overall setting is dark and powerful.
The story has a lot of unexpected plot twists that will keep you turning the pages in astonishment.
I read this book in two sittings as I had to know how the story would unfold.
I loved the main character Erin Solomon and I particularly enjoyed the way the story was set in Erin's past and present.
I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who likes a good mystery with a slightly different style. Nothing predictable here!
My advice would there are some spine chilling moments so if you're easily scared don't read before bedtime! There are also some stomach churning parts so if you don't have a strong stomach beware!
The only thing is I can not wait for the next installment of the Erin Solomon series, I will definitely buying the second book.
A strong 4 stars from me.
Becky Sherriff (The Kindle Book Review)
February 26, 2015
I loved this book. The writing was everything I've come to expect from Jen Blood, an author who's work has long been one of my favorite's in other genres. Unlike so many other mystery/suspense novelists, her characters have that real, 3-D feel to them - they've got flaws and idiosyncrasies just like the rest of us. Some of the secondary characters do have a slightly "stock" feel, (Jason Juarez especially comes to mind) but even there Jen manages to add little quirks and flourishes, like his fixation with teen-pop (the Glee soundtrack, really?), and his slightly unstable personality shifts, that make him fresh and original. The main character, Erin Solomon, is a likeable, tough, passionate, and yet no-nonsense kind of woman - the kind of main character who reminds me of a younger version of Tempe Brennan from the popular Kathy Reichs' novels, and just as endearing a character to read. All in all the book was over way to soon for me, but then that just means I've got to read the next one, doesn't it? :)
October 9, 2014
The characters are authentic with real life sensibilities, and woven deep into the scenes, real life reactions to the unexplainable and very human compulsions. Doubts, curiosity, trust, friendship and love - all real life struggles are explored from Erin's POV. The book dives straight into the mindset of Erin Solomon, as well as giving the supporting characters their own attributes and history.
The plot is twisted, the tone set by the strange, mysterious even, family and cult history. As the story progresses the reader feels the tension as Erin struggles to find out about her own past, as well as hunt down the real arsonist and murderer.
The story keeps a great pace, turning clue after clue, searching for the answers. The ending seems real life - often we don't get the complete picture, but we answer our questions one step at a time. It is a great way to do a sequel - and with this part completed, the reader wants to know more... so on to the next stone.
Great tension - great scenes - Jen Blood developed an organic storyline. Great writing and reading all around.
The plot is twisted, the tone set by the strange, mysterious even, family and cult history. As the story progresses the reader feels the tension as Erin struggles to find out about her own past, as well as hunt down the real arsonist and murderer.
The story keeps a great pace, turning clue after clue, searching for the answers. The ending seems real life - often we don't get the complete picture, but we answer our questions one step at a time. It is a great way to do a sequel - and with this part completed, the reader wants to know more... so on to the next stone.
Great tension - great scenes - Jen Blood developed an organic storyline. Great writing and reading all around.
March 5, 2013
This is a fast-paced well-written thriller that introduced me to Jen Blood. I chose it because I am partial to stories about enterprising women reporters and I found this one, Erin Solomon, to be a tough and sometimes reckless character. Solomon spent much of her childhood with a cult occupying an island off the Maine coast. She wasn't there when someone burned down the cult's church with its members padlocked inside, but the episode and its aftermath still haunt her. When she inherits the abandoned island, she decides to go back, uncover its dark secrets and write a book about what really happened. However, someone doesn't want those secrets revealed, creating some scary and sometimes deadly moments. There are plenty of twists and turns, then the book ends abruptly, leaving so much unresolved. I'll definitely be reading the next installment in this story ("Sins of the Father.")
July 13, 2015
I really loved the book until the end. It didn't have an end. I'm to buy the other books to find out what happens. The writer is good in story build up and her cliff-hangers are good. The girl protagonist could be better developed. The confusion over the two guys is confusing for the reader, too. Her story of the girl who inherits a sinister island and the man in the hood who seems to be in cahoots with someone else to kill everyone the girl loves is done well until the end that isn't an end. Disappointed about that. Well-done series can be read as stand alones. I don't know who has got the cart before the horse and pushed for this new trend of not ending books.
July 7, 2016
I really enjoyed this story, but the ending had me frustrated as I want to know the secrets!!! I had a hard time putting this down to sleep, the pace with the unraveling of secrets and chases had my pulse racing. I love that in a book!
The mystery of Erin's father has been bothering me for months, I'm just hoping we don't have to get through four more books to finally solve the mystery of Payson Island.
It is intriguing to have a point of view as a child, only to learn the truths as an adult, this story had a lot of twists and turns for Erin and questioning her instincts while piecing together what really happened on that island and the fire.
The mystery of Erin's father has been bothering me for months, I'm just hoping we don't have to get through four more books to finally solve the mystery of Payson Island.
It is intriguing to have a point of view as a child, only to learn the truths as an adult, this story had a lot of twists and turns for Erin and questioning her instincts while piecing together what really happened on that island and the fire.
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