Falling Angel

by William Hjortsberg

Book Overview

A spellbinding novel of murder, mystery, and the occult, "Falling Angel" pits a private eye against the most fearsome adversary a detective ever faced. A routine missing-persons case soon turns into a nightmare of voodoo and black magic. Each book is signed by William Hjortsberg.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446314323
• ISBN13: 9780446314329
• Release Date: December 1986
• Publisher: Warner Books (NY)
• Length: 243 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Horror Classic-a Shocking Ending

Like some of the other reviewers, I tracked this book down after I had seen Angel Heart. Angel Heart was such a thrilling, frightening movie (I'm not easily scared, either) that I had to read the book. The book was even better than the movie, which is saying a lot because I believe the movie was top-rate as well. I won't give away the absolutely shocking ending to the story because I hope that potential readers will enjoy the surprise as much as I did. However, I will say that if you loved the movie you will not be disappointed by the book. The book's gripping plot is the same as the movie's, however, as might be expected, there is more character development in the book. Namely, and most importantly, the character Epiphany Proudfoot, played in the movie by Lisa Bonet (better known as Denise Huxtable, and after growing up watching her play that role it was strange to see her in such a drastically different one) is far more interesting in the book. In both versions she is a beautiful teenage girl of mixed ancestry, but in the book she is brilliant, kind, funny, and surprisingly wise for her years. Her book character is more emotionally present and has more invested in her relationship with the main character, Harry Angel. She has been educated in Latin and religion at a Catholic School and helps Private Detective Harry to unravel the mystery of the missing person he is looking for. In the movie, however, her dialogue is somewhat vapid and we don't care that much about her character. Also, they gave her a child of uncertain parentage in the film, which I found an odd decision, especially since the author of the book worked on the screenplay. I understand of course that there is less time to establish character in screenplays, but there was enough time to make the Lisa Bonet character more interesting. She is an intelligent actress and would have been good at conveying the sophisticated Epiphany. For some reason, the film decided to make Epiphany a native of New Orleans. Presumably this was to have the aura of both Louisiana and Harlem, NY in the 1950s. The effect was cool, but I wish something else had brought Harry to Louisiana, because Epiphany seemed so New York in the book. No one even goes to Louisiana in the book. Everything happens in New York. Another thing about the book was that the character Cypher, played very well by De Niro in the film, was more developed, if that's the right word, in the book. He said more revealing things. I wonder if I would have guessed his nature earlier if I'd read the book first? Definitely pick up this fascinating read-truly a chilling book and perfectly written horror tale!

This is one gritty detective story!

While you read this, take what you know about the late fifties in New York City, and compare it here. This story immerses the reader superbly into the atmosphere of the setting. I swore I could almost smell cigarettes and hear the perfect, New York accents. The dialog was written well enough to do just that, make you think it is authentic New York. The storyline is fantastic. Basically, a detective is hired to find a person who has been missing for over fifteen years. Along the way, he must go through a bog of voodoo mysticism and black mass rituals until at the very end, the truth is revealed. The ending is extremely clever and there is no way I am going to spoil that. If you are into the crime - or horror - genre then there is absolutely no way you can miss this one.

Great combination of mystery and horror

Set in late 1950's New York City, FALLING ANGEL is the story about a private detective named Harry Angel who is recruited by mysterious client Louis Cyphre to find a long lost big-band crooner named Johnny Favorite. Angel's search for Favorite leads him through a bloody trail that involves jazz musicians, sideshow performers, and Satanic voodoo cults. To further complicate matters, the closer Angel thinks he gets toward finding Favorite, the more dead bodies turn up that appear to have Angel written all over them. And closer to a truth that Angel won't want to know.I'm not going to spoil the plot for you, even if some reviewers already did. What I can tell you is that this is a splendid atmospheric novel. Hjortsberg does such a good job bringing about the feel of 1950's New York City that you can almost hear jazz playing somewhere in the background. The plot is intricate without being confusing as well. If you haven't read this masterpiece yet, I suggest you do so PDQ. But before you read it don't let anyone tell you how it ends. If they persist, RUN!!! Discover this fine book for yourself.

A Horror Masterpiece, A Necessary Read

Falling Angel is one of the best Horror novels I have ever read, so fast paced I'm amazed there aren't scorch marks on the pages of my copy. At first you think you are reading a detective novel, and then a Horror novel, and then decidedly, the demented offspring of both genres. Low rent private eye, Harry Angel is recruited to find a pre-war crooner by the name of Johnny Favorite, a singer indebted to Angel's client. A client by the name of Louis Cyphre. Angel's pursuit of Johnny Favorite takes him to the seediest of locales in mid 1950's New York and enlightens him on the city's darker side. A world of witchcraft and voodoo and unspeakable rituals. All the while Harry Angel is trying to deal with his own amnesia. As the mystery unfolds so does the terror and slowly as each piece is revealed Harry Angel walks the tightrope of madness. Not only is Falling Angel an intelligently crafted Horror novel it is incredibly vicious as well. Yet strangely it seems to be more of a cult favorite than a Horror novel that everybody knows. All I can say is that it is one of the most original Horror tales I have ever read, impossible not to read in one sitting. It was made into a movie called Angel Heart that follows the basic outline of the story and the plot but does some shifting of locales not seen in the book. The movie was good, the book a thousand times better. A must read for Horror fans.