It’s a fascinating, gripping and somehow terrifying story. I saw the movie long time ago and was curious about the follow up.
The author delivers a story that mixes noir with horror and the outcome is fascinating.
Interesting world building and character development, a tightly knitted plot.
It’s highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc, all opinions are mine

Angel’s Inferno – dancing with the devil

William Hjortsberg has created a novel that will question what you think about this thriller and when you think you have the answer, you will find you will not have it. You are constantly questioning yourself, and that is no bad thing.

Harry Angel is a private eye and his is under arrest in post war New York for murder, and he knows who has set him up. Sat in his apartment as the NYPD search it, he knows somehow, he has to get away, and find the person who has set him up to clear his name.

Somehow, he manages to escape and heads to his downtown office, where he collects his grab bag and clearing out his safe, along with his various passports. Some in names he recognises but cannot remember why, but that may be because of a war injury.

He manages to escape and heads for Europe where he begins to rediscover who he really is. Whilst staying a few steps ahead of the law and the ever-prying police. He rediscovers his satanism and finds that his was and is part of his identity and it takes him on a journey he was not quite expecting. He follows his satanistic past to wherever it takes him.

As the body count rises around him, and not necessarily because of him, the search for answers becomes urgent. This really does become a matter of life and death, for whom is the question. Even falling in love will not stop the spiral towards his final drama, and the twist that happens.

Sorry, my mistake. Didn’t realise this was a sequel. Going to read the first novel then come back to this once I am fully caught up.

I made a bit of mistake really, I read the classic Fallen Angel before reading this sequel.
This wasn't published during the author's lifetime and I can see why.
It shows, at one level, the reawakening of Johnny Favourite.
But it's quite a boring journey, really a series of murders, a la carte dining and black magic. It just doesn't hang together very well. As Johnny wanders around Paris and Rome hunting Louis Cypher you find yourself thinking how do you kill the devil and then, do I care enough to finish this?

Falling Angel had a brilliant ending, it should have ended there