Gabriel St. John is a demon, trapped in the city of New Orleans, cursed by his own sins. Sent as an angel to help humanity, he fell under the influence of alcohol addiction, and now if he is with a woman, she becomes hopelessly addicted to him. He hasn’t touched alcohol or a woman in 75 years, but a new temptation enters his life.
Gabriel writes true crime novels, and this time, he has decided to tackle a crime he believes he may have committed in 1849. He wants to find out he didn’t, but he isn’t sure, because he had been under the influence. He works with a forensics expert, Sarah, whose own mother was recently killed. Together, he hopes they can shed new light on both murders.
I enjoyed this book on a lot of levels. Gabriel and Sarah honestly struck me as kindred spirits. Both suffered addictions, Gabriel the alcohol and Sarah sleeping pills after her mother’s death. Gabriel’s newest book was attempting, aside from solving such a personal crime, to prove that modern forensic evidence is still subject to the whims of the court and to the human factor, which is the same today as it was 150 years ago. The book went into some detail, including courtroom transcripts from both trials at the beginning of each chapter.
I did find the writing style to be a little tired. I don’t know if that’s the right word for it — it’s a matter of tone and definitely of personal opinion. I had trouble getting into the story early on, and I never felt that compulsion to turn pages. I both put the book down easily, and picked it up again easily. Maybe that’s a good thing for a busy reader. 🙂
In terms of character, mystery, theme, and suspension of disbelief I am a big fan of this book and would highly recommend.
Rating: 4/5
Title: Fallen
Author: Â Erin McCarthy
ISBN:Â 0515144622
Published April 2008