2024 Advent Book 5 – “Fallen Angel” by Chris Brookmyre

For book five of my Advent calendar I have another psychological thriller. It is Fallen Angel by Chris Brookmyre. It’s about a child that died mysteriously in Portugal and a recent reunion which threatens to uncover secrets. I am sure that it isn’t directly related but it might be inspired by the disappearance of Madeline McCann in Portugal some years ago – I have read at least one other crime novel which seemed to reflect that sad story. I have no problem with the premise and the story looks intriguing.

I have never read anything by this author but I have thought for a while that he should. He is a Scottish crime writer and often mentioned in conjunction with Val McDermid and Ian Rankin both of whom are highly regarded. So, I am pleased to have the opportunity to read one of his novels to see how I like it.

This book is in good condition although the cover is marred by one of those discount labels which popular bookshops and supermarkets use to indicate a bargain. This label is very well attached and obviously the bookseller has decided that it would be madness to try and remove it because it would possibly leave the cover even more disfigured. I, along with most readers I think, wish that bookshops would stop using these labels or find a type that is more easily removable.