Deryn Steele has an unwanted psychic gift leftover from a near-death experience.
He can read people just by touching them. His friend, DCI Harry Curzon pulls him into the hunt for the killer of blonde, blue-eyed 12-year-old girls in the Lincolnshire seaside town of Thorpe St David, the Angel Killer..
Deryn meets Terri Fordham, aunt of the latest victim, who has survived an attack. It is a shock when he cannot read Terri, but this feeds his growing feelings for her making him determined to catch the predator. It soon becomes clear, however, that this killer won’t stop and is not only still targeting Terri’s niece, but also Terri. Can Deryn keep the girl and her aunt safe and unmask the murderer? – Goodreads.
It’s been a little while since I’ve read a suspense/thriller, and with the main character having a psychic gift allowing him to ‘read’ people, this one grabbed my attention.
Deryn Steele is a likable MC, and I have a soft spot for anyone who loves their pet as much as he does. I enjoyed the spin his gift/curse put on the story, sometimes giving him an advantage. He’s had somewhat of a rough life, but his problems aren’t yet behind him.
This is a well-written novel offering a number of characters with varying motives for the reader to eliminate as suspects. I have to admit, I figured out ‘who dunnit’, but the reason was somewhat of a surprise. The author does a wonderful job at characterization, making even the supporting cast well-rounded.
Something I didn’t care for, and this is just a personal preference, is the amount of romance (insta-love) in the novel. There was such an emphasis on the romantic aspect, I felt it overshadowed the urgency of tracking down a serial killer/rapist of 12-year-old girls. I’d even consider classifying this as more of a romantic suspense novel.
If thrillers and romance with a dash of paranormal is your preferred brand, I’d definitely recommend The Angel Killer.
I received a digital copy of this book through Rosie’s Book Review Team.
Books and Such 
This sounds appealing to me, but I always have a problem reading books where children are the victims of crimes. Is that kind of glossed over?
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It is – doesn’t go into a lot of intricate detail with the girls, which I appreciated.
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Okay, good to know. Thanks for letting me know. I’m probably going to add this to my reading queue.
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sound like an interesting story. and i love a suspense with romance.
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Sounds like a book for you!
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Thank you Teri.
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Thanks for the review copy, Rosie!
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Thanks for this mindful review Teri. It sounds exciting. But what you said about the romance part is an important thing. While there are certainly plenty of real people who would let “romance” get in the way of anything, it does seem out of place for the story-line. It would probably annoy me — at lease if I was not expecting it.
Have a terrific Tuesday. Hugs.
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Yes! I’ve read several mystery/suspense/thrillers with romance elements, but in this case felt like came close to being the primary focus at times. I know for many readers, that’s not a problem.
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A rapist and murderer of girls is a bit horrible, Teri. Not sure I would have the stomach for this book.
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The subject matter is certainly disturbing, but there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of detailed description when it came to that.
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I like the element of physic added to this story, but as the others have mentioned, I’m not sure I would want to read about a child rapist. Good review, Teri!
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Thanks, Jacquie!
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Good review, Teri. Looks like a super book.
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Thanks,John.
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🙂
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Great review, Teri. I like how thorough you are and I think we probably have similar tastes based on the elements you point out. The supernatural elements are appealing. 🙂
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