Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2009
396 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
1939. In the small, rural community of Augusta Falls, Georgia, twelve-year-old Joseph Vaughan learns of the brutal assault and murder of a young girl, the first in a series of killings that will plague the community over the next decade. Joseph and his friends are determined to protect the town from the evil in their midst and they form "The Guardians" to watch over the community. But the murderer evades them and they watch helplessly as one child after another is taken. Even when the killings cease, a shadow of fear follows Joseph for the rest of his life. The past won't stay buried and, fifty years later, Joseph must confront the nightmare that has overshadowed his entire life...
"An intriguing but overstuffed saga...the sheer number of characters and subplots dilute the quiet power of his prose, particularly evident in scenes of Vaughn's childhood." - Publishers Weekly
"This isn't your standard shock and bore serial killer novel. It's an impassioned story of a man's life told in Ellory's distinctive voice, and it confirms his place in the top flight of crime writing." - The Sunday Telegraph (UK)
"Ellory harnessed me and drove me headlong through his extraordinary, elegant and powerfully elegiac prose. This is compelling, un-put-downable thriller writing of the very highest order." - The Guardian
"There aren't nearly enough beautifully written novels, that are also great mysteries. Like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Smilla's Sense of Snow, A Quiet Belief in Angels is one of them." -James Patterson
"A Quiet Belief in Angels is a beautiful and haunting book. This is a tour de force from R.J. Ellory." -Michael Connelly
"A Quiet Belief in Angels is a rich, powerful, evocative novel of great psychological depth." -Jonathan Kellerman
"R.J. Ellory is a uniquely gifted, passionate, and powerful writer, and the quality of his prose-every word, every sentence-lifts A Quiet Belief in Angels far above genre." - Alan Furst
"A mesmerizing tale whose intrigue will pull you from one page to the next without pause ...R.J. Ellory's remarkable talent for probing the unknown establishes him as the master of the genre. The perfect author to read late into the night." - Clive Cussler
This information about A Quiet Belief in Angels was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Orphaned at the age of seven and sent to prison for poaching when he was seventeen, R. J. Ellory immersed himself in literature and set about learning the craft of writing fiction. Ellory divides his time between writing and volunteer programs in the areas of drug rehabilitation and youth literacy. He is married with one son.
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