Another amazing book from Katerina Diamond! Katerina never disappoints

The Angel is the fantastic third instalment of the DS Imogen Grey & DS Adrian Miles series.

This series just gets better and better! If you are new to this author please start from the beginning (The Teacher, The Secret). You won't get the full back-story if you jump straight in with book 3.

What I found really refreshing is that it's not a typical police procedural novel; the main bulk of the story is based around the characters - past and present - rather than focusing on the details & processes of the police investigation.

I adore Imogen & Adrian's personal & professional relationship to the point where I'm actually jealous I haven't got my own Adrian!

I also love the cover - it's instantly recognisable as a Katerina Diamond novel before even seeing her name.

Roll on book four is all I can say :)

Thanks to Avon Books UK for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you're after a fast paced, gritty crime thriller, then The Angel by Katerina Diamond is for you.

When a body is found in a disused signal box, suspicion falls on lonely teenager Gabriel Webb. Yes he was at the scene of the crime, but does he really deserve what prison has in store for him? DS Imogen Grey thinks there is more to this case than meets the eye especially when a double murder is reported. Grey and her partner DS Adrian Miles begin to investigate, though Miles has his own personal demons to conquer.

This book had me hooked from page one. It's an absolute page turner that keeps pace to the very end. I can highly recommend this book and would give it 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and the author for the chance to review.

This review is written with thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for my copy of The Angel.
When a body is found following a fire at a disused signal box, Gabriel Webb admits he was present when the fire started, and is remanded in prison on suspicion of manslaughter. But to investigating police officers, Detective Sergeant Imogen Grey and Detective Sergeant Adrian Miles, there appears to be more to this crime than meets the eye, especially when an older couple are murdered and Imogen believes the cases are connected. To prove this, she must find evidence. What really happened on the night of the fire in the signal box?
The blurb on The Angel refers to Diamond as the !queen of grip lit." That's a huge title to live up to, but Diamond manages it with ease. This novel has everything: blood, violence, death, sex, and it all serves to give the reader a rollercoaster read, which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. At times, the plot did feel a little disjointed, particularly as the two investigations came together, but the novel culminates in a huge twist that I never saw coming at all that left me reeling.
DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles are not your average detectives. They have both had life experiences which have made them vulnerable, and neither of them like to carry out investigations by the book. This makes them intriguing characters, and I hope they return in a future novel, so that the reader can see them grow.
Diamond's research for The Angel is impressive, especially her research into life in prison. Several chapters of the novel focus on Gabriel's experience of incarceration, and the insight Diamond gives the reader into the routine, the corruption and his relationships with other prisoners, drew me in and I wanted to read on to see how the situations in which Gabriel found himself would be resolved. The scenes in the prison also added to the overall tension in the novel.

This is the 3rd book by this author I have read and while it wasn't the best it was still a good read. Gabriel a young teenager is arrested for murder when a body is found burnt out in a signal box. Yes he was there and yes he lit a small fire but it wasn't enough to murder someone. While he is on remand in prison another prisoner is out to get him and threatens his girlfriend and family. Why? The book is set in the city I live in and I loved all of the local references which added to the atmosphere of the book for me. I love the two detectives and how they interact with each other. Especially the way they both have problems in their personal lives but they don't let that come between their job.

This is the third in this series after The Teacher and The Secret and, to get the best from this book with regard to the backstory and development of the main characters, I'd read these two first. That said, the main story contained within this book is complete so it can be read as a standalone although I wouldn't recommend it as it does connect back to previous books a little.
A burned body is found and a culprit, Gabriel, swiftly arrested and sent to prison on remand. We hear from him and his experience of prison life throughout the book. We see how he changes, how prison life affects him, how he does things he would never have even thought himself capable of. Dog eat dog and only the fittest/smartest survive. But, is he guilty of what he is charged with? DS Imogen Grey isn't sure but all the evidence points to him. This doesn't stop her though and, together with DS Adrian Miles, continues to try and fill in the missing pieces of that puzzle, the least of which is who's actually dead?. Then a rather nasty double murder stops all this side-investigation as Grey and Miles are needed on this new case. A useful move indeed as investigations here throw new light on the burned body. How are the two connected, is Gabriel even guilty and, if not, who is?
I simply devoured this book in only a couple of sittings. I love this series; the characters, the writing, the storyline, especially the plotting all just work for me. Can't say why, they all just do. I love the relationship between Grey and Miles. They are of equal rank - again something a little different these days - and their relationship is akin to brother and sister. Friends and rivals, with bickering aplenty but deep down, very close and protective over each other. In this book Miles has his own worries with respect to his son's new step-father and how he is trying to screw Miles over with his relationship to his boy. Grey herself has her own troubles to contend with, mostly in the shape of her erstwhile bad-boy boyfriend who, in this book, has a bit more of a main part to play.
The plot is rather intriguing. At times I had absolutely no idea where we were going but, when we did get there, it all made complete sense and I kicked myself for missing things I should have seen. Conversely, I focused on some things that were completely superfluous. Basically, some great sleight of hand by the author here!
Putting aside the main story for a moment, the best thing in this book for me was Gabriel's journey. I have already touched on it earlier here but the way that prison, even just remand, affected him had my heart breaking. And for what...?
All in all, another winner from Ms Diamond... roll on the next one. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Nicely twisty British procedural that gives you two perspectives- that of the detectives and that of the accused- in alternating chapters. I hadn't read the first two books but I honestly don't think I missed anything because Diamond has created such complete characters in Imogen and Adrian. Adrian's private look into his son's stepfather leads to some intriguing connections to the murders he is meant to investigate with Imogen. I was also very taken with Gabriel, the teen accused of murder and at risk in his cell. I found this complex enough to keep me engaged and surprised. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this one if you're a fan of the British procedural with a mixed pair of detectives who both have issues.

This is the third outing for Detectives Grey and Miles and like the previous two it was brilliant. As well as the detectives, characters from The Secret appeared in this book also and a lot of loose ends were tied up. I would definitely recommend this book but I would advise people to read The Teacher and The Secret before reading The Angel.

This author just keeps know getting better, her books are gritty and graphic with well crafted plots and a fascinating cast of characters.
I really enjoyed the journey of Gabriel and his loss of innocence and I really really enjoyed the deeper back story with Adrian.
Lots of twists and turns, and interlinked story threads, it will be interesting to see where she goes next, I'm already looking forward to it.

Katerina Diamond is fairly new on the crime thriller scene with her debut novel The Teacher published in 2016. Since then she has released another two books in her Imogen Grey series; The Secret And The Angel. You can read my reviews of The Teacher and The Secret on the links below:

https://lifehasafunnywayofsneakinguponyou.wordpress.com/2016/10/03/the-teacher-review/

https://lifehasafunnywayofsneakinguponyou.wordpress.com/2016/10/21/the-secret-katerina-diamond-review/

The Angel picks up after the events of The Secret. Imogen and her partner Adrian (that's her police partner, not romantic one) are investigating a fire at a disused signal box where a body has been found. Gabriel Webb a lonely, goth teenager finds himself taking the blame for the crime. A brutal double murder follows and Imogen and Adrian find mysterious links that may mean their two cases are connected despite their dramatic differences.

Not only that, Adrian can't fight the feeling that the cases may have some connection to his own private investigation into his son's stepfather Dominic. Let me just say that the connections are absolutely earth shattering! I couldn't believe it, it really surprised me despite a clue so obvious that I overlooked it!

The Angel has the same cryptic style as Its two predecessors while engaging the reader with the really likeable if slightly flawed characters of Imogen and Adrian. I like that the mystery of Dominic and his dodgy dealings were followed up on as well and the plot was something completely new for me, considering I've read over 400 crime/thriller books thats quite a rareity!

Wow!! I love this series.. thank you so much to Avon Books UK via Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book. Imogen Grey is a fantastic character... strong and tough but we see another side to her in this book. her relationship with her partner is honest and together they work to solve the crimes and help the honest people caught up in it all. if you haven't read any of this authors books.. why not???

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for an advance copy of The Angel, the third police procedural to feature DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles of Exeter police.

Grey and Miles are called out to an arson attack in a disused signal box where a burnt body has been found. They quickly zoom in on Gabriel Webb whose distinctive clothing marks him out on CCTV and when he admits to lighting a fire he is remanded. Something, however, makes them think there is more to the fire and unidentified body than the obvious but they don't have much time to investigate as they are immediately plunged into their next case, the brutal murder of two pensioners and their dog and the YouTube video of it.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Angel which is a gripping read with plenty of twists and turns and a satisfactory if ironical ending. The plot has two main narratives, that of Grey and Miles's investigation and Gabriel's troubles in prison. Both are tense and interesting with some unexpected twists. I'm not the biggest fan of multiple points of view but in this case it works well, didn't distract me as they often do and the links between them grow stronger as the novel proceeds. The way Ms Diamond weaves disparate events into a larger story is clever and admirable as it can't be easy keeping track. The novel is well paced with new information in almost every chapter and while there is much to assimilate it is easy to read and follow.

I like the mix of professional and emotional as it makes the characters seem more real. Tom is still trying to get something on the dangerous Dominic Shaw, his ex-wife's current husband, who always seems a step ahead and nurture a budding new relationship. Imogen is still struggling with the reality of being a police officer and being in a relationship with a convicted killer, especially when these cases put them on a collision course. It seems a bit much that both protagonists have trouble in their lives but, somehow, it works well and adds an extra dimension to the novel.

The Angel is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I really liked The Teacher and The Secret by Katerina Diamond so I had high hopes for her new book The Angel and I was certainly not disappointed. It was a very thrilling story that I did not want to put down. I really like the character of Gabriel and the detectives Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles. I can't wait for the next book by this author.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.