Angels Unaware

Fitzroy Maclean Angel #15

by Mike Ripley

Private detective Fitzroy Maclean Angel is not your ordinary private detective. The world he inhabits is strange and it is about to get stranger. A new born baby means no more cases, no more fingerprinting and no more espionage and, with the arrival of his aging, hippy mother, he has swapped bloodstains for paint stains. Domesticity, or the lack of it, has replaced his high-paced, crime-solving lifestyle. That is, of course, apart from the AWOL screenwriter whose mother’s funeral he must attend.

398 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Mike Ripley is the author of the award-winning 'Angel' series of comedy thrillers which have twice won the CWA Last Laugh Award. It has been said that he 'paints a picture of London Dickens would recognise' and that 'he writes like the young Len Deighton, wierd and wonderful information and very, very funny'. Described as 'England's funniest crime writer' (The Times), he is also a respected critic of crime fiction, writing for the Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Times and the Birmingham Post among others.

Reviews

[Readelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Angel books, truly and deeply. I started reading them in my teens and in the twenty years (probably more) that I've been reading them, aspects of Angel's world changed in many ways. Some are fairly obvious: Angel ends up in a stable long term relationship; mostly moves out of the shared house featured in the early books; almost gets a real job. Other aspects are more subtle: although the earliest books are definitely set in the late eighties and early nineties; Angel is certainly inhabiting the noughties in the more recent volumes -- even if he won't use a mobile phone.

It's a strange balance... The books are very episodic, but as the series extended, more things happen to Angel that matter and the books don't reset; events that happen in earlier books are referred to in later books and changes that Angel makes to his life in one book are consistent changes in subsequent books. And there's the rub.... Angel doesn't grow up: life development - tons; character development - zilch. There were times when it seemed that Angel just needed to grow the hell up: none of the big life changes seemed to sharpen his act up, he was coasting and being carried by Amy May on her voyage towards getting her adulting card, and he was okay with that, but I wasn't enjoying the character he was becoming. By the last book but one, I was beginning to be a little annoyed with him. I was happy reading a character trapped in writer's amber, if the books were entirely stand alone and episodic; but there was too much series development, for me to be able to dip into the series and treat it in that way.

This book addresses those issues in many ways -- not least of all because it seemed definitely and conclusively to be the end of the series. The book finishes with a proper send off for a major character, which also acts as a way of saying goodbye to many of the characters who have populated the books over the years. The send off clearly tokens Angel's movement into a more grown up and mature phase of life, and ties up some of the loose ends that were beginning to make the series stale. The plot of the detective story in the book was a little weak in places, but more than adequate and thankfully also shows us Angel at his best; compassionate, liberal and open to others and new experiences. This was a return to form, I'm glad it ended like this and ended here and I enjoyed it greatly.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Ripley is one of my favourite light authors and one that I turn to after a session on the historicals. Angel is a similar character to Lovejoy ( from the TV series). This book is one of the later in the series and therefore I am aware of the problems with his alcoholic mother who is now living with them and his born-again-yuppie father.
Easy reading and very enjoyable.

[Paula R C R. C. Readman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What isn't there to enjoy about this book. Mike Ripley has an amazing way of bringing his characters alive. The plot line was dark and sinister but the book has a lot of humour.
A great book and l shall be checking out more in the series.