In the Shadow of Angels

By: Donnie J. Burgess

Narrated by: Neal Arango

Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

Devin Bryant is a young accident attorney whose star is on the rise. His success has afforded him a beautiful house, a fancy car, a gorgeous wife, and a fast track to partnership. After closing another high profile case, Devin goes out one Saturday night to celebrate with friends and his wife, Bethany. But, Devin has a secret.

Jez Anders is a local harlot who specializes in seducing those with wealth and power. Devin's rapid success has caught her attention, and now her temptress's gaze is set firmly on him. And Jez has secrets of her own.

The celebration leads Devin to The Place -a seedy motel just outside of town. The night takes a cruel turn when both Jez and Bethany also arrive. What they don't know is that they aren't the only ones at The Place that night...

Everyone has a secret...

©2015 Donnie J. Burgess (P)2015 Donnie J. Burgess

Dark Mystery Thriller With Lots of Suspense and Murder

If you like dark twisted crime/murder thrillers you will enjoy this Audiobook. It is NOT my favorite genre but it kept me entertained until the end. There is some humor intertwined into the story which makes it even more entertaining to read/listen.

The Author does a good job describing the characters, place, and situations throughout the story. As on most mystery thrillers it leaves us hanging a bit at the end.

The narrator did an excellent Job and brought the story to life.

Overall it was an entertaining read full of twists and turns. The Author kept us guessing at the edge of our seats and it was not a predictable book.

This audiobook was provided free of charge in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Keystone Kops on Steroids!!!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. Not really so much a murder mystery...more of a "how to get away with murder" comedy. Comedy isn't the right word, but I'll go into this later.

The story revolves mostly around a single night and the activities of several main characters. It starts out simple enough with a hustler, her partner, a local therapist, a lawyer and his wife, and the lawyers two friends. Think of this book as a hustle gone wrong, but not just a little...this is a hustle gone wrong in biblical proportions! People start dropping like flies, and most of the book is centered on how those remaining deal with the situation.

The narration was pretty good. Most of the voices were discernable and the therapist sounded deranged and megalomaniacal, but it seemed to fit by the end. Really did a good job of inflecting emotion when and where appropriate.

Something that I loved was the way the author would go through a scene with one character, then rewind and go through that exact same scene from another character's perspective. It really helped to fill in holes. It felt a little weird from a timeline perspective, but for the storyline, it worked pretty well.

As for the story itself, it felt at time like a cross between Murphy's Law, the Keystone Kops and "What else can possibly go wrong," all wrapped up together. I found myself chuckling a few times in astonishment that the next mishap was even possible, let alone followed shortly by another one. It was a comedy of misfortune, almost to the point where it's really not feasibly possible to believe, but the author did a good job of pulling it off. There's always the fallback of "It could be worse!"

The one thing I really don't understand though is the time spent developing the backstory for the town in which the book is set. It seemed like the book would have some type of tie in with the graveyard and the founding story, but it's not brought back up after the intro. Might have missed it, but that's probably the only thing I found odd.

Overall, very good listen!

I received a free copy of this audio book for an honest review.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Wow, great story!

This book had me guessing all the way through. Donnie J. Burgess really knows how to weave a twisted tale. Very dark but also a fair amount of humor.

Narrator Neal Arango does a great job bringing the story and the characters to life. Listening to this book in the car really made my daily commute to work enjoyable.

Highly recommend this one.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Exciting listen

Great book with a lot of plot twists and kept me wondering what will happen next. Highly recommend this to anyone looking for a thrilling and darkly humorous story.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Heart pounding thriller!

Any additional comments?

From the beginning this book grabbed me and took me on a great ride!! There were a lot of twists. It will absolutely keep your attention.
This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A Very Pleaseantly Surprise

Any additional comments?

Without giving too much away, the basic story revolves around the death of a despicable character that puts several people in a desperate situation. “In The Shadow Of Angels” could definitely make a really good movie. It felt like a movie when I read/listened to it. I could easily envision it filmed in multiple styles depending on the director. My personal preference would be the film noir style.

Neal Arango, who narrates this audio book, also does a really great job performing this novel. He doesn’t just read the book to us, he really captures the personality of the all the different characters, male and female, with his vocal choices. I think everyone will enjoy his voice and his performance. If you’re looking for your next audio book and you enjoy thrillers, I think “In The Shadow Of Angels” will be a good choice for you.

Finally, this audio book was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Audio Book Blast.”

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Darkly Comic Satiric Murderous Mayhem

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would to someone who likes this genre. It is original and a bit unique.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not exactly on the edge of my seat however there were surprises.

Have you listened to any of Neal Arango’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first listen and he did a fine job with the narration.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really. Maybe the ending just a wee bit, as it seems that the blackmailers had something on everyone and no one was with out secrets.

Any additional comments?

All the bad guys in this book get murdered. There are a pair of black mailers consisting of the town whore and a sleazy PI. They are the ones who start the trouble. The manipulative seductress is amply named Jezebel. She makes her living seducing rich men with her partner the sleazy PI filming the indiscretions. Then there is the weaselly psychiatrist. Our hero and heroine are Beth and Devin, an all American couple. Then there are Devin's long time buds Brent and Jimmy. Brent and Jimmy are a Bevis and Butthead like duo. These are the main characters. Devin has been snared in Jezebel's trap, and now Devin and Beth are receiving marriage counseling from the weaselly psychiatrist Ulysses Stevens. This psychiatrist has also been caught in Jezebel's snare. Jezebel gets murdered and the fun continues.

There are surprises and a dark comedy of errors ensues. The book is an enjoyable listen and a bit unique in that the victims are the bad guys. The ending is also surprising. It is a light and different listen nicely narrated.




“I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot come”

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Dark Suspense with a touch of humour!

Donnie Burgess did an amazing job with this story. He weaves a tale in such a way that it draws you in from the beginning and keeps you guessing. I loved the dark intensity & suspense with the touch of humour to lighten it up just enough. I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story because of the twists and turns throughout - I was kept intrigued. The author is very descriptive in all aspects of this book which enables you to envision the background, characters and scenes as his words create it for you. This author knows how to come up with an excellent plot and weave a dark creative story.

Neal Arango did an awesome job narrating this story. He captures the personality of each character and portrays them perfectly, allowing me to develop of picture of each character in my minds' eye. The voice portrayals of each character are unique unto themselves which makes each character easily discernible. Neal Arango has excellent pace, tone and inflection and does nothing less than enhance this book.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

SOME CHARACTERS DESERVE TO DIE!

Did I enjoy this book? YES! YES! YES! The perfect amount of mystery, humor and suspense. I always tell my husband its not him I don't trust its other woman! Oh that Jezebel. Cheating, Lying and blackmailing with get you know where... well maybe dead!
"This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom."

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

secrets and lies

This book was very well written. I liked how it went from everyone's point of view or angle. There were so many twists and turns and at times I had to stop listening for fear of what might happen next. It would be a great comedy of errors movie.

This book was given to me by the Author for a honest review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful