Angels Passing

DI Joe Faraday #3

by Graham Hurley

Why did fourteen-year-old Helen Bassam fall to her death from a tower block? DI Joe Faraday is on the case, but almost immediately, he’s fighting for resources. The body of a drug dealer is found hanging from a tree, and the head of the Major Crimes Squad is pulling in all the manpower he can get. Faraday plunges into Portsmouth’s bleak netherworld of wrecked families and children cast adrift. But as he tracks down a ten-year-old boy who may hold the key to Helen’s death, he’s faced with a crisis much closer to home.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Procedural, Mystery Thriller, British Literature

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Graham Hurley was born November, 1946 in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. His seaside childhood was punctuated by football, swimming, afternoons on the dodgems, run-ins with the police, multiple raids on the local library - plus near-total immersion in English post-war movies.

Directed and produced documentaries for ITV through two decades, winning a number of national and international awards. Launched a writing career on the back of a six-part drama commission for ITV: "Rules of Engagement". Left TV and became full time writer in 1991.

Authored nine stand-alone thrillers plus "Airshow", a fly-on-the-wall novel-length piece of reportage, before accepting Orion invitation to become a crime writer. Drew gleefully on home-town Portsmouth (“Pompey”) as the basis for an on-going series featuring D/I Joe Faraday and D/C Paul Winter.

Contributed five years of personal columns to the Portsmouth News, penned a number of plays and dramatic monologues for local production (including the city’s millenium celebration, "Willoughby and Son"), then decamped to Devon for a more considered take on Pompey low-life.

The Faraday series came to an end after 12 books. Healthy sales at home and abroad, plus mega-successful French TV adaptations, tempted Orion to commission a spin-off series, set in the West Country, featuring D/S Jimmy Suttle.

Launch title - "Western Approaches" - published 2012. "Touching Distance" to hit the bookstores next month (21st November).

Has recently self-published a number of titles on Kindle including "Strictly No Flowers" (a dark take on crime fiction), "Estuary" (a deeply personal memoir) and "Backstory" (how and why he came to write the Faraday series).

Married to the delectable Lin. Three grown-up sons (Tom, Jack and Woody). Plus corking grandson Dylan.

You're very welcome to contact Graham through his website: www.grahamhurley.co.uk

Or direct on seasidepictures@btinternet.com.


Series:
* D.I. Joe Faraday

Reviews

[Lainy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blurb from goodreads


Why did fourteen-year-old Helen Bassam fall to her death from a tower block? DI Joe Faraday is on the case, but almost immediately, he’s fighting for resources. The body of a drug dealer is found hanging from a tree, and the head of the Major Crimes Squad is pulling in all the manpower he can get. Faraday plunges into Portsmouth’s bleak netherworld of wrecked families and children cast adrift. But as he tracks down a ten-year-old boy who may hold the key to Helen’s death, he’s faced with a crisis much closer to home.

My Review

Yet another I am torn between a 2 or 3 star rating! A 14 year old is found dead from either jumping or being pushed from a tower block. A drug dealer is found dead hanging from a tree and so the investigations begin. The story started off fine however I found it had loads of characters in it and two of the officers had similar names (both begining with W) so that was both confusing and off putting. I found it really hard to connect with the characters and kept mixing up who was who.

There is a lot I felt in the story that wasn't required and was more padding than offered any substance to the story. Had it been half as thick it might have been much easier to read and more enjoyable. You are also left with some unanswered questions and one in particular to the 14 year old girl which really urked me. The last few chapters really picked up and most of the story came together but by that point I was almost at giving up so a 2/5 for me.

This was my first time reading this author and it wouldn't put me off trying another as I have read some really positive reviews for this story, I think it must just be another marmite book.

[Helen Stead · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plotting of this book maintained my interest from beginning to end, even though I found the ending perhaps a tad too neat and convenient.

Joe Faraday is a complex and interesting character, all too human in his reactions to personal problems. One wonders how a supposedly competent detective can be so bloody blind to clues in his own relationships, but human beings can persuade themselves to turn a blind eye to anything if it is in their self-interest.

I hated DC Paul Winter in the first two books of this series. He seemed to me to exemplify the very worst kind of cop. But in this book, I came to understand him a bit better and, if not to exactly like him, at least to empathize with his viewpoint and to respect his passion for putting the bad guys away by whatever means necessary.

The crimes that the coppers are investigating this time involve young people. A 14-year-old girl takes a header off a tall building. A young man, barely in his 20s, is found hanging from a tree, having first been horribly brutalized. And the key to both deaths seems to be hidden in the mind of an elusive 10-year-old feral child who knows far too much about the ugly underbelly of Portsmouth.

The way that Hurley weaves these two stories together, at the same time bringing in Faraday's personal problems with his lover and his deaf son, J.J., shows him to be a very skillful writer, mature in his talent. Although police procedurals are not ordinarily my cup of tea, I can't wait to read more about Winter and Faraday.

[Yvette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it difficult to rate this book, I hesitated between 2 or 3 stars. It's well written, the characters are realistic, the story is ok and plausible. But I also like crime novels to be real whodunits, in this case the 2-pronged investigation being linked in the last pages was too much of a deus ex machina.. Also, I've seen the story described as gritty, but I'd rather describe it as grimy... this is not an England I'd like to live in...

[Kaylol · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is good, the ending is ok but the style of writing did not do the story justice. I had to force myself to keep reading it. Some readers might love it, I found it a bit boring though.

[KeenReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lot driven book that centred on two investigations. They started out as separate enquiries and anyone who is interested can read the book for themselves to find out whether they were linked or not. At the start there was a link because one of the crimes needed a lot of police time, which was obtained at the expense of the other investigation. This was different to other police procedurals that I have read, which have all focussed on solving just one crime. I liked the involvement of the two enquiries and I think it made the plot more realistic.
The characters were fairly well described, but I did have some problems keeping the characters distinct at the start of the book, possibly because this book contained more police officers than I am used to reading about. However, I soon got them straight and I think the extra complexity was worth it because Mr Hurley really kept my interest with the concurrent investigations.
The ending was satisfying and realistic and I shall be looking out for more books from this author.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting portrayal of the police service, with DI Faraday trudging through life, dealing with whatever fate throws his way on a daily basis, both in the professional and private sphere. He doesn't come across as particularly heroic - there are no high-octane scenes of him dodging bullets or climbing out of crashed cars as you would see in the Hollywood movies - but I think this gives his character greater depth as he seems truly believable.

Full review on my blog : https://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspo...

[Adam Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent detective novel. All the characters are realistic and completely believable and all have a conflicting mixture of motives. The villains are as wonderfully unpleasant as some of the characters in Dickens . The narrative and description of police procedures is fascinating and the detectives themselves are shown as partially flawed. The description of the sink estates in and around Portsmouth and their inhabitants is grey and bleak. The whole mix produces a very enjoyable novel.

[PAUL · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like this series. Faraday, Winter ,Lamb, Ellis and Yates are great characters. The plots are very good and the denouements usually spot on. But this was a little strange in the fact that the book is set in 2001 and timelined Feb. 9-17 One of the victims, born March 1980, dies aged 20, and in the denouement we find he had a son aged 10!

Now I knew a few Pompey rascals years ago but I don't think even they were shagging at 10, or even possibly 9.

[Mandy Marr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I waver between 2 and 3. It was a 2 for most of the book. There are so many levels of hierarchy in the police and CID etc, with so many names, I didn't have a clue who was who and two names similar, Willard and Winter confused things further. The story seemed to take ages to really take hold. Eventually a long way in, I was interested and the last quarter was a 3. Disappointed, as I wanted to like this.

[Klut Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angels Passing by Graham Hurley is a gritty, emotionally charged police procedural that delves into the darker corners of urban life. As DI Joe Faraday investigates the death of a teenage girl amid stretched resources and competing crimes, the novel paints a bleak but compelling portrait of fractured families and neglected children. Realistic, hard-edged, and deeply human, this is a powerful read for fans of British crime fiction that values character as much as mystery.

[Angela Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading about a new detective set in a different place. I could relate to some of the places mentioned. There are two investigations, the hunt for a ten year old boy who is linked to the death of a teenage girl and also the death of a small-time crook. As well as the crime the author highlights the way society as a whole is calling apart and how children are undervalued.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book though I probably am a little bias's as know where most of the places are and can relate to it, it makes it all the more realistic, this is a second read of these novels and as its been a considerable number of years between reads find that the story still stands up to the test of what a good story teller Mr Hurley is

[Houlahan houlahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different kind of police book for me. Very gritty, very realistic, quite dark in places, this features DI Faraday, another struggling cop. There is a bit of social commentary here which...I did not mind. Readable.

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though it all wrapped up a little too neatly for my personal tastes, I though the detective plotlines were all well written and each POV character was intriguing enough to warrant their own POV, but the personal conflicts - especially around Faraday - felt a little forced.

[Joanie Driemeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never heard of this author, but received it as a gift from my daughter. I enjoyed it. If you like british crime novels, he's one to try.

[Sall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tedious in places but nice to see a strong sign language presence.

[Doreen Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gritty. In some ways a very pessimistic book.

[Jane Woodcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was ok. Likable characters, but too drawn out for me. Not one of Hurleys best in my opinion.

[Michelle Lees · Rating 3 out of 5]

This drama is 20 years old now and unfortunately it is a bit dated. It's an excellent plot driven story though.

[John Milliner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it a very uninteresting book. it just wandered on taking a long time to get anywhere.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good as a stand alone book

[Alex Marriott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always solid and with a great cast to boot, I'll be reading on

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hurley is probably the foremost British proponent of gritty, social realist police procedurals. His books vividly capture the methods, personalities and personal relationships, and the politics of policing, as well as the people, places and situations the police deal with on a daily basis. Hurley provides a warts and all portrayal of Portsmouth, its micro-geographies and social divisions, and its bleak underbelly. In Angels Passing, the fourth book in the DI Faraday series, the tale weaves together two main plot lines, one concerning the death of a teenage girl, the other the murder of a low-level criminal. Where the book excels is in charting the police investigations, noting their complexities and their inherent internal tensions and games, in the characterisation of police, victims and criminals, and in the sense of place. Both main plotlines were interesting, coupled with a nice subplot concerning Faraday’s domestic life, though the denouement felt a little too contrived. Nonetheless, Angels Passing is a compelling, gripping and gritty read, though probably not recommended by Portsmouth’s tourist offices.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two investigations running simultaneously. Both investigations are set in Portsmouth describing the environment and lifestyle of both the middle class as pertaining to the death of the fourteen year old girl, and the criminal class surrounding the events of the murder.

The author takes you through the emotion and intricacies of family life, and the tangle of criminal relationships. Not to mention the emotion and life of the investigating officers.

I enjoyed this read, visualising the environment, and living life through these characters. ....lives that I never want to live in reality!

[Spuddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another interesting entry in this British police procedural series set in and around Portsmouth. DI Joe Faraday, once again being sought for promotion, is too busy investigating the death of a teenage girl who may or may not have thrown herself off the roof to even consider it. Meanwhile some of his team are seconded to Major Crimes to work on a hanging death. Faraday's personal life is also in an uproar and he tries to deal with that as well.

As usual, quite a page turner, with a good balance of the police cases and personal details of the various characters.

[Bekki Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Unlike most crime novels, this one focused solely on the police and the work they do to solve a crime, even when resources are slim and the crime isn't a crime. it was very interesting to see things from this point of view and I enjoyed the characters immensely. Getting an insight into the home life of Farraday, his deaf son and his errant girlfriend added colour to what might otherwise have been a dull recounting of everyday police work but really, there was nothing everyday about this book. Well worth reading and full of enjoyment

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I read of Graham Hurley the more I like and admire his workmanlike style. I began reading detective fiction in order to find ut how to do it; many writers' styles are sufficiently idiosyncratic (and far superior to anything I could attempt) so as to be thoroughly enjoyable to read but beyond me to emulate. Which is not to say Graham Hurley lacks at all, just that I could far more easily learn from him. And intend to.
And with each succeeding book in the series his characters become more rounded.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like this book as much as the previous two. One thing I did like is that it is told entirely from the point of view of detectives although it switches from person to person rapidly throughout. It did tend to get a bit tedious in parts and at bit preachy. It also uses some British/Portsmouth(?) slang I was unfamiliar with and couldn't find in my British dictionary. I would like to see the female detectives with a larger role. I also don't understand why Faraday's deaf son doesn't appear to have any marketable skills.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good--these mysteries rankle the traditionalist in me just a bit, as Detective Winter works waaay on the edges of the law. But Farday and company always seem to be involved in very interesting, complex mysteries...