4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Frank Bishop, a private investigator, has gotten himself into a ton of trouble. He was hired to find a missing little girl and followed the leads to a wealthy lawyer named Nikolai Tesslovich. In the opening scenes, we find him duct taped to a chair being tortured by one of Nikolai’s henchmen. Then a creature comes busting through the window. She is part human, part angel, and all avenger. She cuts off Nikolai’s head which spurts green blood. She then shoots the torturer, frees Frank, and flies off with him.
This exciting scene is only the beginning of the fast-paced, supernatural ride called Raptor by b. a. bostick. This first book of a trilogy does a great job of setting up a world where good and evil battle to keep a semi-equal balance. Frank soon learns that raptors are a type of warrior sent to kill demons in response to any aggression on their part. They protect mankind or at least keep evil at bay. True angels are kept in reserve for a major apocalypse. Ariel, the raptor, and Frank work together to find that his missing child case does indeed have ties to her assignment to assassinate Nikolai. It gets even more complicated when Nikolai shows up in court, very much alive. According to Ariel, “He’s not that kind of demon.” The story takes twists and turns as they uncover a plot using kidnapped children as part of an experiment to create an invincible demon army.
I felt the author did a great job with character development. Even minor characters are given enough back-story and personality to be real and create an emotional connection. I also appreciated the snippets of foreshadowing that keep the reader interested and create questions that will not be answered until later in the trilogy. For example, two raptors in the story have dreams that seem to point to a past of being completely human, yet they have no conscious memory of any such life. The book definitely points to a sequel, but the main storyline is completed enough to be a satisfying read on its own.
The author spends a longer than average amount of time on scene description. I felt this made the story lag occasionally, but that is a matter of personal preference. Other readers would probably really appreciate the details. Most will also appreciate the dry humor scattered through the story to break up the tension.
There is some minor profanity and one sex scene, so this book is not for young readers. It is well-edited with very few errors. It would be enjoyable for teens and adults alike who enjoy a good crime story with some supernatural characters and events. Overall, I rate it as 4 out of 4 stars. The writing flows well and the action and mystery keep the reader involved. I would gladly read the sequel.
******
Raptor
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like teacherjh's review? Post a comment saying so!