A DETECTIVE WHO’S NO ANGEL DESPITE HIS NAME. Discover a gripping series of murder mysteries set in south Yorkshire. MEET DETECTIVE INSPECTOR MICHAEL ANGEL. AN OLD-SCHOOL POLICEMAN WHO SOMETIMES RUBS HIS COLLEAGUES UP THE WRONG WAY. HE’S GOT HIS FLAWS, BUT HE NEVER GIVES UP ON A CASE. Please note this book was first published as SHAM. A KILLER AT A QUIET COUNTRY CLUB. A masked man, dressed all in black, bursts into the club to confront a young couple. He says, “Your time is up. That girl is mine.” Then he kills one of them. Witnesses cannot agree on the straightforward matter of identifying the killer. Detective Angel’s investigation appears doomed. Angel is faced with multiple dead ends, station politics and a terrifying local crime family who will stop at nothing to protect their own. DI ANGEL’S MOST INTRIGUING CASE YET. With the appointment of the new, ambitious and aggressive Superintendent Strawbridge, Angel is deeply troubled and has only his instinct to rely on. Witness intimidation leads to another body washing up in the river. Risking his own life and withholding lines of enquiry from his cagey superior, everything is at stake for the Inspector as he seeks justice. Gangsters with scores to settle, crooked police and mentally unstable young men preying on glamorous women in the town. Can Angel work it all out in time and walk away unscathed? Perfect for fans of R.D. Wingfield, Colin Dexter, Peter Robinson, Reginald Hill, and Agatha Christie. THE DETECTIVE Michael Angel is over fifty, married to Mary. They don’t have any children. They are a devoted couple but the relationship sometimes breaks down due to his job or due to the problems of Mary’s sister who lives in Edinburgh and imposes on their easygoing natures. Michael works at the small local police station and is devoted to defeating crime, murder, and dishonesty of any sort and has no personal ambition beyond being a good husband and a successful detective. He doesn’t want promotion with all the routine office work and stress that goes with it. He is incorruptible but always short of money. He is always at odds with his immediate chief, Detective Superintendent Horace Harker, who is lazy, a hypochondriac and not a bit interested in assisting Angel in serious police work. THE SETTING Bromersley is a market town at the bottom of the Pennines. It is cold as anywhere in the winter but its closeness to the mountains protects it from many gales and heavy falls of snow. The town centre is host to the frequent cries of stall-holders hawking their wares while the enticing smells of cheeses, coffees, foreign spices and fish and chips tempt your taste buds as you wander through the stalls. The police always find it difficult to catch pilferers and pickpockets in such a crowd. PRAISE FOR ROGER SILVERWOOD “Solid plotting, unpretentious writing, thoroughly reliable entertainment.” Morning Star “A cast of characters you really want to populate with familiar faces of actors you see each week on TV — great fun. Angel is terrific.” Books Monthly DETECTIVE ANGEL SERIES Book 1: THE MISSING NURSE Book 2: THE MISSING WIFE Book 3: THE MAN IN THE PINK SUI
The Yorkshire author writes crime stories about Detective Inspector Michael Angel who lives a fairly happy existence with his wife Mary in the town of Bromersley in South Yorkshire.
I am enjoying these books but not for the mystery plots, which seem easy to work out early on, but for the character of the DI Angel. He is quirky with an acerbic wit that I find is more natural than all the PC that stops a character having flaws, apart from drink, drugs or sex. I find these stories refreshingly simple in content with no embaressment for the, admittedly at times, non-pc remarks. No harm meant and no apologies for a very human character. Thank you.
Another good one from Mr. Silverwood. I’m starting to appreciate some of the minor characters as they add a lot of interest to the story. I’d like to know how mr. Angel got to meet that eccentric old lady, Mrs. Buller-Price I think with her collection of dogs and aristocratic history. I’m starting to learn some of the Northern English slang but still encounter one now and then that I don’t know and is maddeningly not in the (mostly helpful) glossary. What’s a punter? Someone bad? Anyway, this plot has multiple crimes happening at the same time and it’s a real puzzle how the two encounters (one fatal, the other not) are related. At the same time the police are trying to prosecute a Mafia family who have been on trial many times and the key witnesses turn up dead. The suspense keeps on to the satisfying end. A good read.
Did anyone else notice the changes in Mrs Buller-Price's character? Her name changed from Victoria to Alicia. Tea and scones changed from 3:30 to 4:00. Weird.
I have enjoyed the last two books more than the first four. I really didn't care for Man in the Pink Suit. DI Angel was just dense in that one. However, I enjoy series, cozy mysteries, and unique characters, so I stuck it out....glad I did!
D.I. Angel does it again and the ending was totally unexpected. I appreciate that while I have opted to read them in order, each book can easily stand alone although the character relationships do change sequentially. And, unlike some other authors, Mr. Silverwood does not leave the reader hanging forcing one to purchase another book to find out who done it! A really good mystery!
Superintendent Horace Harker is transferred and DI Angels hope for a better superintendent, one with whom he can actually be friendly. But for him it is from frying pan and straight into fire. Superintendent Strawbridge wants Angels to magically make it possible to get the most notorious family of criminals behind the bar but isn't willing to listen to any of his suggestions. Of course, along with dealing with his super, he has to deal with a double homicide without any clue and a car that magically appeared from nowhere in the midst of nowhere. And when everything seems to be going down the drain, his new super decides to go AWOL and is replaced by his old one. The best part of the story isn't how DI angels solves all three crimes and gets the whole family of criminals behind bars. The best part is the office debacles, the ones we all know. We are continually suggesting our superior that something might not be in the best of interest but they due to their position are continually disregarding our suggestions and then, when the ball rolls out of hand, they are shouting their heart out on us as to why we couldn't prevent 'that' from happening. If we dare point out that all this happened because they failed to heed to our suggestions, we all know what happens. And that's where Silverhood makes Angels real. It could be you and me there, doing a great job looking for a pat from the superior and instead being shouted at. You do the job, you get the criminal, you solve the crime and your superior takes the credit - we have all been there, done that, in some way or the other. For a man who breathes and lives for solving crimes and putting criminals behind bars, and has made it his job, DI Angels is an awfully close-to-the-heart kind of a character.
I'd never heard of this author, but our book group's theme was one-word titles and I found this on the library shelf, published under the title 'Sham'. (It was a very old copy, and in Large Print.) Then I discovered this was Book 6 in a series about DI Michael Angel that so far numbers 30 titles! It’s set in South Yorkshire and there are three different strands to the story: a murder, tensions in the police station with the appointment of a new superintendent, and a scam that’s caught a friend of Angel’s in its grasp. It takes a while before the reader finds out how they are all connected but that was what kept me reading! It's not grisly, or over-complicated. I'd really describe it as an easy and enjoyable police procedural, but one which was tense and clever enough to ensure I’d like to read more by this author. Northumberland Gal, Oundle Crime
It's a mistake to underestimate DI Michael Angel, whose insightful reading of human nature digs away the layers.... I so enjoy reading Silverwood's mystery series books, the endings come straight out of the left field. The first one I picked, out of curiosity because the title intrigued me, was The Missing Nurse and I was hooked! I am now reading my way through the whole crime series in order - each mystery I've read so far has been so different from the last. DI Angel, dogged and determined with just the right balance of humanity and humour. If you enjoy a good well paced crime mystery novel and you haven't read one of the Silverwood series yet then you should. I thoroughly recommend them to you.
An entertaining and wonderful series. It's not Colin Dexter or Elizabeth George, only two are. but the mysteries are very entertaining, the procedurals realistic, and the characters very well drawn. DI Angel is a treat, the "doer" who eschews promotion opportunities opting for the excitement of the hunt and doing what he knows he does better than others. I find these very entertaining and relaxing.
No explanation is ever given for Mrs. Buller-Price's visits to Stefan Rossi in prison. No explanation is ever given for Dr. Schumacher 's killing. Did he botch the cosmetic surgery on Gina Rossi? Why's her mouth so big? How such significant issues are not addressed ruins the read. And the past of lead is led, not lead - an ever-present error in all the books in this seies.
The book starts out a little choppy, jumping around. It takes awhile for the parts to connect. There are two main plots here and lots of twists and turn which were good. I thought Angel's characteristic sarcasm and sayings were missing except when they showed up as an afterthought. Characters were good and a good mix of forensics and intuition.
Another great Inspector Angel book. I love the characters and the setting. This is a genuine, old fashioned mystery. You won’t figure it out immediately, which is what you want. I can’t wait to read more in this series.
Another great story by Roger and a real pleasure to read. Inspector Angel is a wonderful character and puts me in mind of the character Jack Frost. Looking forward to reading more in the series.
My rating is actually a 3.50. This is the sixth in this series and the characters I’ve come to know are all present and accounted for! Interesting mystery/murder and a nice continuation of the characters’ various relationships. A cozy and easy read. Recommend it.
Reminiscent of the great mysteries written by Agatha Christie with a dash of Inspector Culumbo. Puzzling murders with hints and red herrings added to the plot. Inspector Angel is a terrific literary character. Recommend
I had such a good time reading this book; of course I have enjoyed the entire series. These books are truly entertaining and I can’t w as it for the next one.
The Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series continues to roll along
It starts off with several quick scenes. One evolves into the primary plot of who kills Richard and it was easy in part to know what was happening. But there was still enough unanswered questions that kept the story interesting including who was the actual killer.
The sub plots were okay, but nothing to add a lot of energy to the book overall.
(3.25 stars) Silverwood undeniably writes with zest and verve, and his novels zip right along. The character development wasn't quite as strong as I'd like, and some aspects of the plot didn't make a great deal of sense, but I read this in a day and definitely enjoyed it.