"A great hero makes this novel work"
The victims share in common that they were gay, killed by
the same perp using an unknown source, and swan feathers
inserted into slits in their backs to apparently simulate
angels. NYPD assigns Japanese-American Lieutenant James
Sakura leads the investigation to stop the angelic serial
killer. Due to the MO, the media turns the case into a high-profile
circus placing pressure on NYPD to solve it yesterday,
which leads to the Brass doing likewise to Sakura. He
obtains help from others including a Yeshiva University
professor, who insists clues can be found in the biblical
Book of Enoch. As danger to those he love suddenly
surfaces, Sakura knows he must capture the culprit before
someone he cherishes dies. Though much of the case comes out of Serial Killer Novel
101, sub-genre readers will enjoy this delightful police
procedural due to the lead sleuth. Aspects of Sakura's
home life and childhood provide an interesting look at his
divided cultural loyalties messing up a mind that prefers
order to chaos. However, the gaze into the hero's personal
life never unites with the who-done-it, which in spite of
its textbook methodology remains fun to follow. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted May 17, 2003
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