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Fallen Angel
WHEN Jessica Henderson falls, naked as the day she was born, to her death from the window of her fifteenth floor apartment, the police are quick to write it off as an open and shut case of suicide. The room was locked from the inside, after all. But Jessica’s sister doesn’t believe it and hires the man the police call that idiot Buckley to investigate. The deeper Evan digs, the more he discovers the dead girl had fallen in more ways than one. And if that wasn’t enough, everybody gets a hard lesson in just how wrong you can be when you only see what you want to. As the mystery unravels, two things become abundantly clear – Jessica was no angel and Evan’s not the idiot people think he is.
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
April 7, 2022
A suspended detective and a PI work to solve the death of woman who police ruled a suicide when she fell from a high rise window in an apartment with the chain still on the door.
January 26, 2022
Fallen Angel is a stand-alone short story and not a prequel to the Evan Buckley Thrillers that follow it. Never-the-less, it does an excellent job of introducing you to Evan Buckley and the other characters that will play key roles in the thrillers to come.
The story begins with a female detective telling Buckley over drinks how a girl’s falling body almost lands on her head. She was just walking past the building when the girl plunged to her death. The police have written it off as a suicide because the door to the girls’ apartment had the security chain in place and there was no other way into or out of the apartment. The next day, the girl’s older sister doesn’t believe that her sister committed suicide and hires Buckley to find the person who killed her. This story is packed with action and memorable characters. It moves forward like a whirling dervish, and you won’t be able to put it down until you have read the very last word. It has an ending that will leave you shaking your head, saying, “Man o man, I never seen that coming.”
James Harper has made me a fan. I have already bought and downloaded Bad to The Bone. If you love fast-paced thriller that are real locked-room mysteries, this is a must read for you.
The story begins with a female detective telling Buckley over drinks how a girl’s falling body almost lands on her head. She was just walking past the building when the girl plunged to her death. The police have written it off as a suicide because the door to the girls’ apartment had the security chain in place and there was no other way into or out of the apartment. The next day, the girl’s older sister doesn’t believe that her sister committed suicide and hires Buckley to find the person who killed her. This story is packed with action and memorable characters. It moves forward like a whirling dervish, and you won’t be able to put it down until you have read the very last word. It has an ending that will leave you shaking your head, saying, “Man o man, I never seen that coming.”
James Harper has made me a fan. I have already bought and downloaded Bad to The Bone. If you love fast-paced thriller that are real locked-room mysteries, this is a must read for you.
April 2, 2023
Bad To The Bones, #1 - Read a couple of freebies by this author and dug this book out of my library. This is an interesting and immersing, this intense read is difficult to put down. Good characters that are easy to either like or dislike. The story lines are interesting. There are twists, turns and misdirects that keep the pages flipping to the end. It is too easy to turn this review into a book report. Never mind Ryder at the beginning, the book just gets better with each page read. 5*
Kentucky Vice, #2 - OK, I should have stopped with the first book, this one is rather silly. Some real good characters, good story lines but not much realism, lots of hollywood-style tripe. Instead of immersing myself in the dramatic scenes, I was laughing myself silly. This is still a fun read but it is labeled a thriller, falls short by a long shot. The author acts a bit like the Nutjob that brings the story to the end, explaining everything while running through a gamut of emotions, from normal to a raving lunatic. NO, ole James isn't a lunatic, but he lost a grip on his writing style and went plumb silly with events, dialog and moving from drama to slapstick comedy and Cozy-style genres. Read it for entertainment knowing that the last part of the book forgot the style and genre of the beginning. Just because KV is so funny and there are two worthy female characters, this gets four stars. Else, two stars would be being nice. 4*
Sins of the Father, #3 - Seems like the women are "lemon-sucker" lipped whiners and the male characters are raving lunatics wanting to hurt or kill someone, common types for the last two books. The beginning of this story is a bit hollywood-style silliness but improves as the story goes on. The noose is not removed, which is idiotic, but the story had to continue. Interesting story lines blending the new and foundation. Violence, bloody but not detailed gory. This takes place not long after the previous story ends. Touch of romance. Serendipitous end to a sad case. That is Grandfather, not grandfather. 4*
Once Bitten, #17 - Since the last book of this series I read was Sins of the Father, #3, I lost a lot of the foundation and was confused by some of the references to the past. That aside, this is still an interesting story with good story lines. The misdirections were not as convincing about which criminal(s) turned to law. In previous books, the misdirections were more successful. Although from Sins, I received the impression that Crow would join the regular cast of characters, I wished I had read the other books. Too many "what happened" questions. While not what I would call a standalone, Once Bitten is still an interesting story. 4*
Never Go Back, #18 - An interesting read with plenty of jawing between the two not partners as they search for a missing American student studying in England. A lot of happenings, good, bad and ugly, made for a good read as the present mingles with the past. 4*
See No Evil - With this bit on the wordy side story, I was confused by some of Evan's ramblings and some of his references to the past. I lost a lot of the foundation not reading the books between Sins of the Father and Once Bitten. That aside, this is still an interesting story with good story lines. I like the misdirection and the obvious is steady changing. I did not get the killer, but found the activities of this person of interest. Compared to the first three books, the writing style has improved for the better. 4*
Fallen Angel - It's an OK, short read. No surprises, an old story retold by others. 3*
A Rock And A Hard Place - This is a better short story than Fallen Angel. Interesting with a good story line. 4*
Kentucky Vice, #2 - OK, I should have stopped with the first book, this one is rather silly. Some real good characters, good story lines but not much realism, lots of hollywood-style tripe. Instead of immersing myself in the dramatic scenes, I was laughing myself silly. This is still a fun read but it is labeled a thriller, falls short by a long shot. The author acts a bit like the Nutjob that brings the story to the end, explaining everything while running through a gamut of emotions, from normal to a raving lunatic. NO, ole James isn't a lunatic, but he lost a grip on his writing style and went plumb silly with events, dialog and moving from drama to slapstick comedy and Cozy-style genres. Read it for entertainment knowing that the last part of the book forgot the style and genre of the beginning. Just because KV is so funny and there are two worthy female characters, this gets four stars. Else, two stars would be being nice. 4*
Sins of the Father, #3 - Seems like the women are "lemon-sucker" lipped whiners and the male characters are raving lunatics wanting to hurt or kill someone, common types for the last two books. The beginning of this story is a bit hollywood-style silliness but improves as the story goes on. The noose is not removed, which is idiotic, but the story had to continue. Interesting story lines blending the new and foundation. Violence, bloody but not detailed gory. This takes place not long after the previous story ends. Touch of romance. Serendipitous end to a sad case. That is Grandfather, not grandfather. 4*
Once Bitten, #17 - Since the last book of this series I read was Sins of the Father, #3, I lost a lot of the foundation and was confused by some of the references to the past. That aside, this is still an interesting story with good story lines. The misdirections were not as convincing about which criminal(s) turned to law. In previous books, the misdirections were more successful. Although from Sins, I received the impression that Crow would join the regular cast of characters, I wished I had read the other books. Too many "what happened" questions. While not what I would call a standalone, Once Bitten is still an interesting story. 4*
Never Go Back, #18 - An interesting read with plenty of jawing between the two not partners as they search for a missing American student studying in England. A lot of happenings, good, bad and ugly, made for a good read as the present mingles with the past. 4*
See No Evil - With this bit on the wordy side story, I was confused by some of Evan's ramblings and some of his references to the past. I lost a lot of the foundation not reading the books between Sins of the Father and Once Bitten. That aside, this is still an interesting story with good story lines. I like the misdirection and the obvious is steady changing. I did not get the killer, but found the activities of this person of interest. Compared to the first three books, the writing style has improved for the better. 4*
Fallen Angel - It's an OK, short read. No surprises, an old story retold by others. 3*
A Rock And A Hard Place - This is a better short story than Fallen Angel. Interesting with a good story line. 4*
October 5, 2021
Evan Buckley bought Kate Guillory a drink.
15 F. Jessica Henderson opened the window & buck naked jumped out the window. Splat.
Claire Henderson (Jessica’s sister) was not believing it was a suicide.
She hired Evan & Kate on the spot.
Ryan Cooper (bartender) was her slime ball BF.
Henry’s Gym. Evan went to speak with Ryan.
I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
An awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written thriller book. It was quite 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 huge description list of unique characters, settings, facts etc. to keep track of. This could also make another great thriller movie, or better yet a mini-TV series. It was just OK for me sot I will rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; BookFunnel; OddlyBooks; Amazon Digital Services LLC. Kindle Mobi; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
15 F. Jessica Henderson opened the window & buck naked jumped out the window. Splat.
Claire Henderson (Jessica’s sister) was not believing it was a suicide.
She hired Evan & Kate on the spot.
Ryan Cooper (bartender) was her slime ball BF.
Henry’s Gym. Evan went to speak with Ryan.
I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
An awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written thriller book. It was quite 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 huge description list of unique characters, settings, facts etc. to keep track of. This could also make another great thriller movie, or better yet a mini-TV series. It was just OK for me sot I will rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; BookFunnel; OddlyBooks; Amazon Digital Services LLC. Kindle Mobi; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
November 4, 2021
A short story in the Evan Buckley series Fallen Angel is a quick and fun read.
Based on a 'Did she jump or was she pushed' premise Evan is asked to proove Jessica did not commit suicide but all the evidence says she did. What will Evan find that no-one else did.
I enjoyed this book as it moved along quickly and wasn't padded with any unnecessary information (the beauty of a short story).
I'm fairly new to this author (this is only the second of his books I have read) and I am still getting used to the style of story telling which includes a lot of conversations. Maybe it's just me and the way I read but I find it hard to follow what is happening when it's all 'he said, she said' Not knowing the main characters well I often lose track of who said what or even why it was said. It was not so evident in this book, being short Harper needed to stick to the pertinent facts and not talk about the weather so the result for me was a much easier book to keep up with and I was able to enjoy the story without having to go back and check what was happening.
Based on a 'Did she jump or was she pushed' premise Evan is asked to proove Jessica did not commit suicide but all the evidence says she did. What will Evan find that no-one else did.
I enjoyed this book as it moved along quickly and wasn't padded with any unnecessary information (the beauty of a short story).
I'm fairly new to this author (this is only the second of his books I have read) and I am still getting used to the style of story telling which includes a lot of conversations. Maybe it's just me and the way I read but I find it hard to follow what is happening when it's all 'he said, she said' Not knowing the main characters well I often lose track of who said what or even why it was said. It was not so evident in this book, being short Harper needed to stick to the pertinent facts and not talk about the weather so the result for me was a much easier book to keep up with and I was able to enjoy the story without having to go back and check what was happening.
September 13, 2024
I received a free copy of “Fallen Angel” by James Harper and I thought it was a fast-paced mystery novel that was well-written.
The story is about a private detective, a former policeman, who is employed by the sister of a girl who plunged fifteen stories, naked, to the ground. Evan Buckley and his policewoman friend, Kate Guillory, investigate the death that was designated as a suicide by the police department. Evan must figure out if the victim was pushed, or if it was suicide because the apartment was locked with a security chain.
The book was easy to read, the plot was well thought out, and persuaded me to obtain another book, free from James Harper, called “Bad to the Bones”. I am interested in reading some more of Evan Buckley’s thrillers.
The story is about a private detective, a former policeman, who is employed by the sister of a girl who plunged fifteen stories, naked, to the ground. Evan Buckley and his policewoman friend, Kate Guillory, investigate the death that was designated as a suicide by the police department. Evan must figure out if the victim was pushed, or if it was suicide because the apartment was locked with a security chain.
The book was easy to read, the plot was well thought out, and persuaded me to obtain another book, free from James Harper, called “Bad to the Bones”. I am interested in reading some more of Evan Buckley’s thrillers.
September 17, 2023
I really enjoyed Fallen Angel a short murder mystery detective free story by James Harper. The story begins with a locked room scenario when Jessica Henderson falls to her death stark naked from her fifteenth floor apartment and it looks like a suicide.
Jessica's sister knows her sister inside out and thinks that she may have been pushed she hires Private Investigator Evan Buckley to investigate further and the mystery unravels as Buckley and suspended female cop Kate Guillory a drinking buddy who both have feelings for each other but keep it under wraps. With great detective work by Buckley and Guillory they solve the case.
Jessica's sister knows her sister inside out and thinks that she may have been pushed she hires Private Investigator Evan Buckley to investigate further and the mystery unravels as Buckley and suspended female cop Kate Guillory a drinking buddy who both have feelings for each other but keep it under wraps. With great detective work by Buckley and Guillory they solve the case.
February 18, 2019
"Fallen Angel" is a short but well-written mystery/thriller. In something this short, there's not time for a lot of character development, but the characters are clearly delineated, and the plot, which has elements of a locked-room mystery, is compelling without feeling stuffed into a story that should have been developed further. If you enjoy clean prose and fast pacing, with a genuine plot twist at the end, you'll probably enjoy "Fallen Angel."
October 9, 2023
This is a classic private detective story. Evan Buckley is an astute man working on a seemingly open and shut case.
Unlike the other books in the series, which are full novels, this is a short story, which can be quickly read and enjoyed when you have a few moments to spare (only 8 short chapters).
I like detective stories and this one didn't disappoint. Four stars from me.
Unlike the other books in the series, which are full novels, this is a short story, which can be quickly read and enjoyed when you have a few moments to spare (only 8 short chapters).
I like detective stories and this one didn't disappoint. Four stars from me.
July 6, 2019
Clare Henderson approaches Evan Buckley to investigate the death of her sister Jessica. The police are convinced it was suicide, that she fell out of the window of her 15th floor apartment. She doesn't believe that her sister would commit suicide.
An enjoyable well-written short story
An enjoyable well-written short story
November 24, 2019
Detective story
Detective Evan Buckley looks into a locked room mystery.
A young woman has apparently jumped to her death out of her open window.
Her door was chained from the inside.
But Evan isn't sure.
Detective Evan Buckley looks into a locked room mystery.
A young woman has apparently jumped to her death out of her open window.
Her door was chained from the inside.
But Evan isn't sure.
March 13, 2021
Evan and Kate are up to their usual bickering but that's what is great about the Evan Buckley series. Even though it's a short story, it's so well written you're sorry that the book has to end as fast as it does.
June 4, 2021
Thank you for the opportunity to read your book
A well written novella with a good storyline. Lifelike characters and a plot that has you thinking and keeps you turning the pages to find what happens.
A good read
A well written novella with a good storyline. Lifelike characters and a plot that has you thinking and keeps you turning the pages to find what happens.
A good read
June 27, 2021
An excellent short story questioning the ruling of suicide by the dead woman's sister. Well crafted and perfectly written keeping you guessing how can it be anything other than suicide. Recommended.
November 11, 2022
Evan Buckley is a gumshoe here hired to investigate the supposed suicide of a young woman who fell from a 15th floor window.
I’ll admit I missed the point when Evan noticed the crucial piece of evidence.
I’ll admit I missed the point when Evan noticed the crucial piece of evidence.
January 19, 2023
Fallen Angel involves characters with lots of hidden baggage. A triangle of detectives and PI are trying to solve a bizarre suicide- or is it? Their paths wind from clue to clue, making an exciting story! Quick read but worth it!
September 19, 2023
This was a really good murder mystery when everyone thinks it’s one way one person knows it has to be something and someone else that did it and learning the truth was amazing a page turner and a do not put down book needing more by this author
December 8, 2024
A quick hitting story to introduce Evan Buckley. He is a very interesting detective with the ability to quickly put the clues together and discover the sequence of events which resulted in the case he was investigating. Has an interesting link to the police.
June 29, 2025
A decent short story from the Evan Buckley series. Buckley is asked to look into an apparent suicide by the sister of a woman who was ruled to have jumped from her tower block window. But Buckley suspects foul play and investigates.
December 19, 2018
I enjoyed this fast paced story. I am looking forward to reading more from this author!
February 8, 2019
Wow. This is one of those books that keeps you reading all night. Hooks you in right from the start until the surprising ending. Definitely added this Author to my favourites list.
February 14, 2019
Typical Evan Buckley story . The sister of a susposedly suicide victim approaches him to help solve the case. Easy and fast read.
February 22, 2019
Short story. Very thin in all areas: conversations; descriptions; logic; plot development; and satisfaction. Interesting concept so it gets an extra star.
March 5, 2019
A good quick read it was second of Evan Buckley books I had read and I didn’t know why Guillory had been suspended which spoilt it a little.
April 5, 2019
Great story, expertly written. Good dialogue and well structured characters. Definitely hoping to continue with this series.
June 2, 2019
Short, but well-written, novel.
December 5, 2019
A fascinating murder mystery.
January 2, 2020
A really nicely done crime investigation
July 6, 2020
I’m not big on short stories, but there was enough of this to get a feel for the characters. Will look forward to read a ‘real’ Evan Buckley mystery.
September 3, 2020
I'm so amazed at the good writing all the details all the graphics. Continue using that great imagination keep me wanting to read more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews