This book is set in the late 1950s, in New York. It is about a detective named Harry Angel that is hired to find a man named Johnny Favorite who has been missing for over fifteen years. The search takes Angel through a world of voodoo, black magic, and Satanism. The ending is so crazy and surprising you'll be knocked flat on your back.

The style is genuine New York accent. The narration and whenever someone speaks is just like how it would be said. The story is compelling and very engaging. There is hardly a dull moment in this book.

The ending is not very happy, but extremely clever.

William Hjortsberg has written a few novels. This novel was written in 1978, and is his most well-known piece.

It's good reading for anyone that likes detective OR horror stories, because it has elements of both.

Scenes towards the end are graphic and twisted. Not recommended for the faint of heart.

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Created Aug 14, 2003 at 7:22pm • Submit your own review...