Family of Angels
First Published: 1996
Published By: HarperCollins
Angel Number: 7
Personal Favourite: 7
Quotable Quote: I took a deep breath of the smoky air. Even this far away it was very interesting.
The Backstory
Angel's idea of family contact is the occasional Christmas card. And one Christmas he'll get round to it.
When circumstances force him into helping find his missing brother, he is beginning to think all his nightmares are coming to life, especially when an old enemy seems to be involved.
If that wasn't enough, he finds himself investigating a beer keg scam for an East End 'businessman', who would never take no for an answer, and satisfy the lusts of an old flame.
The Webmaster's Take
Just discovered that Family is favourite 7 of Angel 7 - now just how lucky is that?
There was a certain philosopher once called nigel molesworth. No, I didn't forget the caps, like honestfi, he looks better in lower case. Go Google. Anyway, one of the great observations that our nigel used to make dealt with the subject of parents and what hard work they can be; always expecting the very best of you but all the same have a hard time letting you out into the big, bad world. He also had a brother, who was nameless (though a later book, of dubious origins, reveals his name as Steve). nigel had a problem with writing home to mum on a weekly basis. The truth, he said, was so unspeakably sordid that he wanted to spare his parents the ghastly facts whilst they were trying to eat breakfast on a Monday morning. So, in the manner of all Angels, he winged it. I swear they must be related.
Actually, Roy's lack of contact with his family has nothing to do with his sordid existence, more to do with the fact that they are so unspeakably abnormal that he's probably better steering clear; as he puts it, if they had retained even just a little more contact, one of them would be up on mass murder charge and living where the women were warm, the beer was cold and all were free.
So here we are introduced to Lord Christopher Cleves Angel, Bethany (ha!) Angel and Finbar Miles Angel. Not forgetting the family of animal Angels, Elvis the pot bellied pig and Chuck Berry, who is allegedly Springsteen's father, and probably the one you have to keep your eye on most.
The only time a bad guy has been used twice in this series, and, oh yes, it centres round the old favourite of drugs. There are also a lot of characters in this one, mostly new, which sorta turns it into The Archers on Steroids. Farm - check, Joe Grundy type - check, two brothers - check, mad family - check, animal noises (not necessarily from four legs) - check, pub - check...hang on, no, more a snooker club with a mean bouncer and a menacing East End gangster type owner. It's easy to pinpoint why I love the book a lot; there are two plots to keep you gripped as Roy falls headlong into not only his brother's problems but also a beer keg scam. Oh, and have sex at two hundred miles an hour (or so).
My one gripe with the book was that "Big Mac" McCandy didn't come across as threatening enough, only Angel's fancy footwork in trying to avoid him, or at least his scary bouncer, Domestos, gives you an idea of his presence. To get the true feel of how nasty McCandy is, you have to read Smeltdown, in Family he comes across more as an Uncle With An Attitude.
Regardless, this is a roller coaster, or at least a high speed Chunnel ride which ends with a bang, an interesting smelling bonfire and some loss to Angel's property. But at least he won't have to deal with mad Dutchmen anymore. Well, at least, not one particular Dutchman.
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