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Boldt & Matthews #2
The Angel Maker
Deep in the heart of a heartless city... She could have been any homeless, nameless young woman trying to escape Seattle's mean streets. Except the sixteen-year-old who stumbled into the shelter that night was missing a lot of blood, and something even more vital... Somewhere between life and death... For police woman Daphne Matthews, it was bizarre enough to call on the best cop she knew... especially when a search turned up more than she knew... especially when a search turned up more mutilated corpses. For ex-homicide detective Lou Boldt, it was the kind of case he couldn't resist. And for Elden Tegg, healer, only path to salvation... and immorality... Lurks the angel maker. And now, as the body count rises, tow cops try one last, desperate ploy. But they'd better start praying. Because it will take a miracle to stop a killer who's about to make one final, unforgettable contribution to humankind...
From the Paperback edition.
From the Paperback edition.
341 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
119 people are currently reading
522 people want to read
About the author
Ridley Pearson
190 books2,112 followersRidley Pearson is the author of more than fifty novels, including the New York Times bestseller Killer Weekend; the Lou Boldt crime series; and many books for young readers, including the award-winning children's novels Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, which he cowrote with Dave Barry. Pearson lives with his wife and two daughters, dividing their time between Missouri and Idaho.
Also writes Chris Klick mysteries as Wendell McCall.
Also writes Chris Klick mysteries as Wendell McCall.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
September 5, 2020
Spannend, van begin tot eind
July 30, 2010
I lost interest in this about a third of the way into it. The characters were flat and cliched: The Evil Doctor; The Adoring, Slightly Dumb Assistant; The Tortured Detective Who Swears He'll Never Work Again; etc etc. I didn't find a single character even remotely likeable. There was a bizarre, truly icky sex scene on a makeshift operating table that was a major turn off in my book. Plus, animal cruelty in any degree is a no-go for me. I'm just not interested in reading about it. This is one of Pearson's earlier books though, so I'll probably give him another shot.
May 12, 2013
I think this novel is way better than Undercurrents, the first in the Lou Boldt/Daphne Matthews series. I still don't much like Boldt - he has more than a passing resemblance to someone who you would employ as a middle-aged nanny, but the more I read about Matthews, the more I like her. She is not simply a Seattle police psychologist, she explodes into action whenever necessary despite the danger to herself.
Street kids are showing up unconscious with missing kidneys, but when Matthews' research turns up dead bodies discovered with missing organs as well, Matthews and Boldt know they are dealing with an organ black market which occasionally is deadly. The surviving teens have no memory of what happened. Boldt quit the police force and has became a house dad, with his main job being to take care of his 6-month old son, Miles, while his wife, Liz, is the main wage earner. Matthews meets Boldt at a local jazz club hoping to entice him back with the files describing the victims' cases - and it works.
Boldt and Matthews start the hard work of interesting their Seattle Police boss, Homicide Lieutenant Phil Shoswitz, in the illegal operations. He agrees to extend resources to the partners on the condition that Boldt returns to work. Reluctantly, Boldt agrees - and the horrors begin.
I would not call this a smart or witty book - most of the jokes are utterly lame and the conversations of characters still seem stilted and off, although in comparison to Undercurrents, this is Shakespeare. However, if action potboilers with intense soap opera drama tickles your fancy, this is a mystery genre series which suits perfectly. Pearson makes up for the general deficiencies of his cookie-cutout character constructions with thumping-good action sequences. However, if comic-book mayhem leaves you cold, then walk away.
Street kids are showing up unconscious with missing kidneys, but when Matthews' research turns up dead bodies discovered with missing organs as well, Matthews and Boldt know they are dealing with an organ black market which occasionally is deadly. The surviving teens have no memory of what happened. Boldt quit the police force and has became a house dad, with his main job being to take care of his 6-month old son, Miles, while his wife, Liz, is the main wage earner. Matthews meets Boldt at a local jazz club hoping to entice him back with the files describing the victims' cases - and it works.
Boldt and Matthews start the hard work of interesting their Seattle Police boss, Homicide Lieutenant Phil Shoswitz, in the illegal operations. He agrees to extend resources to the partners on the condition that Boldt returns to work. Reluctantly, Boldt agrees - and the horrors begin.
I would not call this a smart or witty book - most of the jokes are utterly lame and the conversations of characters still seem stilted and off, although in comparison to Undercurrents, this is Shakespeare. However, if action potboilers with intense soap opera drama tickles your fancy, this is a mystery genre series which suits perfectly. Pearson makes up for the general deficiencies of his cookie-cutout character constructions with thumping-good action sequences. However, if comic-book mayhem leaves you cold, then walk away.
June 24, 2020
I've ventured into Ridley Pearson's three solid series...Like many authors with multiple series, I have favorites, but all seem to be really solid...The Seattle Boldt/Matthews series is a gritty police procedural involving two talented, but just outside the norm detectives...In this one, they're on the chase for a serial "organ harvester," leaving wounded and dead in his/her wake...decent thriller!!!
October 16, 2016
Cool, you'll learn loads about Blood in a way that even Dexter would appreciate.
July 5, 2017
I always get a kick out of fictional books that focus on the topic of organ donation, seeing how much artistic creativity the author takes with the science involved and whether my job, testing for non-ABO antibodies to aid in the organ matching process, makes it into the story (it didn't :( ). Although the book was written in 1993, some of the inaccuracies I feel cannot be blamed on 25 fewer years of improvements in transplantation. If anything, we are today stretching the boundaries of what was possible in 1993, not the other way around. The primary one, which was mentioned a couple times, was that the coroner and morgues are the primary source of obtaining organs, legally and illegally, for transplant. Also, as seems to happen in every book where a patient is in desperate need of an organ, the patient ends up being AB-, a super-rare blood type, but one that would allow the patient to accept an organ of any blood type. If they wanted to really make a patient hard to match, they need to consult with someone like me who knows the HLA system and can devise the one-in-a-million scenario the authors are looking for. In this case, the patient needed a heart, and I don't work with heart matching, but I would think getting a heart that isn't from an AB- donor would not be too much different than getting a kidney from a donor from another blood type.
Otherwise, though, it was an engaging story. When forensic investigator Daphne Matthews is doing a volunteer stint at a women's shelter, she meets a young woman with an obviously fresh surgical incision on her abdomen but no memory of how it or other wounds on her body got there. When hospital tests reveal she is missing a kidney, but no record of the surgery exists at that or local hospitals, Matthews realizes something criminal has occurred. Upon consulting with the Medical Examiner, he turns up other people of similar demographics who died missing an organ. Matthews then turns to Lou Boldt, a colleague who is on leave, apparently after the events of the first book in the series, but would be the best at putting the clues together.
Ridley Pearson wrote one of my favorite books, 'Hidden Charges', but I don't believe I'd read another of his until now. Based on these first two, I will have to add more to my 'To Read' list. Perhaps I should have read the first book in the Boldt/Matthews series, as I believe he alludes to the events throughout this one, but I don't feel that my lack of knowledge about that book affected my ability to enjoy this one. Although Pearson reveals the key players in the organ trafficking scheme early in the book, they keep doing their surgeries as Matthews and Boldt close in on them. I didn't quite understand how the subplot of dogfighting and the main suspect's first entry into the 'sport' fit in or what made that dog so special, but perhaps that plot becomes the focus in a later book. Definitely look forward to reading more of Pearson's books, specifically the others in this series.
Otherwise, though, it was an engaging story. When forensic investigator Daphne Matthews is doing a volunteer stint at a women's shelter, she meets a young woman with an obviously fresh surgical incision on her abdomen but no memory of how it or other wounds on her body got there. When hospital tests reveal she is missing a kidney, but no record of the surgery exists at that or local hospitals, Matthews realizes something criminal has occurred. Upon consulting with the Medical Examiner, he turns up other people of similar demographics who died missing an organ. Matthews then turns to Lou Boldt, a colleague who is on leave, apparently after the events of the first book in the series, but would be the best at putting the clues together.
Ridley Pearson wrote one of my favorite books, 'Hidden Charges', but I don't believe I'd read another of his until now. Based on these first two, I will have to add more to my 'To Read' list. Perhaps I should have read the first book in the Boldt/Matthews series, as I believe he alludes to the events throughout this one, but I don't feel that my lack of knowledge about that book affected my ability to enjoy this one. Although Pearson reveals the key players in the organ trafficking scheme early in the book, they keep doing their surgeries as Matthews and Boldt close in on them. I didn't quite understand how the subplot of dogfighting and the main suspect's first entry into the 'sport' fit in or what made that dog so special, but perhaps that plot becomes the focus in a later book. Definitely look forward to reading more of Pearson's books, specifically the others in this series.
July 12, 2020
This was published in 1993 by Delacorte Press. I am not one of those people who reads a series in sequence. The last Pearson book I'd read was about 7 years after this, it doesn't make a difference to me. Although each was through a different company, the layout of the books were identical. It might be Pearson's eye to detail, the publishing house was bought out, or his publisher is a key part of his success. I enjoy the way the book is made and presented.
The story is so detailed and the characters so creepy (just the bad guys) that it makes me wonder if I should keep the book in my house or pass it on.
Another aspect that was appreciated was the author's awareness that technology was going to drastically change and he was just savvy enough to explain what was occurring to show this and give detail to older readers who were not current. An example is referring to email as electronic mail. I remember that change..exciting and a little confusing at the same time. You had to juggle paper 3 part memos and keep on track with email and invites to meetings. It did not happen overnight. Persons over 60 or those who are more literary may recall reading "who is John Galt" and not basically giving a f***. After more than 25 years, this' still a good read.
Pearson has a strong connection to creepy. The Benny character is overt, Elden is more covert. There are damaged people, psychopathic people, bad dogs, people being hurt, perverted ethical dilemmas. We had a heat wave. I lay on the couch and read. This was almost like when I stopped reading Steven King because it was too much.
The story is so detailed and the characters so creepy (just the bad guys) that it makes me wonder if I should keep the book in my house or pass it on.
Another aspect that was appreciated was the author's awareness that technology was going to drastically change and he was just savvy enough to explain what was occurring to show this and give detail to older readers who were not current. An example is referring to email as electronic mail. I remember that change..exciting and a little confusing at the same time. You had to juggle paper 3 part memos and keep on track with email and invites to meetings. It did not happen overnight. Persons over 60 or those who are more literary may recall reading "who is John Galt" and not basically giving a f***. After more than 25 years, this' still a good read.
Pearson has a strong connection to creepy. The Benny character is overt, Elden is more covert. There are damaged people, psychopathic people, bad dogs, people being hurt, perverted ethical dilemmas. We had a heat wave. I lay on the couch and read. This was almost like when I stopped reading Steven King because it was too much.
October 22, 2017
Pearson offers another solid police procedural with some quality characterization and some genuinely scary moments. Frightening, intriguing, and informative.
Pearson, following far too many of our thriller authors, gives us too much information about the suspect and his activity, far too soon. Added to that, Pearson throws out the spectre of interpersonal interference, or "The Rookie Syndrome" (named after the old Television program "The Rookies" in which the officers or a wife knew either the victim or the criminal in real life) and forces one of the cops to become emotionally involved in the case.
Yet, what we are given beyond those flaws, far from fatal, is a solid police procedural, where the police actually go through the paperwork, the footwork, and the interview work necessary to catch the killer. Added to that is Pearson's ability to weave in a few CSI elements that inform the reader -- (bandaids are radioactive???)
In addition, the characters are not overly handsome (Boldt fighting a bulge) and carefully crafted with backgrounds and family problems that make the characters REAL PEOPLE -- rather than a superhero hotshot of some sort.
A solid novel, but the thriller elements would have been better if portrayed differently.
Pearson, following far too many of our thriller authors, gives us too much information about the suspect and his activity, far too soon. Added to that, Pearson throws out the spectre of interpersonal interference, or "The Rookie Syndrome" (named after the old Television program "The Rookies" in which the officers or a wife knew either the victim or the criminal in real life) and forces one of the cops to become emotionally involved in the case.
Yet, what we are given beyond those flaws, far from fatal, is a solid police procedural, where the police actually go through the paperwork, the footwork, and the interview work necessary to catch the killer. Added to that is Pearson's ability to weave in a few CSI elements that inform the reader -- (bandaids are radioactive???)
In addition, the characters are not overly handsome (Boldt fighting a bulge) and carefully crafted with backgrounds and family problems that make the characters REAL PEOPLE -- rather than a superhero hotshot of some sort.
A solid novel, but the thriller elements would have been better if portrayed differently.
February 7, 2021
If you have a weak stomach, you may want to give this book a pass
3.5 stars
I’ve had this book for yonks but for some reason, could never get through it. Upon reading (and listening to) it this time ‘round, I remembered why I had problems before. This is a well-written, realistic but very dark police procedural about young runaway teens, kidnapped to be organ donors and discarded with a minimum of care. As in most organ black market storylines, if someone wealthy needs a kidney, she/he can avoid a queue with money.
Detective Lou Boldt is a likable character, because he’s the Everyman of detectives—slightly flawed, not handsome, more cerebral, and less action-oriented. The psychologist, Daphne Matthews, is a weaker character than I’d like, but the setting seems mid to late 1990s. This is a solid police procedural, but there are too many coincidences, which I’m not fond of when reading crime fiction.
3.5 stars
I’ve had this book for yonks but for some reason, could never get through it. Upon reading (and listening to) it this time ‘round, I remembered why I had problems before. This is a well-written, realistic but very dark police procedural about young runaway teens, kidnapped to be organ donors and discarded with a minimum of care. As in most organ black market storylines, if someone wealthy needs a kidney, she/he can avoid a queue with money.
Detective Lou Boldt is a likable character, because he’s the Everyman of detectives—slightly flawed, not handsome, more cerebral, and less action-oriented. The psychologist, Daphne Matthews, is a weaker character than I’d like, but the setting seems mid to late 1990s. This is a solid police procedural, but there are too many coincidences, which I’m not fond of when reading crime fiction.
August 20, 2017
I am really very tired of the number of authors who feel the need to constantly specify when a character is black every time they're mentioned.
That peeve aside, this book waan't the best I've read. The writing was lackluster and awkward, the story wandered all over the place (random sex scene that could have been hot and kinky but was a) awkward, too and b) written weirdly) as if the author kept forgetting what story they were trying to tell, the villain was too incompetent to be believable at all and I'm not sure if it was my copy or if all copies are like that but the book is full of typos.
The ending, too, was rushed and anticlimactic to me. I don't think there can even be said to have been any kind of suspense as I read...at all.
I liked the idea, but it could have and should have been executed far better.
That peeve aside, this book waan't the best I've read. The writing was lackluster and awkward, the story wandered all over the place (random sex scene that could have been hot and kinky but was a) awkward, too and b) written weirdly) as if the author kept forgetting what story they were trying to tell, the villain was too incompetent to be believable at all and I'm not sure if it was my copy or if all copies are like that but the book is full of typos.
The ending, too, was rushed and anticlimactic to me. I don't think there can even be said to have been any kind of suspense as I read...at all.
I liked the idea, but it could have and should have been executed far better.
March 27, 2025
awesome, just awesome.
Lou Boldt, out of retirement and out of shape, is pursuing a serial killer dubbed the Harvester. The investigation begins with a missing person, but soon evolves with the realization that vital organs are being harvested for sale on the black market. Aided by a new detective, Daphne, the police seem to be closing in on the Harvester when they are abruptly called off for political reasons. True to form, Boldt and Daphne ignore the directive and proceed down a dangerous path, alone, unaided and with no backup.
The Angel Maker starts slow, like a lumbering freight train, but by the halfway mark, it has picked up steam until you think the pace could not get any faster. But it does. Ridley Pearson skillfully weaves tension into every chapter, every sentence. It is a truly remarkable read and a helluva story.
Lou Boldt, out of retirement and out of shape, is pursuing a serial killer dubbed the Harvester. The investigation begins with a missing person, but soon evolves with the realization that vital organs are being harvested for sale on the black market. Aided by a new detective, Daphne, the police seem to be closing in on the Harvester when they are abruptly called off for political reasons. True to form, Boldt and Daphne ignore the directive and proceed down a dangerous path, alone, unaided and with no backup.
The Angel Maker starts slow, like a lumbering freight train, but by the halfway mark, it has picked up steam until you think the pace could not get any faster. But it does. Ridley Pearson skillfully weaves tension into every chapter, every sentence. It is a truly remarkable read and a helluva story.
November 18, 2024
Perfect title for this book!🤔 It’s about organ harvesting, homicides, kidnappings! Blood and guts everywhere! Too, too much info and descriptions of what’s happening in the moment for me! Maybe doctors might like this book! 🥸
March 4, 2017
Typical mystery plot with a different twist. Bit cliched and too many coincidences at the end.
May 16, 2017
Organ harvesting, veterinarian - sick subject, riveting story!
September 1, 2018
It's a hot spot... book... which means... after a harsh day... or after a day in which you got tired... you need to go over. It reminds me for the Mr.Mercedes TV Series...
February 6, 2019
Грабва вниманието още от началото.
February 23, 2019
Very good. Page turner. 👍
June 11, 2019
Don't like his style.
March 4, 2020
really keeps the reader engaged. Good story
July 14, 2021
The characters were likeable enough, the plot was well done, but I wont read any more of these. The cruelty was too much for me.
July 27, 2021
Returned by Library. Good page turner. Enjoy!
July 31, 2021
Another white knuckle page turner!
June 19, 2023
Long, slow, dated but I read until the end. may try the next in the series.
Read
August 16, 2024never read but read no witness gave me an idea to pretty much have police investigate else where if i were caught in the middle of leautinet biden and joey the cann souped got posioned!
November 29, 2024
I don’t continue when veterinarian is participating in dog fights
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2026
Bigly!
*** 3 Stars.
*** 3 Stars.
January 18, 2020
Too long ago for me to remember this story (17+ years), but I noted at the time that this is a very good series. Policeman Lou Boldt is a good character.
July 12, 2013
Gah! I really like this author, especially the way he gives his main characters such real and complex human psyches -- with all the messy emotions and inconsistancies that go with them. (Self-doubts, blindness to one's flaws, occassional bouts of irritation at one's beloved spouse, you name it.) But, I truly HATE HATE HATE the way this author relies VERY heavily on long, improbable strings of coincidences and/or minor mishaps that ALWAYS seem to create just the most extreme possible outcome.
On a stake-out? The cop just HAPPENS to drop his cellphone just before he needs it most (and it smashes to bits, natch! Don't you hate when that happens!) Aaaand the radio in his squad car just happens to be broken aaaaaand he finds a payphone but accidentally drops his laaaast dime, which promptly disappears down a drain hole .... etc. etc. etc. (BTW, this is a made-up example, but I didn't want to use any from the actual book since Pearson often uses them as plot devices to "ratchet up" the tension and I hate spoilers!)
Though this type of plot device is common in the thriller genre, Pearson WAAAAY over uses it, making difficult the suspension of disbelief necessary to enjoy a good "modern" story. At least for me, anyway -- perhaps being a scientist by training and profession makes me more sensitive to the stretching of probability? Well, discontent aside, I do like this author overall (his series that takes place in Idaho is quite nice too) and will probably read the rest of the books in this series -- eventually. But, this one was only a 2-star book. If this trend continues, I might just quit the series! We shall see...!
On a stake-out? The cop just HAPPENS to drop his cellphone just before he needs it most (and it smashes to bits, natch! Don't you hate when that happens!) Aaaand the radio in his squad car just happens to be broken aaaaaand he finds a payphone but accidentally drops his laaaast dime, which promptly disappears down a drain hole .... etc. etc. etc. (BTW, this is a made-up example, but I didn't want to use any from the actual book since Pearson often uses them as plot devices to "ratchet up" the tension and I hate spoilers!)
Though this type of plot device is common in the thriller genre, Pearson WAAAAY over uses it, making difficult the suspension of disbelief necessary to enjoy a good "modern" story. At least for me, anyway -- perhaps being a scientist by training and profession makes me more sensitive to the stretching of probability? Well, discontent aside, I do like this author overall (his series that takes place in Idaho is quite nice too) and will probably read the rest of the books in this series -- eventually. But, this one was only a 2-star book. If this trend continues, I might just quit the series! We shall see...!
August 29, 2008
(#2 in the Boldt-Matthews Series) This was a good one. An evil doctor is harvesting organs illegally. He has this middleman who has a contact at a plasma donation facility. She is able to pull names of people with certain blood types. Most of these people are runaways. The middleman gets the runaways and the doctor steals their kidneys, spleens etc. They are shocked to erase their short term memories so they don’t remember what happens to them. Some of them bleed to death after they are released out to the street. Daphne Matthews is a criminal psychologist. She also works at a shelter. A runaway comes in with an incision where her kidney used to be. Becoming very suspicious, Daphne starts the investigation and seeks the help of her friend Srgt Boldt who has left the force and his now a Mr. Mom and plays piano at night at a local joint. When Daphne’s friend Sharon (a former runaway herself) becomes a victim herself, things really heat up. This was a very intriguing book. It was a “couldn’t put it downer.” The ending was OK. I think more things could have been resolved like Boldt’s relationship with his wife. I would assume this was the set-up for the next book in the series. Interesting topic. Excellent story
Read
October 31, 2014Lou Boldt is one of the most interesting fictional detectives I've encountered, and the Seattle setting is endlessly fascinating in its detail. (Mr. Pearson, more books, please!)
In this case, two things dissuaded me from finishing this book (which I read perhaps a decade ago but have largely forgotten) in its audio format. First, the narrator, for whatever reason, clearly "hears" the voices of the characters differently than I do, and I was constantly distracted by the conflict between the way he read the dialogue and the way I heard it in my head.
Secondly, Ridley Pearson is way too good at creating psychological suspense! In reading a book such as The Angel Maker, I can and often do put the book aside and read something else when my own internal tension becomes excruciating. (At the very least, I may take a little break and go make myself a cup of tea.) It's hard to do that when driving across the state, desperate for another human voice but not wanting to pull over or change diskettes at 70 mph. And I only listen to audio books in the car.
I keep waiting and hoping for a new Lou Boldt novel. When and if it comes out, I'll remember to lay hands on a visual version.
In this case, two things dissuaded me from finishing this book (which I read perhaps a decade ago but have largely forgotten) in its audio format. First, the narrator, for whatever reason, clearly "hears" the voices of the characters differently than I do, and I was constantly distracted by the conflict between the way he read the dialogue and the way I heard it in my head.
Secondly, Ridley Pearson is way too good at creating psychological suspense! In reading a book such as The Angel Maker, I can and often do put the book aside and read something else when my own internal tension becomes excruciating. (At the very least, I may take a little break and go make myself a cup of tea.) It's hard to do that when driving across the state, desperate for another human voice but not wanting to pull over or change diskettes at 70 mph. And I only listen to audio books in the car.
I keep waiting and hoping for a new Lou Boldt novel. When and if it comes out, I'll remember to lay hands on a visual version.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews