I didn't read the first book in the series but it didn't seem to matter. Quite violent in parts but enjoyable if a little uncomfortable to read in parts. Quite a few twists and turns and rather a lot of characters to remember.

My first read of 2019. I've given it 4-stars on here (as I can't see how to make it 3.5!)

This is apparently the second book of a trilogy - I wasn't aware of that fact when I read this book, and haven't read the previous one. With hindsight, I think the backstories of some of the main characters might have been explained fully in the previous novel; however this book can be read as a standalone.

I quite enjoyed this pacy thriller - it's definitely a page-turner. However, I found parts of it a little predictable - almost as if it was written with being turned into a TV series in mind.

The book is set in multiple locations - switching between Russia, Amsterdam, South Africa, Indonesia - and has multiple strands and characters that are all interconnected in the end. I didn't warm to some of the characters (Farah for instance) but liked the interaction between the detectives.

I found some aspects of the ending somewhat ambiguous, so I guess I'll be reading the next instalment!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Farah Hafez is a journalist investigating a hit and run in Moscow when she is kidnapped and forced to make a confession on camera. She escapes and finds herself on the run in Indonesia, She tries to carry on with the investigation whilst friends are helping to clear her name.
Who and what are behind her kidnap and what will the cost be to her and her freedom.
Perhaps I should have book one first but I did find this difficult to get into it.

I really liked the first book in the trilogy. Again, this is an exciting thriller. My only criticism would be that there were so many characters to keep track of, that it could be confusing if you read it over several days, and the book was very descriptive and quite long.
I am grateful to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for a free advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Walter Lucius is Holland’s answer to Sweden’s Stieg Larsson in his creation of the Heartland Trilogy. I first read Butterfly on the Storm a while back and was reminded of it when I started to read through Angel in the Shadows as quite a lot of the story is retraced. However, it picks up and runs forward with it at a breathtaking pace. Sometimes it was a little too fast especially in the early chapters (not a bad criticism).
I had a few issues with the story though……

I do not believe that terminal velocity (‘scuse the pun) could have been achieved by hoisting Meijer aloft in his garden shed in an attempt to hang him and break his neck.

After the kettle boiled the Aga was switched off! (Design must have changed a lot).

Floating nuclear power stations in the Pacific Ring of Fire? Really? Never heard of tsunami’s?

Young soldiers disobeying orders thus saving the life of Aninda, hard to believe as indeed was the peaceful overthrow of Gundono’s coup.

I think that the excellent story was spoiled by the ease with which loose ends were tied so that the sun could set, the dog bark and the children laugh. With one intriguing exception…… Radjen and Monique. Where’s that story going?

With 'The Angel In the Shadows', I hoped that maybe I should try the 'Heartland' trilogy again, and maybe this time the story telling would get into it's stride. Farah Hafez is still on the run following the events of Book 1 -this can be read as a stand alone but I would recommend reading them in order-and is a more well developed character .
This time, she is on the run from a Russian Oligarch after exposing an internationally run crime syndicate. She and her friends are determined to bring this corruption into the light if only they can stay alive long enough...
Where I found the first book overly complex, this was more linear but the constant recaps which enable a new reader to get into the story made it frustrating. The characters of Farah and Paul were more developed but at the same time they were often so annoying I wished someone would actually just catch them to shut them up. I would describe reading this book like eating a burger with an erstwhile vegetarian -it puts you off your food and makes you feel guilty for even having the idea that anything you are doing is right. The earnest nature of their determination to do right is annoying at times but I did enjoy this more than Book 1, but not holding my breath for Book 3-sorry it just is me and my expectations of a book, rather than the writer. I am sure that those who love political thrillers will adore the 'Heartland Trilogy'

Not my usual genre but this book had me gripped throughout. Will be looking out for more of the same!

I enjoyed this book, though I felt I had read the story before. That may be because I read Book One at some time in the past and am not sure that I recall it.

The storyline has several strands and you need to be able to keep them to mind to make sense of the plot. The characters are, however, believable and the trials and tribulations of the central character, Hafez, make for disturbing reading at times.

I liked it, however, and I am tempted to buy Book Three.

A strong follow-up to "Butterfly on the Storm" this long novel takes us deep into the world of high level corruption. Sometimes the storyline and sheer number of characters makes it hard work to follow all the threads but Walter Lucius nonetheless keeps you turning the pages. In the current environment of "fake" news this throws a refreshing light on journalists who risk everything in pursuit of the truth. Complex but worth the effort.

Read the first book and found it a bit confusing- this book takes the biscuit In utterly confusing narrative. I assume it’s the translation- maybe it just doesn’t go over well in English. The idea is sound but it sits unfinished as I’d like to see my kids grow up.

Not worth it!

The story starts with a journalist being kidnapped and then being used as a scapegoat for a terrorist hostage taking incident. She is unwittingly released with the other hostages and escapes to Indonesia. The story then becomes more complex spanning four continents with half a dozen major characters involved separately in each. Not least are two detectives in Amsterdam hunting down a hit and run crime that seems to be connected to a government minister. As each episode ends with switching to another place and other characters it is not an easy read. However the connecting thread is to do with a Russian Oligarch with fingers in all the places involved with bribery and corruption involving key ministers to aid his financial ends. The team of journalist spread across the world are seeking to bring him down which is tenuously linked to the work of the two detectives. A complex and fascinating story

Fast-paced thriller jumps between countries as journalists and police realise the crimes they’re investigating in Europe, Russia, Indonesia and Africa are all linked to a dangerous Russian gangster. Brilliant opening sees a journalist forced to pretend to be a suicide bomber on camera meaning that even if she escapes them she will be hunted down as a wanted terrorist. A little confusing in parts with a massive list of characters but thoroughly enjoyable. I hadn’t read the first book in the series but it didn’t matter.

I really enjoyed the first book, Butterfly on the Storm, and even though I do not in general like series, I looked forward to reading the second one. But I found Angel in the Shadows disappointing and I found it hard work to read it to the end. Maybe something has been lost in translation, but I struggled to engage in the storyline or in the relationships between the protagonists – they came across flat and unreal. The plot in the first novel, crossing multiple countries, worked so well; in the second one, the same formula felt contrived and the various strands did not come together effectively. Such a pity after such a promising start from this author.

The second in this trilogy and I’m not sure why I haven’t enjoyed it more than I did. The plot is fast paced, the action is all there but I really didn’t care what happened to many of the characters. I haven’t taken to Farah over the two books which doesn’t help. I find her quite irritating and reckless. Not the qualities for a martial arts expert really.
I found the whole thing a bit over complicated with too many characters.
I doubt I’ll read the concluding book but my thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

I never quite bonded with "Angel in the Shadows". I think part of that comes from the difference to my expectations - this book has many action qualities to it - something I often enjoy but I never quite get the deep satisfaction from a dark and mysterious thriller. And that's what I was missing. It promises so much, and it tries hard to deliver, but ultimately it's never satiating enough for me.

There's so much going on at the start of the book I just couldn't get invested in what was happening. Essentially two plots unfold, one which ties the trilogy together, and one which I can't really figure out the purpose of. A shame, since I found that secondary storyline more interesting. The characters had a great deal of potential and there was a clever mystery. Those were the chapters I enjoyed most and wanted more from. That's not to knock the trilogy story - the characters here also have potential, but the plot feels a more predictable political thriller; it would work well as a solo story, but it feels overshadowed by the other thread here.

Which brings me back to that sense of wanting more. The book felt like it underdelivered - a cast with huge potential that could've had me hanging on every word never explored the depth on offer. Plots that I would've happily sunk into were fighting for space and kept switching before I could be enthralled. This hope and promise does leave me somewhat disappointed, which I have a hunch is unfair. There were moments I saw sparkles of that potential realised and my hopes soared, but it never really developed and I wonder if I'm being hard on the book. My disappointment less about the quality of the book, which I think is pretty good, and more about the expectations I had for a different story. One I can still see flickering in the background but never quite reaching.

If you want a fast-paced political action-thriller I think this will make a great read. It certainly leans far more on those traits than anything else and I think it does them pretty well. It's good at what it does, it just didn't do what I expected.

This is a fast moving book travelling from Russia, The Netherlands, Indonesia and South Africa. The main characters are Farah Haaz a journalist, Paul Chappelle also a journalist and Radjen Tomasa a Chief Inspector of the Amsterdam Police Force and in charge of the Murder Investigation Team..As the story unfolds the characters become more believable..
If you like a fast moving book of political intrigue then this is definitely worth a read.

A long (464 pages), complex, complicated plot of international intrigue that took me a long time to read. Investigative journalist Farah Hafez is pursuing a story of state corruption involving Russian oligarch, Valentin Lavrov when she is kidnapped and forced at gunpoint to make a video supporting a Chechen terrorist organisation and denouncing the Russian president. Now she is on the run. Her friend and fellow journalist Paul Chapelle manages to aid her escape to Jakarta whilst Dutch detective Radjen Tomasoa is investigating another strand of this confusing tale. Locations are widespread: Amsterdam, Moscow, Kabul, Johannesburg, Jakarta.... with a multitude of villains. I just found it too much to maintain concentration. As this is the 2nd book in The Heartland Trilogy it would no doubt have helped to read Book 1 first.

I was offered this ARC by the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent book well worth reading. I think the book is best described on two levels. Firstly it is a ripping yarn - full of intrigue, political corruption, Russian manipulations close to the president, terrorism and bombings, demonstrations, exceedingly clever newspaper reporters and and an intrepid police inspector. Thrown in are bits of romance. However it is when you cover the second level that the book really stands out. The author has brilliantly detailed the feelings and emotions of newspaper and police characters. If translating a book loses some of the depth and intentions of the author then this must have been some book in its original dutch language. I did feel the ending was too open-ended but perhaps this allows a further book in the series..

This is the second novel in the author’s Heartland trilogy, the first title in the series being Butterfly on the Storm, which I reviewed here: [https://bit.ly/2PocTGL]. The Dutch author has been compared with Stieg Larsson, and certainly there’s similarities between this series and Larsson’s Millennium series.

Angel in the Shadows starts precisely where the previous title closed and continues with that title’s labyrinthine plot of international corruption. At heart, the story is of a Russian oligarch, Valentin Lavrov, who uses his power and wealth to corrupt people around the world in pursuit of greater riches and power.

While the protagonist of the series is investigative journalist Farah Hafez, there’s a strong supporting cast, including her friend and fellow journalist Paul Chapelle, and Dutch Detective Radjen Tomasoa. Each of these lead their own investigations, Paul Chapelle’s linked to that of Hafez, that of Radjen Tomasoa a separate strand. There’s an equally large cast of villain’s.

In the previous novel, an Afghan boy dressed in girls’ clothing, makeup and jewellery was the victim of a hit and run on a deserted street on the outskirts of Amsterdam. Hafez starts to investigate, immediately guessing that the boy is a victim of Bacha Bazi, an afghan tradition of dancing boys who often fall prey to paedophiles. This leads her to uncover a paedophile ring, at the centre of which is a powerful Dutch politician, finance Minister Ewald Lombard. This in turn leads her to uncovering the wider corruption of Valentin Lavrov. In Angel in the Shadows, Hafez continues her work, which takes her to Indonesia.

I gave Butterfly on the Storm four out of five stars and I do recall really liking that novel, but for some reason Angel in the Shadows did not impress me so much. To be sure there’s a lot to like about this book. It’s settings are vividly described and brought to life, it’s characters well drawn, and its tale of corruption, oligarchs, and Russian undermining of foreign powers is nothing if not current. But unlike the last novel, there’s something more formulaic about the sequel. High octane thrillers which have their characters trotting the globe are nothing new, and when done well, are an exciting read. Butterfly on the Storm achieved this, but I felt Angel in the Shadows was not so successful and that the author was trying to hard to have his characters travel to locations new. Also, things which didn’t bother me in the last book did this time around. Farah Hafez is an adherent of Pencak Silat, the Indonesian martial art, and while in the previous book it was an interesting feature of her character, in this novel the sections where she met a Pencak Silat master in Indonesia just felt like filling. In fact, weirdly this novel felt too long, despite it being shorter than the last (the paperback of Butterfly on the Storm is 528 pages, while Angel in the Shadows is 464).

I think the main reason I liked Butterfly on the Storm so much in comparison to Angel in the Shadows is because in the first novel there were some bold set pieces which really blew the reader away. The initial set up of the child victim of Bacha Bazi was striking and deeply disturbing, while later there are some explosive moments, quite literally. Towards the end of the novel, there is a massive set piece on a motorway, which results in a huge pile up. This is a scene that needs to be read to be believed and really makes the novel soar. Angel in the Shadows has none of this and while there are some moments of great drama, even some surprising and shocking moments, the novel just seemed pedestrian by comparison.

In conclusion, to me Angel in the Shadows suffers from second book syndrome. There is a silver lining however. Unlike Butterfly on the Storm, which ended on a cliff hanger, from where Angel in the Shadows started, this second novel ties up all loose ends. This means the third and final instalment in the series can start from a fresh page. No doubt the characters will find that the conspiracy and corruption continues (and there are hints of this in Angel in the Shadows) and that they still have much work to do. Hopefully then, in crafting a novel that doesn’t have to continue so directly from what’s gone before, the author can produce something that meets the expectations left from the first in the series.

I must apologise straight away – I abandoned this book, which is a thing a very rarely do. I am surprised about this because the premise is something I would normally enjoy. A journalist has been kidnapped and is forced to make a statement in support of a terrorist organisation. Her colleague, Chapelle rescues her and spirits her away to Jakarta. So far so good. From this point on I got bogged down: too many characters, too many locations, too many organisations. Clearly very well written, and exciting, but I just found it too confusing. May well be my problem – lack of concentration – but I am confident that there will be many avid, supportive reviews. Just not for me.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.