Sidney Sheldon’s Angel of the Dark audiobook

In 1996 LAPD Homicide Detective Danny McGuire gets a case that will change his life forever. The wealthy Andrew Jakes is murdered and his much younger wife Angela was brutally raped. Haunted by the look in Angela's eyes Danny works at solving the brutal murder. When Danny finds out Angela lied about a something small he goes back to confront her and finds out Angela disappeared. All of Andrew's money was donated to children's charities and she's no where to be found. Now 10 years later Danny is working with Interpol in France and has put Angela Jakes out of his mind and has found happiness with a fellow officer named Celine. But when he's contacted by Matt Daley his world us turned upside down again. Matt is Andrew Jake's son from a previous marriage and he has evidence that there were more killings just like his father's and each time the young and suddenly wealthy widows disappear. Can Danny convince his boss to re-open the case and will he ever learn what really happened to Angela all those years ago?I am or should I say was a huge fan of Sidney Sheldon and I have to agree with my initial thoughts on reading Tilly Bagshawe's first Sheldon inspired book, Mistress of the Game. Bagshawe comes close to Sheldon's level but doesn't quite capture the same intensity that he had. Angel of the Dark had a lot of suspense and pulled me into the story but it fizzled out in the end. It was a little too over the top and I grew to loathe Matt and his obsession. I just wanted to yell at him to get over it already. I do recommend this read if you're a fan of either author but just don't set the bar to high before you turn the first page.

Ok...I'll say it's a 3.5...but then, considering Till is filling the shoes of one of the most read authors, to come up with what she did, makes her deserve a 4...I can't say it's a page turner...there are few places, where you just want to leave it...n then moments when you can't stop yourself from stealing 2 more minutes n go through yet another page...I guess I read it somewhere that this novel had the research n notes left behind by Sidney himself...not really sure...and unlike his novels, this one was low on the sexual content (yeah there are brutal rapes...but nothing too descriptive...) and then there is no big mystery per se...we all know who the killer and the partner in crime is...that's where the novel wins..even when it doesn't have the two big things Sidney kept the readers hooked with, this one pulls you in...Honestly, the ending 40 odd pages are a little confusing...jumping here n there, everywhere...and when you reach the last page, you wish there could be few more (that's when you felt the last hundred pages won't have anything worth reading in them :D )All in all, a nice effort...and this novel might be getting more stars than a novel actually written by Sidney...but then, it's always tougher to walk in someone else's shoes, rather than your own...

1. Sidney Sheldon's Angel of the Dark2. Tilly Bagshawe3. Danny McGuire, a Los Angeles detective, was called to a scene with a millionaire harshly killed and his wife raped. The person who committed the crime couldn't be found. Several years later, multiple cases very similar to this one was occurring all over the world. One of the victim's sons, Matt Daley, and Danny McGuire make it a mission to solve this case and find whoever committed these crimes along with what happened to all the wives who mysteriously disappeared after their rape and their husbands death.4. Two things kept appearing throughout the entire book. Betrayal and manipulation are two motifs in this novel. Toward the end of the story, Matt Daley married a girl named Claire. She got pregnant, yet Matt left her to run off with his lover he met while trying to search for the suspect in these crimes. "We could do it up together, make it our own. You have to admit it's a romantic house. Just think how happy we'd be there!" Matt said to his mistress he ran away with (p. 291). Matt was unfaithful and disloyal to his wife Claire. The second motif seen was manipulation. "You don't know Lisa, okay? I do. She would never have cheated on Miles. She just isn't that sort of person," Matt tried to convince Danny on page 132. Danny responded on page 134, "I meant, using you for information. You know as much about these murders as the police, if not more. If Lisa's boyfriend was behind them..." Manipulation can also be seen throughout the book once we find out at the end that the wives of all these millionaires was actually the same person. She would marry one guy and then help kill him. Next, she would get surgery change her appearance and then learn a new language so she could "fall in love" with another millionaire and then kill him. 5. This book would appeal to a broad audience. I think any teenager or adult who likes even a little bit of adventure, action, or mystery would enjoy this book. It was very entertaining. At times it was predictable, but at other times I didn't want to put it down.

A little bit questions and curious will kept in my mind after I finished the book. Anyway, it was a good book to read.

It was his first major murder case - and one of the bloodiest and most violent crimes LAPD detective Danny McGuire would ever encounter. Andrew Jakes, an elderly multimillonaire art dealer, had been brutally murdered in his Hollywood home, his lifeless body tied to his naked young wife. Raped and beaten, the lovely Angela Jakes had barely survived the attack herself. Gazing into her fathomless, soulful eyes, Danny swore that he would find the psychopath responsible for such a barbarous act. However, the investigation didn't turn up a single solid lead, and within days of her release from hospital, the stunning young widow - Danny's only witness - had vanished.For a decade, Danny McGuire could not forget the sweet face of Angela Jakes and the terrible crime that had shattered her life; his obsession with her had nearly cost him his sanity. Now living in France - thousands of miles from the past - Danny has a new life, a new job with Interpol, and a ravishing new wife - he's happier than he's ever been...until he meets Andrew Jakes' estranged son, Matt Daley.Curious about his father's murder, Matt has been digging into the cold case - and he has made some shocking discoveries. Three killings nearly identical to his father's have taken place across the globe. The victims were elderly, newlywed millionaires, their young wives assaulted. And in each case the widow, the sole beneficiary of the will, donated her newfound wealth to children's charities and subsequently disappeared. Could it be true - could Andrew Jakes' murderer have struck again? If so, Danny knows he must tread carefully or risk losing everything for good.All the evidence points to a single killer - a brilliant and ruthless criminal who travels across the globe under a string of assumed identities, always keeping one step ahead of the law. Joining forces, Danny and Matt pursue this intriguing shadow from Los Angeles to London, New York to Italy and the French Riviera, in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse against a formidable opponent. In an investigation filled with promising leads and frustrating dead ends, Danny and Matt match wits with a clever criminal. When another murder fitting the profile occurs, Matt heads to Hong Kong, hoping to get answers from the latest widow - Lisa Baring - and perhaps uncover the hard evidence they need to finally solve the case.However, Matt becomes besotted with the irresistible beauty, nearly derailing the entire investigation, and Danny wonders if Lisa is truly a victim or something more sinister. When a break in the case sends Danny to Mumbai, he realizes he must act quickly, because the shrewd murderer is poised to kill again. In a fast-paced story, full of mystery, glamour, excitement, and spectacular twists that build to a stunning climax, Sidney Sheldon's Angel of the Dark is quintessential Sidney Sheldon from the first page to the last.To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. It was certainly quite good - I just wasn't expecting the plot to be as convoluted or as intricate as it turned out. For me, solving this mystery took much more concentration than some other mysteries that I've read recently. I have to give this book an B+! Ever since Sidney Sheldon passed away in 2007, Tilly Bagshawe has taken up his mantle so the legacy continues. I absolutely loved Sidney Sheldon as an author, but I have to say that this book was slightly disappointing for me to read. I just wasn't expecting to work so hard to solve such an intricate mystery.

Reading unfinished works of Sidney Sheldon made me miss his real and actual masterpieces. I practically grew up reading his novels and set my standards to suspense/crime thriller to his level. But I must commend Tilly Bagshawe for tying her very best to relive Sheldon. I'm still captivated by this novel. I can feel Sheldon was right behind Bagshawe when she was writing this. And really that must have made Angel of the Dark menacingly creepy! 4 stars!

Read a novel after a long time and it truly was worth it. A page turner, too predictable sometimes but the rest of the time I didn't wanna keep it down. Good effort to fit in Sidney's Shoes.