Broken Angels (Katie Maguire, 2)

Yes, this is a page turner, and I will admit to turning pages eagerly as I read it.However, after I finished, I realized a few things:1. I guessed the motivation for the murders about halfway through the book. This may be because of the historical knowledge that I have, but still, I guessed--and no, it wasn't the first motivation that you think of when you hear the phrase "Catholic priest who taught schoolboys."2. I found it hard to believe that in thirty years, no one had realized what had happened to the perpetrators to make them so angry? Really? No one noticed?3. I found it hard to believe that the priests really believed that what they had done would have supernatural effects. In the Middle Ages, maybe, but in the 1980s?4. The way the murderers were dealt with?--Come on! Really?5. Looking up the author on Fantastic Fiction, I saw that he also writes sex manuals and horror. It certainly shows. There's one passage in the book that reads like a sex manual with its explicit descriptions of who did what to whom, and there are repeated scenes of sadistic torture that made me wonder if a person could really survive such treatment without dying of shock or heart failure.6. The main character is likable and believable and doesn't let anyone stonewall her, but she's caught in a plot that reads like something by an author of sex manuals and horror novels.

'Broken Angels' is a gripping novel that hooks you up from the first chapter to the last. Again, as with the first novel in the Katie Maguire series, we have several gruesome scenes of  torture and mutilation which require a good empty stomach. At some points I found myself wincing and biting my nails and knuckles.The novel starts with the discovery of a corpse by the river. Detective Superintendent Katie Maguire is immediately called upon the scene. The body is that of a parish priest still in his black soutane. He was the victim of a homicide since he was bound all over with wire and heavily bruised. He had also been castrated. Father Heaney, the victim, was one of a number of priests at the centre of a scandal a few years back involving child abuse.Soon after, a second priest (who was also involved in that scandal), is abducted, tortured, similarly mutilated and murdered. The discovery of his body, puts Katie in a race against time to catch a vicious serial killer who is targeting priests with questionable pasts.The investigation takes Katie to the St.Joseph's Orphanage where horrible abuses on children by priests allegedly took place in the past. For some reason, instead of helping her, the powerful Catholic Diocese leads Katie to a wrong direction. This convinces her that there is more than meets the eye around these murders. What filth is the diocese so desperately trying to hide? If Katie is to solve these murders, she has to find her way through a tangled web of corruption, secrets and transgressions within the diocese.As I was reading 'Broken Angels', I had the feeling that this novel was written by a completely different author than the first one. In fact, I found the text so much more flowing and the reading so much more delightful than 'White Bones'. This could be because the author has written this novel many years after the first one or because when compared to the first novel, the use of Irish slang was reduced to a minimum.I rated this book a strong 4 and not a 5 because once again I felt that the side stories and characters in this novel were left quite flat and needed some more beefing up. On the other hand we learn a lot more about Katie and her family and her tenacious character just makes you love her. All in all, this was a terrific read with a strong plot and I highly recommend it.

Way too much detailed, extremely nasty torture; the basic story goes along well, then pages of horrific ghastly torture, then back to the story.The sex scenes, (obviously) written from a male fantasy viewpoint, in no way represents a logical viewpoint of the female lead character.Here's this tough independent woman, right, so far so good, who barely has time to eat, she's so busy pursuing the mounting murders; yet woo hoo! when she gets it on with Mr. Studly, hmmm... she's had time to get her ladyparts waxed. How would she have time to keep up with that? what with all the long work hours? and furthermore, why would she want to?I notice the author has a whole string of these novels, someone must like 'em.

Have read books 1&2 of the Katie Maguire series and love the character-- doesn't hurt that it takes place in County Cork, where a few of my ancestors still reside! Katie is an independent and intelligent Detective Superintendent operating in a distinctively man's world where she's earned respect from her male peers. In "Broken Angels" she's knee-deep in dead, mutilated priests, church secrets and startling revelations about young boys that don't turn out exactly as you might suspect. A marriage proposal and her lover's decision to sell the family farm and move back to the USA keep the pot stirred and emotions high. Graham Masterson always keeps you guessing, and I especially love the local dialect which lends to the sense of being in Ireland. Hated that the last paragraph leaves you hanging a bit, but a definite teaser for the next book in the series.

I've been a fan of Graham Masterton's since I first saw the film version of "The Manitou" back in the Seventies. I love his horror novels, but I haven't read too much of his non-horror work. I picked this up when it was discounted, and I'm glad I did! The horror here isn't supernatural--it's all too human. Katie Maguire has a grisly series of crimes on her hands--a series of priests tortured, castrated, and murdered--while also wrestling with how far she wants to go to continue her ambitious career. This book isn't for the faint of stomach--the trademark Masterton gore is all over it--but it's a good, solid, enjoyable read. I hadn't read the first Katie Maguire book (I need to remedy that) but it's easy to jump right in with this one.

Another good read from Graham Masterton, I've got to like the Katie Maguire books it makes a refreshing change from the Masterton books of old. The story is believable and I like the characters, Katie is no pushover and knows how to work a case, this book is probably not suited to followers of the Bible unless you've got an open mind and accept that even the devout can be nasty buggers.The church is a powerful organisation and has a way of covering up its sins, but with Maguire on your tail you may get your comeuppance. When there is more than one character it is possible that some baddies could be more elusive than others, but then again with Grahams mind he may lead you on a journey that fascinate's and intrigues the mind. I don't wish to give anything away but if you would like a little insight into how the best voices are obtained and you've got the balls, give broken angels a go, you won't regret it!

Having first read White Bones I wasn't too surprised to find that this book is much of the same filled with torture, violence and bloodshed so if you are squeamish then this book is also not for you.The subject matter this time is about 4 priests in particular who die in the most horrific way as a punishment for their previous sins against orphan children. You can immediately see where this is coming from and where it is going from the outset.Katie Maguire, the Detective Superintendent again in charge of the investigation, is hard-pressed to resolve this case with considerable pressure being exerted by the Catholic Church to keep it as low key as possible so as not to upset the higher rankings with-in after several child abuse scandals along the years. Be aware that each murder is more violent than the last and makes for very uncomfortable reading at times.This story is also about Katie coming to terms with herself and the things that are important to her and her alone. After living a life in the field of investigation which involves the worst that humanity can throw at it, the death of her husband Paul and then a colleague and the attack on her sister, Katie finds she has to make a choice between living the same life or going off in to the sunset with the man she loves.The ending is quite spectacular (although melodramatic)and well worth the effort of plowing through the book just to get to that point but I can't say I particularly like Mr Masterton's writings, apparently he used to write horror books! Well I can see those particular talents in White Bones and Broken Angels!!Not really my cup of tea but both were really cheap which is why I bought them but....I doubt I will ever read another book of his again.Thank you

I nearly gave up at around the 28% mark. After a promising start with the dead body in the river it seemed to have ground to a halt thriller-wise. There was some pretty boring reading then seemed to be heading into an explicit sex scene after we first had to endure some weird long-winded form of cookery lesson - pages of what to do with "crubeens", whatever the heck they are! I didn't understand half the strange Irish lingo and I'm afraid I found it irritating.When the second body turned up I decided to give the book more of a chance and it did become more interesting, although what DS Katie Maguire, or anybody else dressed in, was not - not to me anyway. Other descriptions I also found long winded and boring. The story itself I found quite exciting eventually. Horror stories don't make me quake in my boots and not being over-religious I had no qualms about the author writing about the Catholic priests' wrongdoings and the Church's attempts to hide same.I think the on going sub-story about Katie and John's love life and the "will she, won't she" was just to fill in, with the whingeing John turning up at inopportune moments. I think Katie and the readers would have been better without him.Along the way much depended on coincidence, but then, isn't that always the way? The ending was unexpected and extremely unlikely, but then it IS a fictional story!

This is the second Katie Maguire book in a growing series. It follows Katie Maguire, who I first met in White Bones, as she deals with the serial murders of a group of priests whilst trying to maintain her work life balance. The author is a former horror writer and that should give a clue to his writing style which is often gruesome, and not for a full stomach or last thing at night. However, like the curate's egg this book is only good in parts. Although the plot is 4-stars good, the characterisation is good, and whilst one expects to suspend belief, the 1-satar ending, like that of its predecessor, is just rubbish straight out of the schlock/horror fantasy genre and too weak for a good old fashioned cops and baddies story. Oh and what is it with the books I'm currently reading, as this is the fourth this year to finish with a cliff-hanger compelling you to read the sequel, which I might just do to see whether GM delivers three duff endings in a rows, if so I'm off after that.

This book had me totally engrossed from the very first page to the last. It is the first novel by Graham Masterton that I have read but definitely won't be the last. I loved the Irish humour, even in the blackest situation. I was able to work out the "why" quickly enough and even though it was quite a gruesome read, I could understand the reasoning behind it all. The lead character, Katie Maguire, was believeable and likeable. Even though this is the second book in the Katie Maguire series it stood alone and gave enough of her back story to make sense of her as a person.The plot line was nothing like I have ever come across before even though I have read many crime novels over the years by lots of different writers. I don't want to give anything away but the ending was epic. I didn't see it coming. If you are of a delicate disposition, this is probably not the book for you but I have recommended it to a lot of my friends.I am now reading the first book in the series, "White Bones", which I will review once I have finished it.