abmediaservices offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $6.69 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

jcn8085h from ID, United States offers this stuff for:

Price : $6.70 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

bluevelvetelk from MN, United States offers this stuff for:

Price : $6.70 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

cloud9_books from FL, United States offers this stuff for:

Price : $7.45 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

svedkasam from CA, United States offers this stuff for:

Price : $7.49 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

thebookgrove from AR, United States offers this stuff for:

Price : $7.50 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

terrysbooks10 offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $7.50 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

sffoster3 offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $8.99 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

book_shoppe87 offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $8.99 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Princess Books offers this stuff with condition New, new for:

Price : $9.78 Usually ships in 1-2 business days

What our customer's say!

"Lacks Character Development", 2.5 stars, I think.

I should preface this review with two qualifiers. First, I'm not a diehard Linda Howard fan nor hater. I have no expectations, good or bad, when I see a book by her. I look at the synopsis, if I'm interested I read. If I'm not, I don't.

Second, I like flawed, less-than-perfect characters. Those who inhabit a world of grey rather than black or white and right or wrong. Some are considered anti-heroes. Others are sociopaths. Some are both. On occasion, even outright pure evil can can be appealing. So I had no problem with the protagonists being a killer and a, well, bimbo.

I think I've read a total of six of Howard novels, including this one. Two I've loved. One, I thought was just okay. Two others, I couldn't get into enough to finish. DEATH ANGEL falls somewhere in between the latter two categories.

It was pretty good up to the point where Drea "died", even though it got bogged down with way too much information about moving money. After this point, I was so not interested I basically skimmed the remainder of the book. Things picked up some when "Simon" revealed himself, but Howard had lost me with the near death experience and redemption theme. (What was so wrong with them before?)

But DEATH ANGEL has a bigger problems than a flawed theme - lack of character development and what there is makes little sense.

Why Drea flips out at being "given away" makes no sense. Yeah, being upset, makes sense. Getting so angry and wanting such great revenge doesn't. She was in the relationship with Salinas for what she could get. From her own thoughts, she made no pretense of being in love with him. She didn't even seem to like him much. She knew he didn't think much of her. That was her "plan", play dumb. She was arm candy just like she intended. He "gave her away", so what? They were both just playing their self-imposed roles. Feelings of humiliation and anger, I understand. So angry, she needed to "hit him where it hurts." Why? He ultimately owed her nothing just as she owed him nothing. She got the shopping and living in the lap of luxury, he got arm candy and laid. Payment for services rendered had been exchanged.

Drea's sudden change of heart after 4 hours of sex, even great sex, made even less sense. Fifteen years of clawing her way to something better was suddenly tossed out the window after a few orgasms? Huh? I get great chemistry and the desire to connect on a deeper level with a man, but "the assassin" was that man? The assassin, whom she liked even less than Salinas? That made no sense for such a "street smart" and calculating woman. Drea, if nothing else, was a realist, except when it came to this plot point. So it felt contrived.

An even greater tragedy was Howard's extreme lack of development of "Simon". He was half the story, yet we got absolutely no glimpse into what made him tick except a couple of sentences on the last few pages. No feeling as to why such a careful, calculating, practically-self-admitted sociopath would be capable of turning his life upside down for this woman. Sorry, "skin chemistry", as he called just didn't cut it. Simon could be a stick figure (one into tantric sex) for all the depth he had. (Oh yeah, four hours of sex and his final "release" was depicted like an after thought. Kind of a let down, no pun intended.)

It's unfortunate. This novel could have been some much better if it had been more about the characters involved.

"Surreal, and lost its grip half way through", When I look at Amazon.com reviews, a part of my personal process is to look at the spelling and grammar of the reviewers, to determine if they have the education to understand the material in depth. Usually, if reviewers with good writing abilities have reviewed a book highly, and those with less than optimal abilities review it badly, the book is worth reading.

Not so in this case!

I cannot determine the target audience of this novel. A part of the problem with this book is with the writing. I understand that sometimes thinking processes need to included, and in rare cases, explained in detail. However, not four times! If you removed the repetitive sections of this book, you may cut it down to between one-third to half its original size.

Quite frankly, it feels like Linda Howard's gender has changed within the last 5 years. This book feels like it was written by a male, who doesn't really understand the female psyche.

The overall feel of this book was cold; there was very little connection between characters. One round of impersonal sex (and since there was no communication between the characters, how could it be anything else?) does not create the relationship between the characters. Not that I am convinced that these characters could have a decent relationship with anyone; they are self-centered and self-obsessed.

The surreality of the death of the heroine half-way through the book was disruptive. The 'grip' of the story was lost, and didn't really return.

In the end, it came across as a half-Mary Sue from perhaps a new author, which is unexpected from a name like Linda Howard.

"Trash", I wish I could give this "no stars". To sum it up, Bimbo Drea lives with Mobster. In payment for a job, Mobster lets Hitman have sex with Bimbo as payment for services. Bimbo enjoys sex with Hitman, but to get back at Mobster for letting Hitman have sex with her, Bimbo drains his bank account and runs. Mobster hires Hitman to find Bimbo.

I have to assume that Bimbo and Hitman meet up, fall in love, and live happily ever, because I couldn't finish reading the book.

" Very different and not a 'fit' for all readers. ", Very different and not a 'fit' for all readers.

Loved it!

"Riveting novel of suspense and redemption", This book wowed me! Take one striking beauty with a taste for diamonds and dangerous men, Drea Rousseau is more than content to be arm candy for Rafael Salinas, a notorious crime lord. Until he hands her over for 5 hours to a cold-blooded assassin to do anything he desires as long as he doesn't harm her. For Drea this is the last straw. She makes a fateful decision and a desperate move, stealing a mountain of cash and running. Salinas knows she can't hide and he dispatches the assassin to kill her. Which results in a set of tragic events, that not only turns Drea's life upside down, but the assassins. This book has several surprising twists and turns. It also has a very different hero and heroine. I think you will be as surprised and pleased as I was with this different and unusual book.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"A gripping plot with super twists and turns", Frankly, I'm not much of a fan of suspense novels. Death Angel was sent to me for review by mistake. So when I couldn't sleep the night after I received it, I thought it might be a good sleeping aid. However, Death Angel, by Linda Howard, is quite the opposite. Like a menu from the finest restaurant, this book has it all. It serves up everything, from sex to special agents, from crime lords to hired assassins, from romance to roadside mayhem.

Linda Howard is skillful indeed. I wouldn't have thought it possible that a bought-and-paid-for mistress and a killer so detached, so cool, that even a handshake could leave you frostbitten, would make such a compelling couple. Victim and villain, Drea and Simon are fire and ice, and so is their lovemaking. The love scenes remind me of a line from an old Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn movie. "There's not much (of her) but what there is, is choice." You might want to use oven mitts to hold the book!

And the rest of the book is pretty darn good too. The plot is grippingly crafted, with as many twists and turns as a bowl of rotini pasta. And Death Angel is a veritable psychologist's playground, as the author explores the breadth of human emotions from abandonment and betrayal through fear, forgiveness and acceptance.

More like an extra strength dose of No-Doz than a sleeping aid, Death Angel is wonderfully entertaining, if not wonderfully restful. So if you're looking for a good night's sleep, you better look elsewhere.

Happily, in an election year, sleep aids are everywhere: CNN, the biography section of any Borders or Barnes and Noble, and of course, the ever-present campaign ads, interrupted only occasionally by actual programming. Good night and good luck!

Armchair Interviews says: Linda Howard writes with such impact you'll be up all night reading her.

"Story of Redemption is a Disappointment (C Grade)", I must say that Death Angel is a major pass for me. I was able to finish reading in less than a day and afterwards I felt empty. I was close to making this a DNF (Do Not Finish), but because of my loyalty to Linda, I finished. Death Angel has an interesting set up, about a mistress of a high powered mobster, and the assassin he hires. The mistress and the assassin end up having a one night stand together. The first chapter grabs you in a way that no other book I have read in recent memory has done. Basically Drea Rousseau has been offered by her mobster boyfriend, Rafael Salinas, as payment to the mysterious assassin he has on his payroll. The assassin wants a few hours with Drea in return for a job well done. Rafael gives his permission and leaves his girlfriend of two years with the cold blooded killer. Drea has no choice but to do what the killer wants, and expects the worst. But Drea is a survivor and will get through this. Expecting the killer to be rough, and the sex painful, he surprises her by being very gentle and gives her the best four hours of intense loving she has ever had. After it is over, he leaves her and Drea is changed forever.

Incredible how great sex can change your outlook on life.

For the next few chapters, we see Drea forming a plan where she will leave Rafael and hit him where it hurts, his bank account. She will steal two million dollars and hide it in her own secret account. Since he thinks she is an airhead, he has no clue how smart Drea really is, because her persona is all an act. Plus, she is a very angry woman who wants Rafael to pay for giving her to another man. She also feels angry at herself, because her four hour lover made her come alive for the first time in her life. She will no longer be anyone's plaything and make a better life for herself.

Up to this point I was very intrigued and couldn't wait to see if Drea would get away and if the mysterious assassin would make an appearance again. Drea is able to escape from under Rafael's nose and with the money. But not before too long, Rafael finds out and wants her dead. He hires the same assassin to kill her. And this is where the story becomes a bit confusing.

It seems to me that Linda had began writing Death Angel one way and then a quarter of the way through, decided to change the plot. What I assumed would be a woman on the run, and the man who must find her, essentially coming to fall in love with her and protect her, becomes a bit of a paranormal in a way. Drea ends up having a car accident where she dies. She sees the white light and is given a second chance. When she comes down to Earth, she is remorseful and has a change of heart. And oh yeah, she now can sense a person's future. She has the "sight". If she comes in contact with someone, she warns them or gives them advice on their future. Why and how does this suddenly happen? Well, Drea, really named Andie, has seen the light, literally and figuratively.

Also at this time, the assassin, who we come to know as Simon, also has a sudden change of heart. He watched Andie die and now that he knows she has lived, he will watch over her and make sure she is safe. He becomes her angel in a way, her guardian. But he still has his day job as a ruthless killer, even though he takes some time off to make sure Andie doesn't continue to go on the run or is found alive by Rafael.

Death Angel quickly lost momentum. I am all for an amoral character who changes his stripes, and I guess Simon is the hero, but he is written in such am ambiguous way that as the reader I can't find myself to like him. Drea/Andie has a bit more merit because her thoughts and actions are more pronounced. I wanted to really like her, but again the way Linda writes Andie's life change took away from my overall enjoyment of the novel. I even found the sex scenes stale and lacking, perhaps because I couldn't find any emotional attachment to these two characters who I can barely like? Perhaps I just don't understand a romance between a hit man and a woman who has risen from the grave, so the speak.

Katiebabs

"A tale of 2 stories", This was a very disappointing book. More so because the first half of the book is great. It had a good plot, was tautly written, the characters came across strong and I was dying to see how the heroine, Drea, managed to thwart her drug running lover. Then we get to the second half and it's like I'm reading a completely different book. Two self-centered people, one a sociopath, all of a sudden become entirely different people. The plot, the excellent writing is gone, the strong characters are gone and the end is so simplistic and silly that I was having trouble believing this was written by the same author. If you are looking for a great thriller, you will be disappointed. If you are looking for a great love story, you will be disappointed.

"A Fast Read, But Rather Ho-Hum", Linda Howard has been one of my favorite authors for years. But her last few books have lacked the excitement and pizazz of her earlier books. Except for the rarely occurring sex scenes, I thought Death Angel was very unexciting, and the ending just seemed anticlimactic. And why introduce a psychic aspect at all when it really had no function with the story? I wasn't even going to bother writing a review, but when I saw how many people just loved this book, I had to write one with an opposite view. Yes, it was fast reading, but at the end, my thought was, "Okay, so what?"

"this is a horrible book.", i'm glad i didn't waste my money on this. i rented the cd from the library and didn't get past half the first cd. omg i can't believe how horrible this is. rape is not how i like to start a book.anyway i am totaly dissapointed with linda howard.