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The Doubly Dead Angel-Thief
Meet V.C. Almond, Mastermind Sleuth, Jack of Some Trades, and the Delmar Loop's Private Investigator Ordinaire.
V.C. Almond’s life is in the gutter. Divorced and broke, he’s living in a rat trap apartment above the loudest punk music venue in the Delmar Loop. Worse, his dear friend Jake Kennedy, son of crime boss Big Jamie Kennedy, has just committed suicide.
The night of Jake’s funeral, V.C. returns home to find a surprise on his Jake’s freshly murdered, bullet-riddled body. Soon realizing Jake’s double death appears destined to go unsolved, V.C. reluctantly agrees to help private detective Aldous Lewie crack the case.
Stumbling upon the body of a man who’s supposed to already be dead is just the first leg of V.C.’s journey down the rabbit hole.
V.C. Almond’s life is in the gutter. Divorced and broke, he’s living in a rat trap apartment above the loudest punk music venue in the Delmar Loop. Worse, his dear friend Jake Kennedy, son of crime boss Big Jamie Kennedy, has just committed suicide.
The night of Jake’s funeral, V.C. returns home to find a surprise on his Jake’s freshly murdered, bullet-riddled body. Soon realizing Jake’s double death appears destined to go unsolved, V.C. reluctantly agrees to help private detective Aldous Lewie crack the case.
Stumbling upon the body of a man who’s supposed to already be dead is just the first leg of V.C.’s journey down the rabbit hole.
381 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 23, 2017
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Marc Whelchel
1 book1 followerMarc lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his beautiful wife and daughter, a green-eyed demon cat, and a song in his head that he can’t quite identify. When he is not driving to and fro, scouring the wastebasket of his mind for a point, he is writing the next Great American Novel, a half-decent short story starring some Congolese guy in faraway lands. He enjoys whistling off-key at the moon, loud music, dead quiet, meeting new people, and avoiding the human race at all costs. Two people once said he’s funny, so it must be true. Those who know him best agree that he has damn good reason to be self-deprecating.
He is the author of four novels, the first three having been shredded and recycled into Chinese food containers long ago
He is the author of four novels, the first three having been shredded and recycled into Chinese food containers long ago
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 19, 2018
Book Reviewed by Clive on www.whisperingstories.com
Marc Whelchel has an interesting writing style and personally I had some issues in understanding this book. The Doubly Dead Angel-Thief is written in the first person and it took me some time to work out what was happening. Indeed, I was some way in before I knew the name of the narrator.
That said the narrative was not too hard to read because, despite the confusion, my attention was maintained by the quirky humour and the descriptions of V.C.’s unconventional life. The book is littered with cultural references, some of which I recognised and enjoyed but also many that I did not understand. No doubt there were other references that passed straight over my head.
The story is set in The Delmar Loop area of St Louis which I assumed to be fictitious, but I have since learned from Wikipedia that it was named in 2007 as “One of the Ten Great Streets in America” by the American Planning Association. You learn something new every day.
The plot, when it developed, was fairly thin but it provided an adequate base around which to weave the atmosphere and humour. I found the support characters all a bit exaggerated but that is often needed for the comedy which was generally gentle apart from one rather ridiculous slap stick section. I’ll leave it to you to work out which section that is.
After I finished the book I re-read the opening chapters. It then made more sense but do you want to read 380 pages twice? If there were other books by this author I suppose you would get used to his style over time.
It’s safe to say that although Marc Whelchel and I live on the same planet and, generally, speak the same language we are not always on the same wavelength. I found some merit in this book but I can only recommend it with caution. I have awarded three stars.
Marc Whelchel has an interesting writing style and personally I had some issues in understanding this book. The Doubly Dead Angel-Thief is written in the first person and it took me some time to work out what was happening. Indeed, I was some way in before I knew the name of the narrator.
That said the narrative was not too hard to read because, despite the confusion, my attention was maintained by the quirky humour and the descriptions of V.C.’s unconventional life. The book is littered with cultural references, some of which I recognised and enjoyed but also many that I did not understand. No doubt there were other references that passed straight over my head.
The story is set in The Delmar Loop area of St Louis which I assumed to be fictitious, but I have since learned from Wikipedia that it was named in 2007 as “One of the Ten Great Streets in America” by the American Planning Association. You learn something new every day.
The plot, when it developed, was fairly thin but it provided an adequate base around which to weave the atmosphere and humour. I found the support characters all a bit exaggerated but that is often needed for the comedy which was generally gentle apart from one rather ridiculous slap stick section. I’ll leave it to you to work out which section that is.
After I finished the book I re-read the opening chapters. It then made more sense but do you want to read 380 pages twice? If there were other books by this author I suppose you would get used to his style over time.
It’s safe to say that although Marc Whelchel and I live on the same planet and, generally, speak the same language we are not always on the same wavelength. I found some merit in this book but I can only recommend it with caution. I have awarded three stars.
January 9, 2018
After attending his best friend, Jake's funeral, V.C. came home to find his friend's dead body in his apartment. How can that be if he was already dead? V.C. is determined to find his killer ' both of them. Having the body vanish does not make the investigation any easier.
There are lots of zany characters in this story. The crazy PI, street performer, and crime boss are just a few of them. The locations are well described. From the seedy part of town where V.C. lives to the mansion the crime boss owns. The dialogue and inner thoughts give a clear picture of these places.
While I liked this story, I did find it hard to follow at times. I thought the excerpts from Patio Williams' diary, that were throughout the book, interrupted the storyline. However, there were lots of twists and turns in this book that kept it interesting.
I received this book from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review.
There are lots of zany characters in this story. The crazy PI, street performer, and crime boss are just a few of them. The locations are well described. From the seedy part of town where V.C. lives to the mansion the crime boss owns. The dialogue and inner thoughts give a clear picture of these places.
While I liked this story, I did find it hard to follow at times. I thought the excerpts from Patio Williams' diary, that were throughout the book, interrupted the storyline. However, there were lots of twists and turns in this book that kept it interesting.
I received this book from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review.
February 20, 2018
I found The Doubly Dead Angel-Thief to be a well-crafted, humorous, murder-mystery crime thriller. It has an eclectic mix of quirky, unstable characters that make the story fun and entertaining.
It has lots of humour, self-deprecation as well as romance but manages to combine them extremely well with a serious crime thriller. Will V.C. and his friends manage to solve the riddle of the born again dead-friend?
The Doubly Dead Angel-Thief is a very refreshing, interesting and truly enjoyable read with lots of twists and turns that will keep your focus right to the very last page.
It has lots of humour, self-deprecation as well as romance but manages to combine them extremely well with a serious crime thriller. Will V.C. and his friends manage to solve the riddle of the born again dead-friend?
The Doubly Dead Angel-Thief is a very refreshing, interesting and truly enjoyable read with lots of twists and turns that will keep your focus right to the very last page.
November 29, 2017
I received this book from Library Thing in exchange for a review.
While I liked most of the main characters, the writing style turned me off. The plot gets lost as the story becomes just plain goofy in parts. The author repeats details like he thinks I've forgotten where I am in the book and his way of leading to the next plot twist by telling me there will be a plot twist was irritating.
Two stars given for characters with potential.
While I liked most of the main characters, the writing style turned me off. The plot gets lost as the story becomes just plain goofy in parts. The author repeats details like he thinks I've forgotten where I am in the book and his way of leading to the next plot twist by telling me there will be a plot twist was irritating.
Two stars given for characters with potential.
February 9, 2018
If you're going to read one book this year.... it needs to be this one!
I absolutely loved it! It takes a special kind of author to find the perfect blend of crime fiction and humour as the two don't tend to go together, but Marc Whelchel seems to have mastered it!
A full review can be found on my blog: www.thegirlwithallthebooks.com
I absolutely loved it! It takes a special kind of author to find the perfect blend of crime fiction and humour as the two don't tend to go together, but Marc Whelchel seems to have mastered it!
A full review can be found on my blog: www.thegirlwithallthebooks.com
September 4, 2020
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The name of the book was enough to convince me to accept the author’s review request. Look at it! Isn’t it fascinating? For the past few weeks, I’ve been let down by way too many books that promised more than they delivered and this book was a refreshing change in this book blogger’s landscape. I was even more interested once I read the author’s bio in the back cover. Scroll down to read possibly the best author bio you’ll ever come across! I’m not even kidding. I love self-deprecating humor and Whelchel is definitely it’s master in my book now.
The Doubly Dead Angel-Thief is the story of how V. C Almond attempts to solve the double death of his friend Jake Kennedy along with a ragtag group of characters.
The writing in this book is excellent, with a generous sprinkling of jokes and self-deprecation. V.C. and his friends have been written brilliantly, with each character being unique. They have their own quirks and any reader will fall in love with all their antics.
Most books that try to do both crime fiction and humor end up failing miserably because of unconvincing and weak storylines, but Whelchel has obviously found the balance. This book has just the right amount of crime, slapstick, self-deprecation, and romance, and no reader will be able to put it down until the last page has been turned.
The name of the book was enough to convince me to accept the author’s review request. Look at it! Isn’t it fascinating? For the past few weeks, I’ve been let down by way too many books that promised more than they delivered and this book was a refreshing change in this book blogger’s landscape. I was even more interested once I read the author’s bio in the back cover. Scroll down to read possibly the best author bio you’ll ever come across! I’m not even kidding. I love self-deprecating humor and Whelchel is definitely it’s master in my book now.
The Doubly Dead Angel-Thief is the story of how V. C Almond attempts to solve the double death of his friend Jake Kennedy along with a ragtag group of characters.
The writing in this book is excellent, with a generous sprinkling of jokes and self-deprecation. V.C. and his friends have been written brilliantly, with each character being unique. They have their own quirks and any reader will fall in love with all their antics.
Most books that try to do both crime fiction and humor end up failing miserably because of unconvincing and weak storylines, but Whelchel has obviously found the balance. This book has just the right amount of crime, slapstick, self-deprecation, and romance, and no reader will be able to put it down until the last page has been turned.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews