Lost Angel

Nik Kane #1

by Mike Doogan

When Faith, the teenage granddaughter of Moses Wright, the founder of the Christian commune of Rejoice, mysteriously vanishes, the elders of the Alaskan commune enlist troubled former cop Nik Kane--a man who lost his career and family while serving time for a crime he did not commit--to help find the missing girl. A first novel.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

304 pages, Hardcover

First published August 17, 2006

Reviews

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Nik Kane, PI
SETTING: Alaska
SERIES: #1 of 3
RATING: 3.5
WHY: Nik Kane is an ex-cop who has just been released from prison after 7 years of serving a sentence that was overturned. He turns to investigative work and is hired by a religious community in a town called Rejoice which is a few hours out of Anchorage, Alaska. The granddaughter of the founder has gone missing. What he uncovers is horrifying. The community is not a fanatical cult, although some of its members are. The nearby town of Devil's Toe provides a contract between good and evil, but the evil can be found everywhere. The setting was well done, but I found Kane to be too much of a bully for my taste.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this book is not listed as a Christian series but each chapter opens with a Bible quote. Is that because Nik is dealing with a Christian community in the Alaskan wilderness or does this go through the entire series? Really it isn't overpowering and didn't detract from my enjoyment. There is a lot going on here and this is just a part. Nik is a recovering alcoholic and recently released from prison for a crime he didn't commit (sort of). There is a lot of character development and Nik is an interesting character. Time available, I'd read more of this series.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good mystery. More than the actual crime and what the characters do to solve it, I liked the story about the main character - both what happened before he started the investigation and how he was trying to cope with various problems in his life.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounding up from 2.5 stars. Nothing special but fairly entertaining. I was hoping Alaska itself would play a bigger role beyond "it's really cold outside," and the way the author writes about women left me feeling vaguely....icky.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Liked the main character. I'll read more of this author.

[Monical · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice quick mystery set in Alaska. I enjoyed it a lot until the very end, where the author seemed to tie up a bunch of threads in a relatively unsatisfactory way. This is the "first" in a detective series, it seems, and I will be looking forward to the next one. The backstory on the detective is really good, but the author should have polished the last quarter of the book a bit more.

[Steve Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book by Mike Doogan. I generally liked it. There was plenty going on and fast-paced although it did tend to bog down in places especially when dwelling on religious matters. I will definitely seek out Nik Kane #2.

[Sandy Piotrowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took place in Alaska, Nik Cane, a former cop who spent time in prison for killing someone, was the detective who found out where Faith Wright disappeared, a high school honor student who everyone loved and a member of the Christian community of Rejoice. Great read, I would recommend it.

[Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book pretty well, yet I don’t find myself wanting to read more of the series.

[Tomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much thinky stuff…

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Alaska and Alaska Natives given a few mentions while sex, especially with minors, gets the spotlights. Ugh.

[Carol Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

New to me author. Interesting. I will read the next book to see how the series will go.

[Faith Mosseau Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting mystery... fast paced. Good ending!
It's the first in a triology...I'll be looking for the other 2 books

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOST ANGEL (Unlicensed Investigator-Alaska-Cont) – G+
Doogan, Mike – 1st book
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2006- Hardcover
*** Alaskan Nik Kane, an ex-cop, is trying to put his life together after wrongfully spending almost 7 years in prison. Now released, his former boss, Anchorage Chief of Police Jeffords, is trying to help him by sending him to Rejoice, a religious community. The daughter and granddaughter of the community’s leader and founder has disappeared and have asked Kane to find her. But Rejoice’s nearest neighbor is Devil’s Toe, where the manager of the local gold mine wants Kane to help him prevent a possible payroll robbery. It’s up to Kane to uncover the secrets that tie these two communities together.
*** Doogan creates interesting characters, particularly Kane who, although betrayed by the legal system, still believes in the law with investigative instincts and experience. He has a past to overcome and it will be interesting following his course. Although Doogan doesn’t utilize the setting as much as I might like, he has still given a good sense of life in Alaska. This is a very good first effort.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed getting to know Nik Kane, and look forward to his other books. Kane was a former police detective that has just been let out of prison and his record expunged, his conviction of manslaughter overturned after a witness recantoured his testimony. But all the same Kane, lost 7 years, his job, his reputation, and his wife and children. He needs to come to terms with all of this plus learn to live outside of prison again.
His old police chief gives him a job of finding a lost girl from the town outside of Anchorage, where the people live as a commune. Kane starts to find himself again as he searches for the girl, and starts to realize he needs to leave his old life behind and build a new one.

[A. Lieberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Nik Kane series. Nik, a former policeman, was just released from prison for a false conviction. Checking in with the local police he is told he can't come back to the force.
Working as a private detective he goes to a religious community called Rejoice where a young 18 year old girl has disappeared. In addition the manager of the local coal mine is worried that there may be a payroll robbery. While the residents of Rejoice try to drive him away, Kane doesn't give up his search for the girl. Doogan has a strong character with Nik Kane and hopefully he'll continue his series beyond his third book.

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given its Alaskan setting and listing of Dana Stabenow in the acknowledgements, I was so hoping this would be another series like the Kate Shugak series, but alas, not so. Maybe Doogan will get better at this over time, but this first go is flat, from characters to plot to setting to style. He needs to work on telling less and showing more - details are not the enemy. And for pete's sake, take advantage of the Alaskan setting and provide some local color, both of place and people. The main character, Nik Kane, is promising, though. Better luck next time?

[Fiona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Nick Kane mystery. Again I liked it, but I feel like the author could add more Alaska to it. After awhile it could take place anywhere except for his brief temperature descriptions or city names. This one was pretty scooby doo and as much as I like Nick Kane I really did not like the content or the crimes committed. Kind of a religious cult, girl goes missing story-neither topics that I find original or intriguing. I do like the gritty-ness of Kane the detective and his passive, yet "get the job done" style.

[Judie Dooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Story takes place in Alaska.great story line and believable characters. The story tells about a religious community who call themselves the Angels. The granddaughter of the leader of the group has gone missing . An x-cop named Nick Kane is hired to try to find her.What he finds is something no one expected.if you like a good thriller with lots of twists and turns I recommend you read this one.

[Icicle4 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new series recommended by our local librarian. It's about a private detective formerly with the Anchorage PD. Lost Angel was pretty good, but not great. Another book in the series, Skeleton Lake, I scanned because all the skipping back and forth in time was making me crazy(ier).

[Harry Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot was a pretty straightforward mystery. Hero was an interesting character, an alcoholic ex-con, set in Alaska which is always a plus, and finally involving a religious commune in an uncomfortable pairing with a very secular community. Held my attention even though parts of the outcome were predictable.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

First in a series, this was a pretty fast read, and the story centers around a cop who kills someone in the line of duty but then ends up in prision; this book starts when he is releaseed, having lost his marriage, home, having to start over. I will read more in this series.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent; Continuing character: Nik Kane (first in series); former cop/former convict Kane becomes a private detective and heads to a religious community in rural Alaska to solve the case of a missing teen.

[Barbara M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library Journal called Nik Kane "one of the truly engaging new detectives on the scene." I know that I really enjoyed this mystery. The story, the characters, the setting were all beautifully realized.

[Dustin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good first book for the author. Enjoyed getting a feel for the Alaskan landscape and way of life.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nik Kane is the most interesting new character to come along in a long time... this was a terrific book, I can't wait to read more of Nik!

[Eunira · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a first book, I'd give this a 3-star rating, but I would read other books by Mike Doogan that came my way - I believe he will improve with age.

[Lauriem]

Was an okay read. Not the best I've ever read.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doogan writes well, but reading all three of his books, I realized that sex motivates everyone of the murders. Seems like there are lots of other reasons to kill someone!

[Lisa Oberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHat I like about this book was reading and learning a bit about Alaska.