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    Angel Killer: A Jessica Blackwood Novel
    Angel Killer: A Jessica Blackwood Novel
    Angel Killer: A Jessica Blackwood Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Angel Killer: A Jessica Blackwood Novel

    Written by Andrew Mayne

    Narrated by Jennifer O'Donnell and Fred Berman

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    In the first installment in Andrew Mayne's sensational mystery series, FBI agent Jessica Blackwood believes she has successfully left her complicated life as a gifted magician behind her . . . until a killer with seemingly supernatural powers puts her talents to the ultimate test.

    A mysterious hacker, who identifies himself only as “Warlock,” brings down the FBI’s website and posts a code in its place. It hides the GPS coordinates of a Michigan cemetery, where a dead girl is discovered rising from the ground . . . as if she tried to crawl out of her own grave.

    Born into a dynasty of illusionists, Jessica Blackwood is destined to become its next star—until she turns her back on her troubled family, and her legacy, to begin a new life in law enforcement. But FBI consultant Dr. Jeffrey Ailes’s discovery of an old copy of Magician Magazine will turn Jessica’s carefully constructed world upside down. Faced with a crime that appears beyond explanation, Ailes has nothing to lose—and everything to gain—by taking a chance on an agent raised in a world devoted to seemingly achieving the impossible.

    The body in the cemetery is only the first in the Warlock’s series of dark miracles. Thrust into the media spotlight, with time ticking away until the next crime, can Jessica confront her past to embrace her gifts and stop a depraved killer?

    If she can’t, she may become his next victim.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateSep 23, 2014
    ISBN9780062362070
    Author

    Andrew Mayne

    Andrew Mayne started his first illusion tour while he was a teenager and was soon headlining in resorts and casinos around the world. He’s worked behind the scenes creatively for David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, and David Blaine. With the support of talk show host and amateur magician Johnny Carson, Andrew started a program to use magic to teach critical thinking skills in public schools for the James Randi Educational Foundation. Andrew’s “Wizard School” segments, teaching magic and science to children, aired nationwide on public television. He also starred in the reality show Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne.

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    Reviews for Angel Killer

    4/5

    131 ratings13 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Trigger warning: Violence death.
      What a book, what a fucking book...i enjoyed every single moment of it (am already 25% into the sequel as I write this).
      The characters has solid real feel to them especially jessica, the way you feel her emotions and see her thinking mind turning in order to solve the case.... it just make you fall in love with her and want to protect her at all costs (yes D I feel what you feel ^^)
      The flow is nice and easy despite the difficult theme of the novel, this story is not for the faint heart so read/listen at your own risk.
      but seriously Andrew Mayne is a master in combine magic and crime.... i am really enjoying this series so far.
    • 4/5
      Why would I give this book four stars when it has so many loose ends? Because it was good anyway!

      Jessica Blackwood is a young woman raised in a family of magicians. The problem is that her family cares more for magic than morals. She leaves them behind and pursues a career in the FBI.

      When a dead body is found Jessica is called to provide 'another view' of the strange situation. This dead body was recently deceased but was declared dead a year ago. Yup, it's difficult to explain you'll just have to read it. Jessica's experience with illusion takes us through the investigation through her eyes as a magician. It was great how she figures out how these murders were committed. Her thinking was meticulous. Even though she wants to leave her past behind, it is her past experience as a magician that got her through. It is her grandfathers lessons that she remembered and her father and uncles encouragement that helped her solve this case. Maybe in the next book we will meet them.

      Sometimes the storyline was completely unbelievable and I always feel that fiction should be believable. For example, this character Damien. First of all Andrew, did you have to give him the name of the anti-christ in this book? Damian to Jessica is like Superman to Louis Lane except he is not a superhero. He is a man who is described as mentally unstable. Yet he always seems to be in the right place to save Jessica without any explanation of how he knew where she was or that she needed help and saving. How did he get classified information? How did he know about the helicopter crash? Did I miss something? It didn't matter. I still liked the book! Looking forward to Book #2 in this series.
    • 5/5
      This is the second series by Andrew Mayne that I've started and I am hooked on another character now. An original idea, a great story and some likable characters. Read it and you'll get hooked too.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The first shall be the last. I have read the other books in this series and they were excellent. Jessica, with her unique skill set, is a splendid protagonist. The crimes are complexly plotted, well-practiced, and brilliantly executed, providing unusual challenges for a final solution She is up to it, and the chase and resolution make for a compelling story.
    • 5/5
      Angel Killer – An Excellent Debut SeriesAndrew Mayne is an American (shouldn’t hold that against him) with an serious interest in magic and illusions, so much so that he has his own TV show and worked with some very famous illusionists and magicians. He has taken his knowledge and experiences in to the writing of this excellent thriller which introduces us to Special Agent Jessica Blackwood.Jessica Blackwood is trying to escape her family and her past by working in law enforcement but the harder she tries to run from the past the more the past travels the journey with her. She is on secondment to Quantico where she is working white collar crime looking at people’s financials find the criminals. When she is summoned to see a Dr Ailes who has his own team of number crunchers and geeks in a building avoided by most in the FBI.Jessica feels like she is being quizzed about a recent cyber attack on the FBI systems that revealed a clue to a dead body. Ailes tells her that she is being placed on the team that is investigating this attack and the dead body as a consultant and is to join the team at the airport.Throughout the book many of her colleagues are sceptical of her skills in the field or even in the area of homicide. But as the Warlock seems to push the case to the bounds of the impossible Jessica’s unique insight gives the team an unexpected edge and a different view of the Warlock. As the case develops we are introduced to Damien who is an exlover, a friend and a continued annoyance to her. At the same time that he is a high functioning gambler and magician who is able to get Jessica to ignore the smoke and mirrors take a closer look, that there is trickery afoot and she can uncover it.As the thriller develops Jessica has become known as the ‘witch’ of the FBI especially when she shows her colleagues how Warlock managed a misdirect to fool everyone including TV viewers. It becomes clearer that this really is a battle between Blackwood and The Warlock with a fight to the last which could possibly be life and death, but Blackwood knows what she has to do to undermine The Warlock.Angel Killer is an excellent thriller that ticks all the boxes with the addition of magic and illusions thrown in that gives the read a rounded excellent thriller that is not like procedural thrillers. Jessica Blackwood is an interesting character that will be interesting to see her develop as time goes on. This really is a gripping story with plenty of mystery that you are still not sure of who the Warlock is until the very end of the book and the great thing is there is no obvious choice of who it could be so you are kept guessing throughout the book.A great debut series and I cannot wait to see the Jessica Blackwood Thrillers develop with a new slant on magic and the FBI. This is well written and really enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      A person, who calls himself Warlock, hacks in to the FBI’s website and posts a code. When cyphered, it leads to a dead girl who seems to have died crawling out of her grave. Except, this young woman has been dead a few years and the body has only been deceased a few hours. Is a miracle or an illusion? The FBI brings in agent Jessica Blackwood (whose past as a magician may come in useful) before another murderous illusion is performed. I don’t know if it the illusion and magical aspect, the development of the Jessica character and her back story or the fast paced action as they chase the Warlock, but I could not put this book down. I wanted to know how these illusions were accomplished but more why the Warlock was doing it. The writing was tight; made me think; the characters were interesting and I can see myself reading more Jessica Blackwood stories in the future. You have to read this one!
    • 5/5
      I have never seen Mr. Mayne's television show. Yet, after reading this book I am going to check it out. I like the way the author used his profession and experience and incorporated it into a murder mystery book. Not just a book but the start of a really, good series. Featuring a multi-complex and ever changing female lead, Jessica Blackwood. I say this because I know there is more to Jessica than meets the eye. She is just coming out of her shell and will only get stronger as the series progresses. The way she thought of things that others did not in the non practical sense was great. Of course, I admit Jessica did have help. In the form of her own fanatic stalker named Damian. Jessica knows nothing about Damian other than he is her guardian angel. I can't wait to see more of Damian as well. Angel Killer is a must read.
    • 4/5
      Angel Killer by Andrew Mayne is an excellent book! It very effectively blended a murder mystery with the world of magic and illusion.

      I liked that the author made Jessica a believable FBI agent. She is an expert in magic without being arrogant. She has fears and flaws, but she is not overwhelmed by them.

      I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good murder mystery.
    • 3/5
      Jessica Blackwood, once a skilled magician carrying on her family’s tradition, now an FBI agent, is thrust into a case pitting the impossible crimes of a depraved killer against her ability to recognize illusion and use her skills to stop the killing. An interesting, unique premise and compelling writing make this book a page-turner. But Damian seems to serve as the author’s deus ex machina and easily stretches willing suspension of disbelief to its breaking point. Be prepared for a let-down of major proportions at the end where there are more questions than answers and disappointment is a guarantee.
    • 4/5
      Andrew Mayne is an illusionist and magician who has worked for David Copperfield, Penn and Teller and David Blaine. He's also the star of A&E's Don't Trust Andrew Mayne. And....he's also an author. Mayne self published his novels and had some success. Angel Killer sold really well in that format and Bourbon Street Books picked it up, with a hard copy of Angel Killer just published. I normally eschew self published books, but was incredibly curious to read Angel Killer (especially after a large publisher picked it up.) I found the premise intriguing - an FBI agent who grew up in a 'magic' family. When a killer calling himself the Warlock starts staging and executing seemingly impossible crimes, Jessica Blackwood is called in. The FBI seems to think her unusual background will be the key they need to find this killer. But it's easier said than done - The Warlock is incredibly devious and seems to have a long range plan..... Well, Mayne is smart as well - he's writing what he knows. The use of magic and illusion as the serial killer's signature is unique. And having an agent just as familiar with the sleights of hand and misdirection is fresh and different. And quite fascinating. Mayne is setting the stage (yes pun intended) for Jessica. We get to know her background and mindset and I quite liked her. We're also introduced to the mysterious Damien n - I definitely want to know more about him. The plot is inventive and again, out of the ordinary. There are a few instances where I questioned the leap to the next point or some technical wizardry, but overall I thought it was really good. And through it all runs the idea of magic. I am always entertained by illusionists and am not sure how I feel about knowing the truth behind some 'tricks' I've seen, but it's pretty interesting to discover how some of them are achieved. Angel Killer is being marketed as the first Jessica Blackwood novel. I would definitely pick up the next in this series - even more so that the end of Angel Killer is not truly the end - the last page is a definite link to a larger plot still not uncovered. I've peeked at other's thoughts on this book and many readers mention their dissatisfaction with the ending. I actually like the unfinished threads - the idea that there's more in store for this character and the anticipation of the continuation of a good tale.
    • 5/5
      Angel Killer By: Andrew MayneHarper Collins Publisher. Pages 353 Public Release September 2014 Suspense/ThrillerCourtesy of Readingroom Reviewed by: tkAll it took was reading the first line. The pages foldedaround me, and I couldn’t let go until the last page was read.Meet Special Agent Jessica Blackwood FBI. She took this job to help people. Jessica with her past experience,and unique abilities, has been asked to help catch a serialkiller. Colorful characters will help Jessica in her readingthe clues, and amazing slight of hand of the “Warlock”before he kills again.The flow forces the pages to turn at an amazing rate. The characters add light, humor, (at least of me) and intrigue along the way. Damien Knight is Jessica’s’ estranged ex-boyfriend. I find him extremely entertaining, and did I mention a little warped.Andrew Mayne has an in depth understanding of magic, and inner workings, and procedures of the FBI through personal experience. An amazing combination for a new an excitingread. Highly recommended. 5/5
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable book with many twists and turns giving a unique view of catching a serial killer by using a trained agent with third generation magician skills and training to gain a different perspective of the staged murder scenes placed by the "Warlock", a name assumed by the killer. The young female agent Blackwood is identified by the press and is called a "Witch", making her another target for the serial killer. She was called into the case by a consultant to the FBI, a professor and rich businessmen brought in to look for ways to make the FBI more efficient. This is a page turner with the added bonus of magical insight into the stunts the killer uses to taunt and trick his pursuers. The jeopardy that agent Blackwood is exposed to only serves to add excitement to the story. This is one intelligent and physically capable agent and cries for additional case stories. Definitely worth picking up for the read.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book. The characters were great and it was a very original premise. This is not the same old mystery.I liked this book for a lot of reasons. One was it did not have the cliche characters. Normally when you read one of these about a female agent, thee is someone she constantly has to prove herself too. That did not happen in the over exaggerated fashion so many of these novels do. Nor was Jess. A superwoman, She was just a smart lady that worked hard.I truly hope this becomes a series. The end did leave that as a possibility and I would like to see a book about the mysterious Damien Knight.Buy this book if you like mysteries you will not regret it. I read this book in one sitting and then went out and bought another book by this author. I wish that happened more. I read all the time and that might be one in ten or twenty books that I do that with. Very fast paced and engaging.