What do you think?
Rate this book
Angel of Death
Alternate cover edition can be found here.
An earthquake hits Italy, spreading a mood of fear. Meanwhile, the police chase a psychopathic criminal who lurks amidst the shadows of a sinister, bloody plot that points at biblical texts. An academic researcher of religious subjects joins a local police agent to unravel the moving force behind the crimes, a search that will lead to disturbing questioning of two thousand years of rigid religious dogma, and to a revelation that may shake the pillars of Christianity as we know it - forever.
An earthquake hits Italy, spreading a mood of fear. Meanwhile, the police chase a psychopathic criminal who lurks amidst the shadows of a sinister, bloody plot that points at biblical texts. An academic researcher of religious subjects joins a local police agent to unravel the moving force behind the crimes, a search that will lead to disturbing questioning of two thousand years of rigid religious dogma, and to a revelation that may shake the pillars of Christianity as we know it - forever.
- GenresFiction
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2017
26 people are currently reading
538 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Ferrer
3 books104 followersAdrian Ferrer is a Civil Engineer with a passion for religious and historical matters. He divides his time between his profession and his taste for writing and is eager to share his discoveries with people all over the world.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 27, 2017
Angel of Death by Adrian Ferrer is a crime thriller about a cop and a PhD-level religion student who are brought together to solve a series of Christianity-inspired murders. The most prominent aspect of the novel (which the author clearly wrote the book to showcase) is a very specific and uncommon interpretation of the Bible, which I quite enjoyed. As an agnostic myself, I don't hold many beliefs regarding the presence or absence of a god, and I don't take organized religion seriously. That said, while I don't personally believe in either the traditional interpretation of the Bible or Ferrer's, I feel that Ferrer's makes more sense. Honestly, my enjoyment of his theory is most of the substance behind the three stars that I awarded his book.
Of course, the book is about more than just religious hypotheses; it is also a thriller, and I found the general plot of the book as it moved from one crime to the next to be interesting. That being said, I had several complaints about the execution of this book which I think are worth discussing.
Firstly, this book was originally written in Portuguese. This is an English translation. Therefore, while I cannot speak to the author's mastery of his own language, I can speak to the translator's mastery of English, which I deem to be poor. The book was mostly coherent (except for a spot where the translator thought that lambs and cattle were the same thing), but the grammar and general wording of the book was awkward the whole way through. I'm guessing it was translated by the author himself, as it read like something that was written in someone's second language. Granted, I can barely speak any language other than English, so the translator has exponentially more foreign language proficiency than I do, but being better than me doesn't necessarily make them qualified to publish their translation work. This book should have been translated or edited by someone who is perfectly fluent in English; because it was not, I don't understand the point of publishing it in English at all. While the English-reading audience is probably much wider than the Portuguese-reading one, I think a well-written book reaching a smaller audience would make the author look better than a poorly-translated book reaching a larger one. Also, I acknowledge that the book is self-published, but this is no excuse. As a writer myself, I know that the English-speaking writing community is a wide and friendly one and it would have been quite easy for the author to find someone who would be willing to beta read and help with edits either for free or in exchange for some help with their own work.
In addition to the problem of the bad translation, I found some other flaws with the book itself. One was the fact that, while intended to be an ideological thriller, the book was often derailed from its thriller aspects to explore long theological threads. Twice in the book, entire lectures on religious topics were transcribed more or less verbatim; in fact, the book opens with one of them, throwing the reader in when he or she has no idea why they should care about anything being discussed. These should have been truncated with the author showing only the most relevant portions and skipping over the rest.
The characters were also somewhat unbelievable. While their stilted dialogue was probably the fault of the awkward translation, they were also impressed by things far too easily. The most core example of this is the fact that the police chose a grad student to consult with on religious matters. The book painted her as an expert in her field, but she was only working on her PhD thesis. In reality, I feel that the police would have chosen an established expert to consult with instead. Other, smaller examples of this problem include the fact that most of the time, when someone was able to recite a Bible quote or recall its general subject matter from memory, they were praised as "really knowing their Bible," etc. As someone who has been exposed to very strictly religious people in the past, this would not be particularly noteworthy; my old roommate in college practically papered her side of the room in Bible quotes. This was made especially unbelievable when the person being praised was the supposed "expert" that the police were consulting with.
Finally, while I enjoyed the religious revelation that was revealed at the end of the book, I was less than impressed with how the plot itself wrapped up. The revelation was delivered in speech by one of the secondary characters, and while it played into solving the murders in a way, it didn't feel related enough. It seemed as though the character decided to finally clue us in on the revelation and the serial killer issue sort of resolved itself. I think the ending would have been much more powerful had the revelation come from the killer or if it had been figured out by the primary characters in their studies and tested through interactions with the killer.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of the whole experience was the fact that the book is self-published and opens with disclaimer statements from the author, stating among other things that the formalities of grammar errors or less-than-stellar plot execution should be ignored because the important parts are the ideas the book presents. To me, this indicates that the author knows these errors exist and simply didn't care about fixing them before presenting his work to the public, and as someone with a lot of respect for the novel as an art form, I cannot forgive this or accept the disclaimers. I think this book has everything it takes to become great, but it cannot be until the author commits to making it so, which is why I cannot give it more than three stars.
Of course, the book is about more than just religious hypotheses; it is also a thriller, and I found the general plot of the book as it moved from one crime to the next to be interesting. That being said, I had several complaints about the execution of this book which I think are worth discussing.
Firstly, this book was originally written in Portuguese. This is an English translation. Therefore, while I cannot speak to the author's mastery of his own language, I can speak to the translator's mastery of English, which I deem to be poor. The book was mostly coherent (except for a spot where the translator thought that lambs and cattle were the same thing), but the grammar and general wording of the book was awkward the whole way through. I'm guessing it was translated by the author himself, as it read like something that was written in someone's second language. Granted, I can barely speak any language other than English, so the translator has exponentially more foreign language proficiency than I do, but being better than me doesn't necessarily make them qualified to publish their translation work. This book should have been translated or edited by someone who is perfectly fluent in English; because it was not, I don't understand the point of publishing it in English at all. While the English-reading audience is probably much wider than the Portuguese-reading one, I think a well-written book reaching a smaller audience would make the author look better than a poorly-translated book reaching a larger one. Also, I acknowledge that the book is self-published, but this is no excuse. As a writer myself, I know that the English-speaking writing community is a wide and friendly one and it would have been quite easy for the author to find someone who would be willing to beta read and help with edits either for free or in exchange for some help with their own work.
In addition to the problem of the bad translation, I found some other flaws with the book itself. One was the fact that, while intended to be an ideological thriller, the book was often derailed from its thriller aspects to explore long theological threads. Twice in the book, entire lectures on religious topics were transcribed more or less verbatim; in fact, the book opens with one of them, throwing the reader in when he or she has no idea why they should care about anything being discussed. These should have been truncated with the author showing only the most relevant portions and skipping over the rest.
The characters were also somewhat unbelievable. While their stilted dialogue was probably the fault of the awkward translation, they were also impressed by things far too easily. The most core example of this is the fact that the police chose a grad student to consult with on religious matters. The book painted her as an expert in her field, but she was only working on her PhD thesis. In reality, I feel that the police would have chosen an established expert to consult with instead. Other, smaller examples of this problem include the fact that most of the time, when someone was able to recite a Bible quote or recall its general subject matter from memory, they were praised as "really knowing their Bible," etc. As someone who has been exposed to very strictly religious people in the past, this would not be particularly noteworthy; my old roommate in college practically papered her side of the room in Bible quotes. This was made especially unbelievable when the person being praised was the supposed "expert" that the police were consulting with.
Finally, while I enjoyed the religious revelation that was revealed at the end of the book, I was less than impressed with how the plot itself wrapped up. The revelation was delivered in speech by one of the secondary characters, and while it played into solving the murders in a way, it didn't feel related enough. It seemed as though the character decided to finally clue us in on the revelation and the serial killer issue sort of resolved itself. I think the ending would have been much more powerful had the revelation come from the killer or if it had been figured out by the primary characters in their studies and tested through interactions with the killer.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of the whole experience was the fact that the book is self-published and opens with disclaimer statements from the author, stating among other things that the formalities of grammar errors or less-than-stellar plot execution should be ignored because the important parts are the ideas the book presents. To me, this indicates that the author knows these errors exist and simply didn't care about fixing them before presenting his work to the public, and as someone with a lot of respect for the novel as an art form, I cannot forgive this or accept the disclaimers. I think this book has everything it takes to become great, but it cannot be until the author commits to making it so, which is why I cannot give it more than three stars.
February 12, 2018
I found this book intriguing and also spell binding. I found it hard to put down at times and other times I had to put it down in order to really take in all the information I had read. I found myself flipping back and forth during certain parts that contained passages which needed deep thought in order to fully comprehend what I was reading and those things that brought gravity to what was being brought to light through out the novel. The characters were believable and at times I found myself relating to the main female character in her struggles with what she believed in and what she was being told by others.
Some may criticize this novel because it is a translation from the original language text, however, this should not stop you from reading this novel, it will open your eyes to not only an interesting plot, but also some interesting research into a topic many of us think we know about.
Some may criticize this novel because it is a translation from the original language text, however, this should not stop you from reading this novel, it will open your eyes to not only an interesting plot, but also some interesting research into a topic many of us think we know about.
May 11, 2017
Identifying one of the two original religious figures is a leap I’ve never heard of before, a nuclear bomb of an idea.
I'm giving a star rating for the value of the idea rather than the fictional story it has been set within, so that’s a first for me. Therefore, this review concentrates on the really important message set within this mysterious crime thriller and the implications of publishing it, which I think outweighs the need for the quality of the detective story alongside it to carry the book. The crime story is fine and appropriately creepy in a Dan Brown sort of sense, so this book can be read for that content alone, but when you’re visiting the Crown Jewels not much attention gets spent on the display cabinet, does it?
Reinforcing the book’s central claim with unadulterated biblical records adds a touch of debating elegance, a check-mate, because the evidence used to support the accusation of who the entity really is are taken from within the very text that Christian critics refer to as the cornerstone of their belief. That’s a beautiful catch. The riposte cannot say “This has been taken out of context” because the context is the book of God’s supposed contact with humanity and each section is quoted in full, so it is the perfect context, none better (for the relevant deity) and if you look each up and read more surrounding text it doesn’t change the meaning. For a Christian to contest this author’s line of thought, they must contest significant sections of The Old Testament itself (and Torah) as fantasy, i.e. deny the faith they are defending, so they can either put their fingers in their ears and start chanting and burning books or they can accept the evidence trail, but to accept the obvious conclusion… Ouch. This will be painful for tens of millions of people across the world to open their minds to.
An objective, non-religious jury would probably decide that if the recordings in the Bible’s Old Testament are to be accepted as not fictional, that’s if, the conclusion is probably correct. The problem is the ‘If’. If the words of the first book of the Bible represent the half-remembered mythology of a nomadic tribe, passed down originally verbally since the Bronze Age, some of the account is surely imperfectly remembered and much of it is designed metaphorically, to illustrate a point. Did it all happen? Does it matter? The importance is generally the message to obey authority and not disrupt social harmony (God and His laws etc), so the supposed original event and all that smiting might just be intended to scare a simple tribe into compliance. If though, as a huge number of people believe, the God of The Old Testament was a real entity… this book will nuke his PR Department.
Most men of the cloth would accept that there is a strong contrast between the character, style and actions of the deity described in The Old Testament and the more enlightened ethos of Jesus and God in The New Testament, so I doubt there will be wide-spread resistance to assessing them separately. Did Jesus express his opinion of the god of the Old Testament directly, indirectly or could it have either been edited out of the record; or was voicing disapproval impossible as it invited cruel backlash from the orthodoxy around him?
The explanation of the character rift between God and God in the books of the Bible is that primitive tribes in the early Bronze Age might have only responded to fear and threat, with threat from God being an even stronger motivation (“It’s not me telling you, it’s Him telling you”), whereas larger and more structured societies in the late Bronze Age had more education and reason, so it would be possible to take a more compassionate approach when teaching them to behave, i.e. Jesus’s approach took them to a new level of awareness because they were developmentally ready for that upgrade. So, even people who don’t believe this stuff can accept that two strategies were needed for policing society in these two stages (barbarism to civilisation) and that’s what religion provided.
There are three things that can happen to Adrian Ferrer after publishing this book:
1) Believers can see his big idea as a threat and reject it completely without even reading it or thinking. The majority of Christians and Jews might secretly want him silenced, but it seems likely the law of the modern world will protect him.
2) People can accept the core idea, think the implications don’t apply to them and then the world moves on, which it usually does.
3) Believers may feel they have to take up the cause and launch some kind of counter-publicity attack to encourage people to label this is just another religious or anti-religious lunatic who writes fantasy, hoping the book doesn’t sell and very few people ever read the argument or understand it.
4) No one notices it anyway because it’s an independent publication with no marketing behind it.
This has to be and indie book because no mainstream publisher would take the risk of signing this author because, even though the book would sell and make a profit, groups of militant Christians and Jews could close their business down. Jerry Springer the Opera was closed by a Christian protest, importantly, gathering people to bang on the doors who had not watched the show and who had objected to content they knew of only through hearsay. I predict that most of the protest against this book will come from people who have no intention of buying or reading a single page of the argument. Closed minds. The argument itself and this counter-behaviour are both very hard forces to oppose but at least one of them has logical structure.
This is not an attempt to persuade Christians to stop worshipping God (conflating two entities from two histories into one title again). Committed Christians and Jews who do read the book might hit the first excerpt and then fear that the Devil is trying to turn them with this book, misunderstanding it as an instrument of new deceit, rather than an exercise in exposing old deceit.
There are three possible realities for the author to consider after publishing this:
1) There is no God, in which case the only problem is human reaction to the book.
2) There is a God and the conclusion is wrong (divine retribution).
3) There is a God and the conclusion is right (gosh, well done).
If someone reviews this book favourably, the writer can expect unfair tactics like requests to take the review down, a swarm of counter reviews and requests to the server owner for removal, the usual spectrum of intimidation when someone’s come close to a truth that threatens vested interests. Can a Christian read it, accept the findings and remain a devout Christian at the end? Yes, absolutely.
That just leaves a problem for me. Should a reviewer rate this based on the message being correct or not (which isn’t a literature review) or do they rate it based on the quality of the story (which doesn’t include any marks for the huge implication)? I am choosing to rate the explosiveness of the message, which isn’t my consistent approach to reviewing at all but this isn’t a normal book.
In summary, ideas this big don’t come along often and the author has set aside his own safety by publishing it. That’s the hardnosed reality. The more spiritual of you in the audience might consider this: Did it occur to Adrian Ferrer that he might have been chosen to deliver this idea at this stage of our development, that it might be His message?
I'm giving a star rating for the value of the idea rather than the fictional story it has been set within, so that’s a first for me. Therefore, this review concentrates on the really important message set within this mysterious crime thriller and the implications of publishing it, which I think outweighs the need for the quality of the detective story alongside it to carry the book. The crime story is fine and appropriately creepy in a Dan Brown sort of sense, so this book can be read for that content alone, but when you’re visiting the Crown Jewels not much attention gets spent on the display cabinet, does it?
Reinforcing the book’s central claim with unadulterated biblical records adds a touch of debating elegance, a check-mate, because the evidence used to support the accusation of who the entity really is are taken from within the very text that Christian critics refer to as the cornerstone of their belief. That’s a beautiful catch. The riposte cannot say “This has been taken out of context” because the context is the book of God’s supposed contact with humanity and each section is quoted in full, so it is the perfect context, none better (for the relevant deity) and if you look each up and read more surrounding text it doesn’t change the meaning. For a Christian to contest this author’s line of thought, they must contest significant sections of The Old Testament itself (and Torah) as fantasy, i.e. deny the faith they are defending, so they can either put their fingers in their ears and start chanting and burning books or they can accept the evidence trail, but to accept the obvious conclusion… Ouch. This will be painful for tens of millions of people across the world to open their minds to.
An objective, non-religious jury would probably decide that if the recordings in the Bible’s Old Testament are to be accepted as not fictional, that’s if, the conclusion is probably correct. The problem is the ‘If’. If the words of the first book of the Bible represent the half-remembered mythology of a nomadic tribe, passed down originally verbally since the Bronze Age, some of the account is surely imperfectly remembered and much of it is designed metaphorically, to illustrate a point. Did it all happen? Does it matter? The importance is generally the message to obey authority and not disrupt social harmony (God and His laws etc), so the supposed original event and all that smiting might just be intended to scare a simple tribe into compliance. If though, as a huge number of people believe, the God of The Old Testament was a real entity… this book will nuke his PR Department.
Most men of the cloth would accept that there is a strong contrast between the character, style and actions of the deity described in The Old Testament and the more enlightened ethos of Jesus and God in The New Testament, so I doubt there will be wide-spread resistance to assessing them separately. Did Jesus express his opinion of the god of the Old Testament directly, indirectly or could it have either been edited out of the record; or was voicing disapproval impossible as it invited cruel backlash from the orthodoxy around him?
The explanation of the character rift between God and God in the books of the Bible is that primitive tribes in the early Bronze Age might have only responded to fear and threat, with threat from God being an even stronger motivation (“It’s not me telling you, it’s Him telling you”), whereas larger and more structured societies in the late Bronze Age had more education and reason, so it would be possible to take a more compassionate approach when teaching them to behave, i.e. Jesus’s approach took them to a new level of awareness because they were developmentally ready for that upgrade. So, even people who don’t believe this stuff can accept that two strategies were needed for policing society in these two stages (barbarism to civilisation) and that’s what religion provided.
There are three things that can happen to Adrian Ferrer after publishing this book:
1) Believers can see his big idea as a threat and reject it completely without even reading it or thinking. The majority of Christians and Jews might secretly want him silenced, but it seems likely the law of the modern world will protect him.
2) People can accept the core idea, think the implications don’t apply to them and then the world moves on, which it usually does.
3) Believers may feel they have to take up the cause and launch some kind of counter-publicity attack to encourage people to label this is just another religious or anti-religious lunatic who writes fantasy, hoping the book doesn’t sell and very few people ever read the argument or understand it.
4) No one notices it anyway because it’s an independent publication with no marketing behind it.
This has to be and indie book because no mainstream publisher would take the risk of signing this author because, even though the book would sell and make a profit, groups of militant Christians and Jews could close their business down. Jerry Springer the Opera was closed by a Christian protest, importantly, gathering people to bang on the doors who had not watched the show and who had objected to content they knew of only through hearsay. I predict that most of the protest against this book will come from people who have no intention of buying or reading a single page of the argument. Closed minds. The argument itself and this counter-behaviour are both very hard forces to oppose but at least one of them has logical structure.
This is not an attempt to persuade Christians to stop worshipping God (conflating two entities from two histories into one title again). Committed Christians and Jews who do read the book might hit the first excerpt and then fear that the Devil is trying to turn them with this book, misunderstanding it as an instrument of new deceit, rather than an exercise in exposing old deceit.
There are three possible realities for the author to consider after publishing this:
1) There is no God, in which case the only problem is human reaction to the book.
2) There is a God and the conclusion is wrong (divine retribution).
3) There is a God and the conclusion is right (gosh, well done).
If someone reviews this book favourably, the writer can expect unfair tactics like requests to take the review down, a swarm of counter reviews and requests to the server owner for removal, the usual spectrum of intimidation when someone’s come close to a truth that threatens vested interests. Can a Christian read it, accept the findings and remain a devout Christian at the end? Yes, absolutely.
That just leaves a problem for me. Should a reviewer rate this based on the message being correct or not (which isn’t a literature review) or do they rate it based on the quality of the story (which doesn’t include any marks for the huge implication)? I am choosing to rate the explosiveness of the message, which isn’t my consistent approach to reviewing at all but this isn’t a normal book.
In summary, ideas this big don’t come along often and the author has set aside his own safety by publishing it. That’s the hardnosed reality. The more spiritual of you in the audience might consider this: Did it occur to Adrian Ferrer that he might have been chosen to deliver this idea at this stage of our development, that it might be His message?
November 28, 2017
When qualifying Angel of Death, I'm not taking the personal point of view path. As much as I have put all my effort and passion into this book, its real and most important aspect is not about my talent, writing style or creativity. This is about the discovery I've made, which is inside this book. It is not something invented by me, it's actually an old thesis held by ancient scholars, I claim no merit for inventing anything, I'm just a humble researcher.
How can I argue with people and convince them that there is really a revelation inside this book? There are many conspiracy theorists claiming to have made great discoveries and many of them lack credibility. How can I convince people that I'm not one of them?
Angel of Death is the result of 12 years of study and even more time of questioning on 2000 years of religion by myself.
This book is the synthesis of the huge puzzle I've been tangled inside since my teens. I've always questioned about the apparent contradictions of the Christian religion. I've always asked how is it possible that the deeds and 'personality' of the god presented in the sacred scriptures of the Old Testament can be so different from Jesus' teachings in the New Testament. How can the god of the first part of the Bible be so vengeful, jealous, cruel and brutal, while Jesus came with a message of love and forgiveness? Nevertheless, the Church tells us that they are Father and Son.
Like many others who came across such questions, I flirted with Atheism when I was a pre-teen, but, inside me, something refused to accept the explanation that everything about religion was just fantasy created by men. Since then, intuition has told me that there was more, so I began my journey, looking for answers.
My book tells something different from what we heard inside churches and when I finally found the answer to this millennial question, a big breakthrough happened in my life, involving everything I knew about Christianity and my spiritual path, which changed me forever.
My thesis states that there is no contradiction in the Christian religion, and Jesus really came to set us free from something, but that 'something' is not what the Church tells us. The god of the Old Testament is not who they say he is, and his real identity must be revealed.
I believe that light must be thrown on modern man’s doubts about Good and Evil, to put at stake the long-standing practice of ignoring how often and how markedly Evil comes from the very source we go after for Good. It is about time.
I'm Adrian Ferrer and I'm not here to praise myself as a writer, but if you believe me and read what is written inside my book, you may find the answer for that which is perhaps the greatest religious mystery of our era and there is a good chance that your view about Christianism will change, once and for all.
How can I argue with people and convince them that there is really a revelation inside this book? There are many conspiracy theorists claiming to have made great discoveries and many of them lack credibility. How can I convince people that I'm not one of them?
Angel of Death is the result of 12 years of study and even more time of questioning on 2000 years of religion by myself.
This book is the synthesis of the huge puzzle I've been tangled inside since my teens. I've always questioned about the apparent contradictions of the Christian religion. I've always asked how is it possible that the deeds and 'personality' of the god presented in the sacred scriptures of the Old Testament can be so different from Jesus' teachings in the New Testament. How can the god of the first part of the Bible be so vengeful, jealous, cruel and brutal, while Jesus came with a message of love and forgiveness? Nevertheless, the Church tells us that they are Father and Son.
Like many others who came across such questions, I flirted with Atheism when I was a pre-teen, but, inside me, something refused to accept the explanation that everything about religion was just fantasy created by men. Since then, intuition has told me that there was more, so I began my journey, looking for answers.
My book tells something different from what we heard inside churches and when I finally found the answer to this millennial question, a big breakthrough happened in my life, involving everything I knew about Christianity and my spiritual path, which changed me forever.
My thesis states that there is no contradiction in the Christian religion, and Jesus really came to set us free from something, but that 'something' is not what the Church tells us. The god of the Old Testament is not who they say he is, and his real identity must be revealed.
I believe that light must be thrown on modern man’s doubts about Good and Evil, to put at stake the long-standing practice of ignoring how often and how markedly Evil comes from the very source we go after for Good. It is about time.
I'm Adrian Ferrer and I'm not here to praise myself as a writer, but if you believe me and read what is written inside my book, you may find the answer for that which is perhaps the greatest religious mystery of our era and there is a good chance that your view about Christianism will change, once and for all.
July 25, 2017
The suspense story could have been more chilling, as The Omen achieved, but the message the book delivered was convincing and effective at concentrating the mind.
May 18, 2017
Rome, Italy & surrounding area. Detective Matteo Levi (Christian, Rome PD), & Detective Luigi Bartolo (married, Catholic, Rome PD), & the Chief of Police Vatican PD were examining the catastrophe & getting the death toll that the earthquake had caused.
Professor Giulianna Biagi (f, Pontifical Gregorian U) was listening to the TV news.
Gabriel was ringing the doorbell.
& then it was Detective Levi.
A priest had been killed. But why?
What information did Detective Levi & Detective Bartolo get from a tattoo artist?
What happened in Professor Biagi office?
Parco Adriano, Rome. Castel Sant'Angelo. Unbelievable, the bronze statue of Archangel Michael plummeted to the ground.
Detective Levi was scoping out the church.
BANG! BANG! & several more shots.
Detective Bartolo who had arrived much later had entered through the front door.
The inside looked like a bloody meat packing plant.
My stepmother took me to a Presbyterian Church in which I joined at age 8.
Through my years, I have been several religions, & currently remain as a Lutheran today.
I taught Sunday school, bible studies, led men’s groups, deacon/elder, & attended church camps & as a youth sponsor/counselor.
In undergrad/grad college we studied all types of religion.
I am no biblical scholar. No matter how hard I studied the bible after I read it at least 5 times, it was over my head & still is.
Will the Catholic Church every solve their pedophile problem? I doubt it.
Money does not solve a young man’s agony, nor does counseling or medication.
& there are millions of girls/women who are raped/molested also. Or end up with unwanted child(ren) or STD’s or other venereal disease.
Let’s start with when God created man/woman, earth, water, animals, etc.
Religious wars were/are still to this day the most brutal & barbaric!
Here are just a few serial killers who claim their religion or some aspect of it motivated them to kill.
• Bruce Lee who was not the famous movie martial artist, murdered 26 people. He was always quoting several bible scriptures.
• David Berkowitz (Son of Sam, The Yorkshire Rapier) blamed it on the bible & God.
• Gary Ridgway killed 60 women; he hid behind his Pentecostal Church upbringing & religion.
• Pedro Alonzo Lopez was beyond all human belief. Of course in prison he turned to religion, most criminals that are incarcerated do.
• Joseph "Joey" Daniel Miller. He believed in Jesus, & carried a Bible.
• Sampson Kanderayi (Axe Killer) killed 30 people. A Christian by faith he was haunted by evil spirts (Nashrat, Lamesa. Serial Killers Who Kill in God's Name. 2014; https://prezi.com/user/m6nm9mr4hazi/)
Last but not least Jim Jones, Charles Manson, David Koresh, & countless others who have claimed to be holy & had a devote group of followers (Vance, Jack. Jesus and Charles Manson. 2015; http://www.atheistrev.com/2015/09/jes...).
& how many times have we heard heretics or a better word lunatics or even the media saying the world is coming to an end. Give me a break.
Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow, a very well written religious oriented church murder mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great religious oriented church murder mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. Put your thinking cap on! There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Amazon Digital Services LLC; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Professor Giulianna Biagi (f, Pontifical Gregorian U) was listening to the TV news.
Gabriel was ringing the doorbell.
& then it was Detective Levi.
A priest had been killed. But why?
What information did Detective Levi & Detective Bartolo get from a tattoo artist?
What happened in Professor Biagi office?
Parco Adriano, Rome. Castel Sant'Angelo. Unbelievable, the bronze statue of Archangel Michael plummeted to the ground.
Detective Levi was scoping out the church.
BANG! BANG! & several more shots.
Detective Bartolo who had arrived much later had entered through the front door.
The inside looked like a bloody meat packing plant.
My stepmother took me to a Presbyterian Church in which I joined at age 8.
Through my years, I have been several religions, & currently remain as a Lutheran today.
I taught Sunday school, bible studies, led men’s groups, deacon/elder, & attended church camps & as a youth sponsor/counselor.
In undergrad/grad college we studied all types of religion.
I am no biblical scholar. No matter how hard I studied the bible after I read it at least 5 times, it was over my head & still is.
Will the Catholic Church every solve their pedophile problem? I doubt it.
Money does not solve a young man’s agony, nor does counseling or medication.
& there are millions of girls/women who are raped/molested also. Or end up with unwanted child(ren) or STD’s or other venereal disease.
Let’s start with when God created man/woman, earth, water, animals, etc.
Religious wars were/are still to this day the most brutal & barbaric!
Here are just a few serial killers who claim their religion or some aspect of it motivated them to kill.
• Bruce Lee who was not the famous movie martial artist, murdered 26 people. He was always quoting several bible scriptures.
• David Berkowitz (Son of Sam, The Yorkshire Rapier) blamed it on the bible & God.
• Gary Ridgway killed 60 women; he hid behind his Pentecostal Church upbringing & religion.
• Pedro Alonzo Lopez was beyond all human belief. Of course in prison he turned to religion, most criminals that are incarcerated do.
• Joseph "Joey" Daniel Miller. He believed in Jesus, & carried a Bible.
• Sampson Kanderayi (Axe Killer) killed 30 people. A Christian by faith he was haunted by evil spirts (Nashrat, Lamesa. Serial Killers Who Kill in God's Name. 2014; https://prezi.com/user/m6nm9mr4hazi/)
Last but not least Jim Jones, Charles Manson, David Koresh, & countless others who have claimed to be holy & had a devote group of followers (Vance, Jack. Jesus and Charles Manson. 2015; http://www.atheistrev.com/2015/09/jes...).
& how many times have we heard heretics or a better word lunatics or even the media saying the world is coming to an end. Give me a break.
Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow, a very well written religious oriented church murder mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great religious oriented church murder mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. Put your thinking cap on! There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Amazon Digital Services LLC; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
May 22, 2017
I am grateful to author Adrian Ferrer for the gift of a free copy of Angel of Death in exchange for my honest review. This review was simultaneously published on Amazon (3 stars) and Goodreads (2 stars). There is a clearly-identified spoiler alert at the end of the 4th paragraph.
As I read his book, which is really two books, a theological argument and a murder mystery, trying to be one, it was clear to me that Ferrer is passionate about his powerful but complex main point: that the accepted canons of sacred scriptures of Christianity and Judaism have been falsely interpreted and misunderstood throughout history, resulting in an interminable cycle of human conflict and misery, which can only be ended when the scriptures are properly understood according to the teachings of the noncanonical Gnostic scriptures. For his passion and his thorough knowledge of canonical scriptures as well as some Gnostic writings, I give Ferrer an ‘A’ for effort. For readers who have already studied widely in the fields of apocryphal/ noncanonical scriptures, especially the Gnostic gospels, there will be little here that is original or surprising. With regret, the best I can do for a rating is 2 stars. Mr. Ferrer, I have some serious criticism to offer, but it is no less than I would give a fellow member of a writing group who had submitted something for feedback, and I hope you take it in that spirit.
The best parts of Angel of Death are when characters are debating the various possible meanings of certain scriptures and when Ferrer offers, using endnotes more appropriate to scholarly works than to aspirant fast-paced mysteries, direct scriptural quotes to support a contrarian interpretation of their meaning. While it’s handy to be able to refer to the direct quote from the source, doing so with endnotes badly disrupts the narrative flow. It is impossible for the reader to maintain any momentum when having to flip to an endnote every few pages.
In the discussion group where Ferrer offered a review copy of Angel of Death, he explained that he translated the English version himself directly from its original language. That may account for the numerous awkward sentences, stilted dialogue, and bad idiom that plagues the novel. Apart from those issues, Angel of Death isn’t necessarily bad writing, but it is painfully inexperienced writing; the book reads like an unreviewed first draft. Almost every character is poorly defined and hard to visualize, making it difficult to feel any sympathy for or interest in them, and far too many of the characters who are central to the plot are not even given a name. Regarding action scenes, those too are often ill-defined and hard to follow. Ferrer does a somewhat better job describing setting, as long as the scene is static rather than dynamic. Finally, SPOILER ALERT! not only is the perpetrator of the heinous, sometimes shockingly revolting murders (for example, in utero dismemberment of a fetus) never clearly identified, but he, she, or it is never apprehended, and the serial crime spree is never satisfactorily solved. Spoiler Alert ends . I think that there is a story worth telling here, and possibly a solid mystery at its heart, but Ferrer has a lot of work to do to make it quality literature.
So to be blunt, Angel of Death would be much better as a work of nonfiction, a theological treatise extolling the virtues of seeking out and studying the Gnostic and additional noncanonical/apocryphal scriptures while re-examining and re-thinking the accepted canons of Jewish and Christian sacred scriptures. In its current form or modified as I suggest, though, the book is almost guaranteed to earn the condemnation of committed Jews and Christians, especially those who consider themselves to be fundamentalists, conservative evangelicals, and biblical literalists. I would recommend Angel of Death for open-minded individuals who enjoy reading inexperienced, self-published writers who nevertheless have valid ideas to share.
As I read his book, which is really two books, a theological argument and a murder mystery, trying to be one, it was clear to me that Ferrer is passionate about his powerful but complex main point: that the accepted canons of sacred scriptures of Christianity and Judaism have been falsely interpreted and misunderstood throughout history, resulting in an interminable cycle of human conflict and misery, which can only be ended when the scriptures are properly understood according to the teachings of the noncanonical Gnostic scriptures. For his passion and his thorough knowledge of canonical scriptures as well as some Gnostic writings, I give Ferrer an ‘A’ for effort. For readers who have already studied widely in the fields of apocryphal/ noncanonical scriptures, especially the Gnostic gospels, there will be little here that is original or surprising. With regret, the best I can do for a rating is 2 stars. Mr. Ferrer, I have some serious criticism to offer, but it is no less than I would give a fellow member of a writing group who had submitted something for feedback, and I hope you take it in that spirit.
The best parts of Angel of Death are when characters are debating the various possible meanings of certain scriptures and when Ferrer offers, using endnotes more appropriate to scholarly works than to aspirant fast-paced mysteries, direct scriptural quotes to support a contrarian interpretation of their meaning. While it’s handy to be able to refer to the direct quote from the source, doing so with endnotes badly disrupts the narrative flow. It is impossible for the reader to maintain any momentum when having to flip to an endnote every few pages.
In the discussion group where Ferrer offered a review copy of Angel of Death, he explained that he translated the English version himself directly from its original language. That may account for the numerous awkward sentences, stilted dialogue, and bad idiom that plagues the novel. Apart from those issues, Angel of Death isn’t necessarily bad writing, but it is painfully inexperienced writing; the book reads like an unreviewed first draft. Almost every character is poorly defined and hard to visualize, making it difficult to feel any sympathy for or interest in them, and far too many of the characters who are central to the plot are not even given a name. Regarding action scenes, those too are often ill-defined and hard to follow. Ferrer does a somewhat better job describing setting, as long as the scene is static rather than dynamic. Finally, SPOILER ALERT! not only is the perpetrator of the heinous, sometimes shockingly revolting murders (for example, in utero dismemberment of a fetus) never clearly identified, but he, she, or it is never apprehended, and the serial crime spree is never satisfactorily solved. Spoiler Alert ends . I think that there is a story worth telling here, and possibly a solid mystery at its heart, but Ferrer has a lot of work to do to make it quality literature.
So to be blunt, Angel of Death would be much better as a work of nonfiction, a theological treatise extolling the virtues of seeking out and studying the Gnostic and additional noncanonical/apocryphal scriptures while re-examining and re-thinking the accepted canons of Jewish and Christian sacred scriptures. In its current form or modified as I suggest, though, the book is almost guaranteed to earn the condemnation of committed Jews and Christians, especially those who consider themselves to be fundamentalists, conservative evangelicals, and biblical literalists. I would recommend Angel of Death for open-minded individuals who enjoy reading inexperienced, self-published writers who nevertheless have valid ideas to share.
May 13, 2017
Title: Angel of Death
Author: Adrian Ferrer
First Published in the UK: 2017
Publisher: Self Published
Have we misunderstood the bible for all these years?
Angel of Death is church murder mystery. It starts off with animal sacrifices and the offender then goes on to become a kidnapper and a killer. The killer takes scripts from the bible and uses these to justify his killing and also leaves behind references to passages in the bible. The book is set in Rome, the police force in Rome seek advice from a professor studying religion and the violence in the old testament. They use her knowledge of the bible to try to understand where the killer will go next and what he is trying to say by committing these crimes.
This book uses biblical passages to support any debatable contents. This book will make you question the bible more in many ways and will open many topics up for debate. The fact that there is biblical passages within the book really helps you to understand and to be able to debate on the subject. The use of biblical passages is not overpowering and overwhelming and does not ruin the story in anyway it does as it is intended and adds texture and layers to the story and the debates.
The characters in the book are well thought through, each having there own religious beliefs which differ from one another yet they are still able to work together and progress on the case and all of the difference religious backgrounds of each character helps to build the plot and in the end helps to solve issues.
As this book is self published there are a few mistakes but not many for example saying him when they are talking about a women and as this book has been translated from its original language into English there are a few bits where you can tell but this does not ruin the book or the story in anyway.
The author expresses his great enthusiasm for history and religion within this book as well as writing a well written crime novel. The matters brought up within the books gives up plenty to contemplate and mull over which leave us thinking of this book for some time after we have read it which in my mind is the sign of a good book.
For people who enjoyed Dan Browns novels i'm sure you will enjoy this one too. Overall i really enjoyed this book and have chosen to give it a 4 star rating. It is a book i would recommend to people.
June 25, 2017
Religious Thriller Set in Rome
In Rome, Detectives Matteo Levi and Luigi Bartolo investigate the case of not only their careers, but also their lives. The killer leaves behind clues, religious clues cloaked in scripture. He kills with impunity, without compassion for the victims or the loved ones left behind.
One eyewitness describes the suspect:
“His eyes are like red beacons… his teeth are sharp like those of a wolf, and his body is covered by scales, shining scales reflecting light.”
How does a practical policeman find a killer with transcendental roots reaching back two thousand years? Levi partners with Professor Guilianna Biagi, an American working on her doctoral thesis, Violence in the Old Testament.
Levi is shocked when the Corpo della Gendarmeria, the Vatican Police, intervene. They want the police off the case, as well as their collaborator, Guilianna.
Guilanna meets Gabriel, a mysterious man who her normally friendly cat, Nagual, doesn’t like. Gabriel also knows what the cat’s name means:
“A nagual is a human being who has the power to turn into an animal form, most commonly big cats, like the jaguar. It can be considered a protector of homes, a spiritual protector, against evil influences. That has to do with the old belief that black cats are magic beings.”
The religious thriller was translated into English. The translation is an integral aspect of the book’s amazing and unique voice. It gives the story even more of an international flavor, making the reader feel the sights, sounds, and smells outside of the home country.
The story is compelling, exciting, and cerebral. It incorporates truths that may be uncomfortable or difficult to process. The conclusions are supported by intense and thorough research. Whatever the reader decides, the journey is just as important as the destination.
In Rome, Detectives Matteo Levi and Luigi Bartolo investigate the case of not only their careers, but also their lives. The killer leaves behind clues, religious clues cloaked in scripture. He kills with impunity, without compassion for the victims or the loved ones left behind.
One eyewitness describes the suspect:
“His eyes are like red beacons… his teeth are sharp like those of a wolf, and his body is covered by scales, shining scales reflecting light.”
How does a practical policeman find a killer with transcendental roots reaching back two thousand years? Levi partners with Professor Guilianna Biagi, an American working on her doctoral thesis, Violence in the Old Testament.
Levi is shocked when the Corpo della Gendarmeria, the Vatican Police, intervene. They want the police off the case, as well as their collaborator, Guilianna.
Guilanna meets Gabriel, a mysterious man who her normally friendly cat, Nagual, doesn’t like. Gabriel also knows what the cat’s name means:
“A nagual is a human being who has the power to turn into an animal form, most commonly big cats, like the jaguar. It can be considered a protector of homes, a spiritual protector, against evil influences. That has to do with the old belief that black cats are magic beings.”
The religious thriller was translated into English. The translation is an integral aspect of the book’s amazing and unique voice. It gives the story even more of an international flavor, making the reader feel the sights, sounds, and smells outside of the home country.
The story is compelling, exciting, and cerebral. It incorporates truths that may be uncomfortable or difficult to process. The conclusions are supported by intense and thorough research. Whatever the reader decides, the journey is just as important as the destination.
May 27, 2017
Angel of Death takes place in Rome and revolves around a series of crimes that have a religious connotation. It was originally written in a different language, so there are a few grammar issues, but not enough to detract from the book. The book has a strong religious background; fans of Dan Brown's books will probably enjoy this one. I'm not overly religious, so someone that is will probably get a little more out of it than I did. I still enjoyed it immensely; for some reason, the book had a strong eighties movie feel to me. Perhaps I've been watching Stranger Things too much lately. But anyways, the hypothesis that the author presents in Angel of Death is certainly an interesting one, and the author has done a ton of research to back it up. The plot is well written; it doesn't move terribly fast but it's not slow either. To me it adds to the atmosphere and authenticity of the book; most police cases are solved in weeks, not days. For an indie book, this is one of the good ones; it will make you question what you've been taught all your life. And what else should a good book do, but make you think?
June 11, 2017
Mind boggling!!
This is one of those books that holds a value greater than what is obvious and perceived on a first glance.
The weight and knowledge relayed through the religions is solid. The content that the plot circulates around is equally as valid, I took my time and compared with twelve other versions of the referenced religious verses, if there was any major differences, and they are the same, with just slight modifications in linguistics (more modern language VS::older language.)
Did a cross reference check in relation to archeology, geology, and a dousen other scientific areas and it holds true to the findings that has been made. So the thesis behind the book is legit. That blew my mind.
The book is written in the "raw" style that is gaining more and more popularity. For a reader that means its not polished, flattened or mainstreamed, it is told in a bit of passion, and made so one can almost hear a slightly scruffed voice narrating it. Its delightfully raw I think I would say. If you havent encountered this type of writing before it takes a bit getting used to, the trick to fully get the raw style you easiest imagine a suitable voice retelling/narrating the whole story..
(Thats the best way in my experience).
This is one of those books that holds a value greater than what is obvious and perceived on a first glance.
The weight and knowledge relayed through the religions is solid. The content that the plot circulates around is equally as valid, I took my time and compared with twelve other versions of the referenced religious verses, if there was any major differences, and they are the same, with just slight modifications in linguistics (more modern language VS::older language.)
Did a cross reference check in relation to archeology, geology, and a dousen other scientific areas and it holds true to the findings that has been made. So the thesis behind the book is legit. That blew my mind.
The book is written in the "raw" style that is gaining more and more popularity. For a reader that means its not polished, flattened or mainstreamed, it is told in a bit of passion, and made so one can almost hear a slightly scruffed voice narrating it. Its delightfully raw I think I would say. If you havent encountered this type of writing before it takes a bit getting used to, the trick to fully get the raw style you easiest imagine a suitable voice retelling/narrating the whole story..
(Thats the best way in my experience).
July 19, 2017
As a novel I did not enjoy this book, I have a number of issues with it and this is why it has been given only 2 stars. My main problem with this book is the plot, or lack of I should say. The plot starts off a bit like a cross between the Da Vinci code and a murder mystery, someone is carrying out murders of a biblical nature and the police are trying to discover the killer. The beginnings of what could be a good story, but soon into the book it becomes less about this plot and more about the bible and what it says. Another glaring problem is the characters, I like to learn a lot about characters when I'm reading a book to gain feelings for them and for them to have a sort of development. However what I got from this was emotionless characters only there to make the story happen. The ending of this book is the worst part, we know someone is carrying out murders and the police and the Vatican want to know who, but we never mind this out. Its a murder mystery without the big reveal. My main point is that the plot wasn't really there most of the time and as a novel this book wasn't great.
However, after saying all that the book did give some good points about the bible and Christianity itself. This I found interesting, the authors views on the bible are really quite fascinating. This makes me wish this book was not a novel but a work of non fiction about his interpretations of the bible. It is obvious that a lot of research was carried out to gain this sort of understanding of the bible. His points would come across amazingly well, at the end I would say what he says makes a lot of sense. I'm not a religious person but if I was his ideas would have changed my beliefs.
Overall I would give the novel a 2 star rating but I would give his ideas, commitment and research a 4.
However, after saying all that the book did give some good points about the bible and Christianity itself. This I found interesting, the authors views on the bible are really quite fascinating. This makes me wish this book was not a novel but a work of non fiction about his interpretations of the bible. It is obvious that a lot of research was carried out to gain this sort of understanding of the bible. His points would come across amazingly well, at the end I would say what he says makes a lot of sense. I'm not a religious person but if I was his ideas would have changed my beliefs.
Overall I would give the novel a 2 star rating but I would give his ideas, commitment and research a 4.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2018
A stellar debut novel from Adrian Ferrer.
An almost flawless inter-genre concoction of theology, history, horror, suspense and crime.
The prose is primal, visceral and tough- to the degree of being absolutely relentless in its unequivocal repudiation of both biblical literalists and the doctrine of scriptural infallibility which they propagate.
Uniquely evocative in its depiction of the horrifying nature of religious fundamentalism and the brutal carnage left in its shadow- the inevitable legacy of fundamentalist religion, atavistic and predatory throughout the ages.
Grim, yet also compelling reading.
Not suitable for faint hearted readers; Angel of Death contains some graphic scenes of dismembered bodies and involves gratuitous discussions of abortion practices likely to disconcert even the most pro-choice of people.
There are also multiple scenes of crass cultural insensitivity regarding the traditional teachings of Judaism and customs of orthodox Jewish people- all of which could easily be misinterpreted as antisemitic by readers of the English language edition.
Adrian Ferrer is a Brazilian national and states that he despises all forms of racial hatred.
He informs me that he has yet to meet a Jewish person and does not harbour any antisemitic sentiments.
According to the author, the problem has arisen as an accidental result of cultural differences between the style of theological debate popular in Brazil and Europe, exacerbated by improper translation from his native Spanish into the English language.
An almost flawless inter-genre concoction of theology, history, horror, suspense and crime.
The prose is primal, visceral and tough- to the degree of being absolutely relentless in its unequivocal repudiation of both biblical literalists and the doctrine of scriptural infallibility which they propagate.
Uniquely evocative in its depiction of the horrifying nature of religious fundamentalism and the brutal carnage left in its shadow- the inevitable legacy of fundamentalist religion, atavistic and predatory throughout the ages.
Grim, yet also compelling reading.
Not suitable for faint hearted readers; Angel of Death contains some graphic scenes of dismembered bodies and involves gratuitous discussions of abortion practices likely to disconcert even the most pro-choice of people.
There are also multiple scenes of crass cultural insensitivity regarding the traditional teachings of Judaism and customs of orthodox Jewish people- all of which could easily be misinterpreted as antisemitic by readers of the English language edition.
Adrian Ferrer is a Brazilian national and states that he despises all forms of racial hatred.
He informs me that he has yet to meet a Jewish person and does not harbour any antisemitic sentiments.
According to the author, the problem has arisen as an accidental result of cultural differences between the style of theological debate popular in Brazil and Europe, exacerbated by improper translation from his native Spanish into the English language.
December 7, 2021
I liked the book. I was surprised, but I really liked it. I could tell from the writing that English is not his first language and sometimes that could be distracting trying to figure out what he was trying to say, but it wasn’t that difficult. I actually liked the plot and the characters, although, Guilianna wasn’t as smart as she should have been being a professor. I liked the way he didn’t name sub characters in the story; sometimes, when there are so many characters named, it’s hard to keep track of who’s who.
Now for the meat and potatoes of the book: it was blind blowing. He backed it up with plenty of scripture, and I looked up most of the footnotes he cited. I have been following a man named Israel Anderson on YouTube who basically is saying the same thing. I suggest you check him out if you are interested in this subject.
Now for the meat and potatoes of the book: it was blind blowing. He backed it up with plenty of scripture, and I looked up most of the footnotes he cited. I have been following a man named Israel Anderson on YouTube who basically is saying the same thing. I suggest you check him out if you are interested in this subject.
November 19, 2017
Angel of Death takes place in Rome and revolves around a series of crimes that have a religious connotation. It's a crime thriller about a cop and a PhD-level religion student who are brought together to solve a series of Christianity-inspired murders. It starts off with animal sacrifices and the offender then goes on to become a kidnapper and a killer. Levi is a police officer assigned to working on this crime, and Giulianna is a professor at a local college that lectures about religion, so she is called in to try to help decipher what the verses written at the scene mean and try to discover a motive for this attacker. Overall pretty good book.
June 9, 2017
Good book for an amateur writer
I received this book for an honest opinion. The writer is aware that it needs a good translator. Adrian you need to develop the characters , and tied the Bible verses to be congruent with the story. Your research was remarkable, just remember when writing a book stick to the original idea, and what you are trying to convey to us the readers. The book in my opinion went from a police procedure, to teaching passages of the Bible. Overall it was good, a good read and it might be better after the next translation. Good luck
I received this book for an honest opinion. The writer is aware that it needs a good translator. Adrian you need to develop the characters , and tied the Bible verses to be congruent with the story. Your research was remarkable, just remember when writing a book stick to the original idea, and what you are trying to convey to us the readers. The book in my opinion went from a police procedure, to teaching passages of the Bible. Overall it was good, a good read and it might be better after the next translation. Good luck
August 2, 2017
Intriguing and thought provoking
I found this book to be a weaker and more violent distant cousin to Dan Brown's approach in The DeVinci Code and Angels and Demons. Once again we find violence wrapped up in challenges to religious teachings. I would have rated the book four star had it been less frenetic and provided more depth to the characters. The ending seemed contrived.
I found this book to be a weaker and more violent distant cousin to Dan Brown's approach in The DeVinci Code and Angels and Demons. Once again we find violence wrapped up in challenges to religious teachings. I would have rated the book four star had it been less frenetic and provided more depth to the characters. The ending seemed contrived.
April 2, 2021
Must Read
A great read that challenges and dare I say enlightens on the violence of the Old Testament and strengthens one’s faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for your contribution
A great read that challenges and dare I say enlightens on the violence of the Old Testament and strengthens one’s faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for your contribution
Want to read
February 6, 2023Sir I want to read this book .
I want to know more about Yahweh devil history
I'm from Pakistan I can't afford the money to buy this book can you please give it to me free of cost. Sir I want to spread this truth.
I want to know more about Yahweh devil history
I'm from Pakistan I can't afford the money to buy this book can you please give it to me free of cost. Sir I want to spread this truth.
November 7, 2023
An eye opener
The story offers a strong support of necessity of Christ's salvation rather than an otherwise ridiculous scheme whether the God setting up a trap before coming to save the humanity.
The story offers a strong support of necessity of Christ's salvation rather than an otherwise ridiculous scheme whether the God setting up a trap before coming to save the humanity.
April 30, 2021
Eye opening
Adrian’s research reveals the true identity of the god of this world, backed up with scriptures, examples, and references from the bible. With an interesting series of mysteries and events, he clearly explains his evidence in a fantastic plot.
Adrian’s research reveals the true identity of the god of this world, backed up with scriptures, examples, and references from the bible. With an interesting series of mysteries and events, he clearly explains his evidence in a fantastic plot.
June 29, 2020
I received a free copy of this book for my honest review.
Someone is murdering people and committing other crimes that have strange religious connotations. He or she is leaving biblical verse numbers and strange other seemingly unrelated numbers at the scene of the crime, and one nun even accuses the criminal of being God coming to punish her. Levi is a police officer assigned to working on this crime, and Giulianna is a professor at a local college that lectures about religion, so she is called in to try to help decipher what the verses written at the scene mean and try to discover a motive for this attacker. While they both work on the case, their beliefs are challenged, not only as they cannot understand why someone would commit evil acts in the name of God, but also as some of the verses and references at the scene contrasts their own long-standing beliefs.
This book refers heavily to the Bible, so it is good to have some knowledge of it before going into it, however all of the quoted verses used are placed in the text so it is not necessary that you know everything about it. Although this book is packed with action and is a smooth read, more often than not I found myself putting the book to the side and thinking myself of my own personal beliefs. This book deeply analyzes the verses into the storyline from all different spiritual standpoints, and by the time I reached a little less than halfway through the book I was struggling to see who I truly agreed with. However, while this book may be very deep and impactful for some, for those who simply want an interesting and suspenseful mystery read this is still a very good book to choose. The Biblical parts of it do not weigh down the general storyline at all, and by the time I was finishing this book I couldn’t even put it down the suspense weighed on me so heavily. By the end of the book, I could only think of how well put together this story was, how everything was wrapped up so nicely, and how the story left me thinking. I advise anyone who is looking for a fresh and unique read to take a look at this book.
https://brisbooknook.com/angel-of-dea...
Someone is murdering people and committing other crimes that have strange religious connotations. He or she is leaving biblical verse numbers and strange other seemingly unrelated numbers at the scene of the crime, and one nun even accuses the criminal of being God coming to punish her. Levi is a police officer assigned to working on this crime, and Giulianna is a professor at a local college that lectures about religion, so she is called in to try to help decipher what the verses written at the scene mean and try to discover a motive for this attacker. While they both work on the case, their beliefs are challenged, not only as they cannot understand why someone would commit evil acts in the name of God, but also as some of the verses and references at the scene contrasts their own long-standing beliefs.
This book refers heavily to the Bible, so it is good to have some knowledge of it before going into it, however all of the quoted verses used are placed in the text so it is not necessary that you know everything about it. Although this book is packed with action and is a smooth read, more often than not I found myself putting the book to the side and thinking myself of my own personal beliefs. This book deeply analyzes the verses into the storyline from all different spiritual standpoints, and by the time I reached a little less than halfway through the book I was struggling to see who I truly agreed with. However, while this book may be very deep and impactful for some, for those who simply want an interesting and suspenseful mystery read this is still a very good book to choose. The Biblical parts of it do not weigh down the general storyline at all, and by the time I was finishing this book I couldn’t even put it down the suspense weighed on me so heavily. By the end of the book, I could only think of how well put together this story was, how everything was wrapped up so nicely, and how the story left me thinking. I advise anyone who is looking for a fresh and unique read to take a look at this book.
https://brisbooknook.com/angel-of-dea...
July 3, 2017
Thanks to the author Adrian for providing me a free copy of this book. The plot involving a professor and the police tracking down a killer who was performing murders which aligned with scripture. It was mostly engaging, I felt the story was broken up in some parts when there were religious discussions between the characters and the quoting of scripture caused lulls in the story. The end also threw me off a little bit, by concluding the murder case I thought that would wrap up the story, but it almost seemed to me that the professor changing her views was more important than that. I think the author tried to combine multiple ideas here and tell a story based around religious views. Instead of trying to combine two main points, I think a story focused on one (either murder thriller or religion) would have made this a stronger book.
This is also translated to English and I can get past the non-professional translation (I understand a new version has been released since I read this and this may have resolved some of these problems), but I feel like the nuances lost in translation made it harder to get attached to the characters or subtle items in dialogue.
This is also translated to English and I can get past the non-professional translation (I understand a new version has been released since I read this and this may have resolved some of these problems), but I feel like the nuances lost in translation made it harder to get attached to the characters or subtle items in dialogue.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews