Death of an Angel

The Danny Bird Mysteries #4

by Derek Farrell

A woman is found dead in a London street - the evidence suggests she plummeted to her death from a nearby tower block – but did she fall or was she pushed? And why does she have Danny Bird’s name written on the back of her hand? So begins this 4th magnificent outing for Danny and the gang from The Marq. In the frame for a murder he didn’t commit, London’s self-proclaimed Sherlock Homo has no choice but to don his metaphorical deerstalker one more time to prove his innocence and uncover the truth about the tragic death of Cathy Byrne. With the indomitably louche Lady Caz by his side, Danny plunges headlong into a complex investigation while at the same time trying to be a dutiful son to his increasingly secretive parents, and still find the time to juggle his frustratingly moribund love-life. Praise for Death Of An Angel “Farrell's great talent for mixing dark and light is at its most powerful and masterful. This is an ambitious, hilarious, heart-stopping and heartbreaking mystery that succeeds in every possible way. – Jo Perry, author of the celebrated Charlie & Rose books “There are some proper social issues Danny’s investigation touches on gentrification, house prices, dodgy developers, dubious councillors lining their own pockets and high-end flats sitting empty because they’ve been bought as an investment by the rich, while people from the area are being forced out by a lack of affordable housing and high rents. That all makes the book sound serious and worthy – and it’s totally not. This is the best of Danny – mysteries with a conscience, that will entertain you but also make you think without clubbing you over the head with A Message.” - Verity Wilde Praise for the Danny Bird books. “A witty and eloquent page turner with laugh out loud moments”“A classic whodunit brought bang up to date.” “A modern day Cluedo.” “Impossible to compartmentalise into one genre, the plot twists and turns through a thoroughly modern tale that will have you totally hooked.” “A book full of clever plotting.” “Excellent pacy story, great characters and laugh out loud jokes in places.” “Funny and ferociously complex.” “This is a very, very good book. The writing makes it such an easy read. Character development is quite brilliant and I really felt for the protagonist. Would highly recommend.” “Feels like a mash-up of Poirot and the best British sitcoms. And that's a very good thing. Has all the makings of a cracking crime series.” “Very different to any murder mystery I've read before, and I loved it. It had me laughing out loud times. A clever well written book that I highly recommend a definite must read.”

364 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 27, 2019

Reviews

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever, menacing, and darkly comedic!

Death of an Angel is a twisty, complex, mischievous tale that takes you into the life of pub manager, amateur sleuth extraordinaire, Danny Bird as he dreadingly gets mixed up in another case involving a suicide victim with his name on her hand, a husband with a fondness for state-of-the-art cars, and a gang of hoodlums with a penchant for money, machetes, and hounds.

The prose is witty and tight. The characterization is spot on with a whole slew of characters who are eccentric, gregarious, and sharp-witted. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine into an irresistible tale of deception, manipulation, greed, jealousy, corruption, mayhem, oddball mishaps, slapstick moments, violence, and murder.

Overall, Death of an Angel is so much better than I ever expected and surprising brilliant in every way. It’s an intricate, fresh, edgy mystery that not only kept me guessing and amused until the very last page but had me purchasing the first three paperbacks in the series as quickly as possible.

Thank you to Fahrenheit Press and Damppebbles Blog Tours for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Julian Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better and Better and Better

I adore Danny and Caz and the world created by the brilliant Mr Farrell. It’s well Plotted, full of life and is as eloquent as it is funny. Every book in the series is brilliant and a Masterclass in how to write a great whodunnit.
Top Marks.

[PaperMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is a Danny Bird mystery without missing persons, murder and merry mayhem? A complex plot involving many suspects and numerous victims ... I'd manage to guess what happened to one of the missing persons correctly but the author cleverly winds up the multiple mysteries at the final showdown/reveal (but readers need to focus/concentrate hard despite the very distracting basket of baked nibbles/finger food almost upstaging Danny's Poirot/Marple moment).

The almost trademark humorous banter/asides with this series is scattered all throughout such as "Chopper was immortal, like greed, or Cher." or "But it now looks as though the universe – and Mr Evan Blythe, Killer of Council Tenants – has dropped something perhaps more pressing into your lap. And who doesn’t love a nice pressing in the lap?". And this:

“It’s his fortieth birthday.” “And he’s spending it in a coma.” “Obviously.” We began walking towards the house. “Electively?” I was bemused. “Well what other way is there?” She asked, her turn now to be puzzled. “It’s the latest thing. You get yourself put in a coma, they feed you intravenously on nothing but vitamins and saline, and apparently the body repairs itself as you remain hovering between life and death. Gets rid of crow’s feet, wrinkles, puffiness, excess weight and the rest of the eight signs of ageing.” “And what,” I asked, as the door before us swung slowly open, “Is wrong with oil of Olay?”

My reading pleasure was marred by some typo/editing issues e.g. feint instead of faint, flower instead of flour. And some glaring backstory errors e.g. Danny stating his parents had "worked hard so that the three of us kids could have things they never had" when it is very obvious there are FOUR kids in the family. Otherwise - a barrel of laughs and fun, despite most of the action regretfully taking place away from Danny's The Marquess Of Queensbury pub and thereby featuring less of the dynamic twins and bar-manager characters. However, I was pleased to discover more of Danny's immediate family and their interpersonal dynamics.

Romance aficionados beware - there is little to no development to Danny and Nick' relationship ... in fact, I'm not sure the plot would have suffered any should the latter were to vanish off the pages altogether! I am wondering what is the point of having a BF if there is rare engagement/interaction between the two. It is just as well that MC Lady Caz provides much interest (she has the best lines darlings) being Danny's BFF and sleuthing partner. Solid 4 stars overall.

[Richard Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

An angel may die, but the devils are round every corner

Take a trip into the world of author Derek Farrell and you are sure to become immersed in a land of gaiety and murder, bubbling champagne and congealing blood. Death of an Angel, the fourth in the Danny Bird mysteries, takes this a stage further.
The apparent falling suicide raises questions when pub manager and amateur detective Danny Bird is told that his name appears to have been written on the ‘angel’s’ hand. Intrigue takes Danny and his dipsomaniac, fallen gentry, best friend Lady Caz into a world they would rarely venture. There are cleaners with attitude, wealthy with a myriad of vices, and police in a quagmire of ignorance.
Death of an Angel also introduces corruption on a grand scale, multi-million pound theft, a cruelly cheating construction company, and the sort of murderous low life who live and fester on all those evil motivators.
The Danny Bird series has always included wonderful descriptions that carry the reader gently into settings of grandeur and depravity – and every step between the two. Danny is openly gay, and his relationship with boyfriend DC Nick or DS Nick (whatever, he’s a police detective) gives rise to much jollity, but being gay is not a state of mind and certainly neither a strength nor weakness.
This is perhaps the most poignant of Danny Bird books. Running through, like the many strands of a thread, are the personal relationships that make the characters not just believable, but almost sat next to you on the couch, the bus or the train.
Death of an Angel is a delightful fourth in the series, but, as with each, it is an immensely satisfying read as a standalone crime fiction mystery.

[Verity W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review on my blog Verity Reads Books

At the start of Death of an Angel Danny’s name is found written on the hand of a woman who has fallen from a tower block. To make matters worse, the pub’s phone number is in her contacts list, so of course the police haul him in for questioning. Trouble is, Danny has no idea who she is. The police seem strangely reluctant to believe this and soon Danny is investigating what led to Cathy Byrne’s fall from the ninth floor. At the same time, Danny is doing a touch of investigating for his solicitor and there are major ructions going on in his family – as his siblings are convinced something is wrong in their parents’ relationship. And don’t even get started on the boyfriend front.

Death of an Angel takes us away from the Marq – which as there’s a limit to how many bodies can turn up at a business and it remain solvent (no matter what the cupcake bakeries over in the cozy crime genre would have you believe) is a good thing and it’s great to see Danny stretch his wings in his south London home neighbourhood. This is a great mystery – fast-paced and with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. And the fabulous banter is still there – I mean what’s not to love about a hero who refers to himself as “Sherlock Homo”?

But there’s also a serious side to this. There are some proper social issues here too. This is the best of Danny – mysteries with a conscience, that will entertain you but also make you think without clubbing you over the head with A Message.

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 4 in the Danny Bird series by Derek Farrell and i found it easy read as a stand-alone.

Danny Bird runs a pub, The Marquess of Queensbury….The Marq, but he also refers to himself as ‘Sherlock Homo’…..his love life is a bit complicated, he’s gay and in a relationship with Nick, while it’s going well, Nick has a wife….so yep, complicated.

It starts with Danny’s family wanting him to find out what’s going on with their parents, both seem upset by something but say all is fine….then he is interviewed by the police as a recent ‘ suicide ‘ victim had his name on her hand and the pubs telephone number in her phone……so he starts looking into this too.

His lawyer Dot, also asks him for a favour, a client has died, another apparent suicide and she asks him to investigate this too….

So there are so many seemingly different stories, but just how are they linked??

I loved the characters in this, Danny and Nick, Lady Caz and her booze and the relationships they all have, such a close group of friends and family….I felt I knew them all by the end. A clever, funny, twisty crime thriller that’s an entertaining and intriguing read.

Thank you to Damppebbles Blog Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

[Noemi Proietti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Danny Bird Mysteries. I haven’t had the pleasure to read the first three books yet, but I put them on my TBR list soon after I finished reading DEATH OF AN ANGEL. This is an engaging and captivating novel and I really liked the characters. The protagonist is Danny Bird a bar manager and an unwilling private detective. He often finds himself involved in cases that lead him down dangerous paths and, like Sherlock Holmes, he is accompanied by his own Watson, i.e. his best friend Caz.

In this novel, Danny’s name is found on the hand of a woman who jumped to her death. Is it a suicide or someone pushed her? Is her death somehow linked to the disappearance of three men and a million-dollar theft? As Danny and Caz investigate they mix with bankers, gangs, and big companies ready to do anything to get what they want.

Danny is funny and smart, a modern Sherlock Holmes with a touch of Hercule Poirot. His day job is managing a pub in Southwark where he doesn’t spend much time as he is busy helping the police solving cases (although the police is not really that happy about this forced collaboration). If murder cases weren’t enough to keep him worried, it is clear that his parents are hiding something and his brother and sisters want him to find out what it is. I wish there was more about his relationship with Andy, his married boyfriend, however my favourite part was his friendship with Caz. Their witty exchanges made me laugh and together they made an unlikely yet fantastic pair. Caz comes from a noble family, she knows everyone who is important and rich, and I loved how posh and elegant she was, going on a murder scene in her Christian Louboutin.

If you are looking for a novel that it is both entertaining and twisty, then DEATH OF AN ANGEL is definitely a must!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death of an Angel is the latest fun entry in Derek Farrell’s Danny Bird Mysteries series of witty whodunits. If you like UK-based mysteries, with colourful characters and a sassy amateur sleuth, then this is the series for you!

This instalment finds Danny with three mysteries to solve: one that falls right out of the sky, as it were, one a favour for a friend and one a little more close to home.

Death of an Angel finds a lot of the usual suspects all present and correct, with Danny’s narration suitably droll, Caz joyfully haughty and DI Frank Reid as unpleasant as ever.

What follows is a jaunt through some of South London’s less salubrious areas, with a ragtag band of supporting – and sometimes terrifying – characters and a cornucopia of arch jibes, on the way to Danny saving the day in his own inimitable style.

But will Danny solve the mysteries? Will he finally get a grip on his love life? Will The Marq’s sausage rolls give anyone food poisoning? And will DI Reid’s sunburn turn septic? Grab yourself a copy now and find out!

I’ve already enjoyed Derek Farrell‘s first Danny Bird Mystery, Death of a Diva, and look forward to reading more of the series soon.

[J Fearnley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*
This is a cracking story, well plotted, well written, sprinkled with witty banter, filled with – often dark – humour and, whilst this is no cosy mystery, the denouement is delivered in true Conan-Doyle or, perhaps, we should say Agatha Christie style.

I thought the sub-plot regarding his parents was handled particularly well bringing a tenderness into the book and insight into Danny’s character and life

This is a terrific book and one I would more than happily recommend.

With many thanks to Fahrenheit Press for an eCopy of Death of an Angel by Derek Farrell and to Emma at Damppebbles for inviting me onto this wonderful BlogTour. Do catch up with rest of the Tour see -

https://lovebooksreadbooks.com/2019/0...

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4 is a (little) bit different as most of the pub-based supporting cast are only minor characters because the crimes occur eleswhere. This is useful as the pub was going to have to have been been cursed by an old witch if the run of bad luck continued. The new characters at the new locations all work, jolly good fun, and the finale is very Classic Detective Novel in its killer reveal. Now when is book 5 due to be published?

[IW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

Derek, this book is amazing. There were moments which made me snort with laughter, cry with sadness but all the time be drawn into a plot of intrigue. The weaving of the plot and drawing it together in a Poirotesque showdown is masterful. Dare i say, your best yet?

[emily curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable murder mystery that is well written with likeable characters.

[Don Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

the Danny Bird Mysteries continue. Danny is dragged into more antics and mayhem! A brilliantly funny book with the right amount of guess work right to the end.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Marquess Of Queensbury pub ("The Marq"), Danny Bird is discussing family matters with his siblings. Danny, the youngest, is being gently bullied by the others into unleashing his inner Jessica Fletcher and talking to their parents, who have been acting strangely.
Their conversation is rudely interrupted by a couple of uniformed police officers looking to take Danny to answer some questions: How well does he know Cathy Byrne? Not at all. So why does she have The Marq's phone number in her mobile phone and his name written on her hand? And oh, by the way, she jumped from her ninth floor balcony and is dead. The cops say there's no suggestion it wasn't suicide, but Danny and DI Frank Reid both want to know more.
There's a lovely section where Danny and Caz go undercover as cleaners where Cathy worked, an apartment block so exclusive most of the owners have never set foot in their property - Caz's description of the apartments as "concrete money-boxes" is spot on. The operation throws up several interesting encounters that spark intrigue and investigatory synapses alike. And then a mysterious phone call leads the two to a building site in the dead of night...
There's a whole lot going on here, including another apparent suicide, bank fraud, psycho villains and those Bird family worries, but don't worry if you feel a little lost, for there is eventually a gorgeously Agatha Christie-esque scene, where the participants are stuck in a locked room (with drinks and snacks) while Danny joins the dots between the seemingly disparate plot strands and presents the finished picture to DI Reid to deal with.
But while the denouement is punchy and unveils the ruthless and the vicious and the pain they inflict, it's the final pages that hit me the hardest. Farrell has poured his heart into this scene and it spills out from the pages into the reader til there's a lump in the throat and liquid in the eyes. No-one loves their characters like Farrell does.
The wit, fun and snappy comments that are a hallmark of the series remain, but are toned down in favour of greater depth in a novel that has a more assured feel. There is more tension, more grit, and some serious danger alongside the serious themes. Farrell is becoming the writer he always promised to be, with a firm sense of where he wants to go with these characters and the skill to take the reader with him. You should be reading his work, plain and simple.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous!

Another brilliant Danny book from Derek Farrell, eagerly awaiting number 5. Can’t get enough of this series. Would be great on TV too. (I’d still want to read the books first)

[Rubina G Gomes]

DNF @ 22%