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Brodie MacLennan #1
Dark Angels
How far would you go to protect your past? How much further to protect someone else's? The start of a thrilling Edinburgh-based series starring rebellious young lawyer Brodie McLennan. A celebrated Edinburgh lawyer is found murdered outside an infamous gay haunt and notorious dominatrix Kailash Coutts stands accused. Against her wishes, headstrong, unorthodox Brodie McClennan is appointed to defend Kailash under the watchful gaze of the 'Dark Angels', a violent street-gang led by the enigmatic Moses Tierney. As the case becomes ever more complex, Brodie receives a chilling photograph, establishing a link to a number of brutal murders and a suspected paedophile ring. It becomes apparent that a serial killer is haunting the city - and that powerful people are involved, intent on covering up past crimes. Brodie herself becomes a target - both for a depraved killer and for deadly forces in the highest of circles… A shocking, atmospheric thriller that combines a centuries-old conspiracy with heart-stopping terror for fans of Ian Rankin and Mo Hayder…
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
4 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Grace Monroe
35 books7 followersGrace Monroe is the pseudonym for the writing team of Maria Thomson and Linda Watson-Brown.
Maria Thomson was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She graduated with a law Grace Monroe (aka Maria Thomson and Linda Watson-Brown) degree in her early 20s, and a year after qualifying, was made a partner in an Edinburgh law firm. She met her husband-to-be, Gordon, already a partner in a rival firm, before the couple formed a law firm together. They were seen as mavericks, due in part to their unique style and progressive marketing techniques. Their reputation as ‘rainmakers’, and as spearheads of the new style which clashed with how things were ‘supposed to be done’, caused considerable controversy within the legal community, leading to discipline actions against them and their company being struck off in 1995 for ‘administrative mistakes’.
In response they raised a defamation action, which they won, resulting in compensation and an apology from the Law Society. Ironically Maria’s husband Gordon was at that time spokesperson for Scotland Against Crooked Lawyers, which name was later changed to Injured by the Law.
Maria and her husband decided that they no longer wished to practice law, and with their children travelled the world for a year, settling briefly in Hawaii, before returning to Scotland.
Maria has since then worked as a hypnotherapist, psychotherapist, stage hypnotist and fertility counsellor, amongst many things. Moving with her family to Kingussie, in the beautiful Monarch of the Glen country in the Scottish Highlands, has afforded Maria the chance to start the next chapter in her life, as a writer. Read our Maria Thomson interview.
After ten years as a Politics lecturer in Scottish universities, Linda Watson-Brown began a journalistic career as a columnist at The Scotsman. She went on to write on a regular basis for the Daily Mail, Big Issue, Daily Record, Sunday Herald and Independent, amongst others, and also developed a career as a ghost-writer. Her best-selling ghost-written book, The Step Child, first published in 2006, has now been released in paperback, and remains a best-seller. She is now working on a screenplay of the book, as well as continuing with ghost-writing and fiction. She and her family live in the North-East of Scotland, in a converted steading, formerly a pig barn.
In 2003, Maria and Linda met and became firm friends. They soon realised that they should put their talents and experiences together and write as a team.
Maria Thomson was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She graduated with a law Grace Monroe (aka Maria Thomson and Linda Watson-Brown) degree in her early 20s, and a year after qualifying, was made a partner in an Edinburgh law firm. She met her husband-to-be, Gordon, already a partner in a rival firm, before the couple formed a law firm together. They were seen as mavericks, due in part to their unique style and progressive marketing techniques. Their reputation as ‘rainmakers’, and as spearheads of the new style which clashed with how things were ‘supposed to be done’, caused considerable controversy within the legal community, leading to discipline actions against them and their company being struck off in 1995 for ‘administrative mistakes’.
In response they raised a defamation action, which they won, resulting in compensation and an apology from the Law Society. Ironically Maria’s husband Gordon was at that time spokesperson for Scotland Against Crooked Lawyers, which name was later changed to Injured by the Law.
Maria and her husband decided that they no longer wished to practice law, and with their children travelled the world for a year, settling briefly in Hawaii, before returning to Scotland.
Maria has since then worked as a hypnotherapist, psychotherapist, stage hypnotist and fertility counsellor, amongst many things. Moving with her family to Kingussie, in the beautiful Monarch of the Glen country in the Scottish Highlands, has afforded Maria the chance to start the next chapter in her life, as a writer. Read our Maria Thomson interview.
After ten years as a Politics lecturer in Scottish universities, Linda Watson-Brown began a journalistic career as a columnist at The Scotsman. She went on to write on a regular basis for the Daily Mail, Big Issue, Daily Record, Sunday Herald and Independent, amongst others, and also developed a career as a ghost-writer. Her best-selling ghost-written book, The Step Child, first published in 2006, has now been released in paperback, and remains a best-seller. She is now working on a screenplay of the book, as well as continuing with ghost-writing and fiction. She and her family live in the North-East of Scotland, in a converted steading, formerly a pig barn.
In 2003, Maria and Linda met and became firm friends. They soon realised that they should put their talents and experiences together and write as a team.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 25, 2016
You have the gutsy heroine, prostitution, serial killers, conspiracy theories, child abuse and a huge nod to 'The Da Vinci Code'. Sadly this is a mess. The writing is disjointed, some of the twists are so badly presented it's difficult to tell what's happening. There are too many characters, most of whom contribute nothing to the story. The heroine, we are told, is a brilliant lawyer, yet she manages to display none of her supposed intelligence and skill. She's a feisty independent lady, who typically, has a whole host of men falling over themselves to protect her. The scene with the heroine's ex boyfriend, I imagine was supposed to be erotic but instead had me in stitches and really should have been edited out. However the whole book feels as if the authors made it up chapter by chapter. It reads like a first draft that should never have been published without some serious work being done on it.
January 8, 2010
This was a real page turner for me - thoroughly enjoyed it. Crime/thriller about a young hot-shot Edinburgh solicitor, with a good pinch of secret sect (a la Knights Templar) intrigue.
A few twists in the tale to keep you guessing as well. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
A few twists in the tale to keep you guessing as well. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
April 26, 2018
There were two things i did not like in this book, the unnecessary explanation of a lot of scenery , the sudden super power of the Brodie so hypnotzse people , but a side from that i really enjoyed it !
The thing i liked the most was the twist ending , I did not see that coming ! and most of the time i can kind of see it coming in books and movies , but in Dark Angles i absolutely didn`t, and was really shocked at the end , and i absolulety LOVED it !
I will definitely continue the series of Brodie McClennan , and i recommend it that you read it too :)
The thing i liked the most was the twist ending , I did not see that coming ! and most of the time i can kind of see it coming in books and movies , but in Dark Angles i absolutely didn`t, and was really shocked at the end , and i absolulety LOVED it !
I will definitely continue the series of Brodie McClennan , and i recommend it that you read it too :)
October 4, 2021
Thankfully I did not read this series in order and already knew some information about the characters and the twists really keep me interested. Not the best writing on the planet and at times a bit disjointed but then when you have two people writing and then trying to cobble it together I guess this kind of thing can happen -the series does get better. The darkness and violence in this writing is not the kind of thing I usually read but the uniqueness of the lead character kept me going in this series but overall an enjoyable read.
June 18, 2020
Heard an Edinburgh lawyer ranting about this book, along with Kertamen and Filth, and saying they were all trash etc, so I decided to get all three. I enjoyed Filth, but loved Kertamen and Dark Angels which are clearly cut from the same cloth.
October 8, 2022
Good history lesson but too complex to be a good book, for me anyway. Good twist at the end, but this book lost me with all the different turns it took
September 2, 2011
Started off a bit slow and got a bit confusing with so many characters etc, but ended strongly. A good twist and liked the way the blanks were filled in at the end when they recapped what had happened. This helped me to understand better what had gone on which I possibly would have missed without the recap.
February 29, 2012
Unimpressed, although I wanted to be. Too many plot threads that the author wasn't in control enough to manage. It really was a bit of a mess, with not enough things pulling together in time to save it. Also plot infodumps, too many characters with not enough point, and oh so convoluted.
Off my bookshelf though, so YAY. 2/80 down for the year.
Off my bookshelf though, so YAY. 2/80 down for the year.
August 10, 2014
I love twists and sub plots.
This book has rather a few, the relationships between the major characters are very complex. Friends aren't really friends and nothing, no one is quite as they appear.
It is a great first book. Its not easy reading, sometimes it felt like the author had tried to condense three or four books and plot lines into a single book. But it does work.
I enjoyed it
This book has rather a few, the relationships between the major characters are very complex. Friends aren't really friends and nothing, no one is quite as they appear.
It is a great first book. Its not easy reading, sometimes it felt like the author had tried to condense three or four books and plot lines into a single book. But it does work.
I enjoyed it
April 24, 2009
Didn't like this book, and couldn't get into it at all
February 3, 2013
First book in the series so setting out the store really. Not a bad read but bit slow at first but will see what the second one is like.
July 9, 2011
First book I have read by this author but enjoyed it so will probably read more.
January 10, 2013
Not interesting.
January 20, 2013
A really interesting story, with many twists and turns. Lots of characters and quite complicated in some parts but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
September 6, 2016
Tends to jump about. A writer with ADD is how I felt the story was led.
May 9, 2015
This took some getting into and was quite a complicated plot. I'm not 100% positive all questions were answered. But all that aside I did enjoy it.
January 22, 2016
Quite enjoyed this book, although I did lose the thread on occasions, it was quite easy to pick up again.
March 31, 2016
This book annoyed me. Grace Monroe kept going off on a tangent.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews