I actually enjoyed this book more than the rating suggests. But two particular scenes, and an ongoing plot point, dragged it down a notch.

Overall, the Katie Maguire series (two books in, at least), is very obviously a police thriller written by a guy known for his horror novels. That's not a bad thing, because Masterton knows how to put the grue in gruesome. He's managed, over these two books, to actually make me squirm, which is a feat in and of itself. And any book that makes me feel something, wins.

So yeah. There's that, and it makes both of the first two books absolutely worth the price of admission.

First, let's talk about that ongoing plot point. Masterton has done the usual, making his main protagonist, Katie Maguire, a very beautiful woman who was promoted to her current role through her insight, passion, committment, and smarts. All well and good.

But then Masterton takes pains to have most people react to her one of only two ways. The first is to be a male who resents her due to her promotion. Yes, it's a male-dominated profession and I'm sure there is absolutely that bias and that jealousy. Fair enough, so you have one or two that exhibit it. Perfect. Check the box and move on.

The more annoying thing that Masterton does is have so many damn characters physically attracted to her. Even some that are minor characters still comment on her beauty. You know, not all guys (or women with a same-sex attraction) actually lose their minds whenever someone good looking shows up. Seriously, some of us have actually learned to keep it together and not drool like a Pavlovian dog.

I find it refreshing when Masterton goes outside the norm and just has a character interact with Maguire without any other agenda. Which is a touch sad, and definitely lowers my estimation of the novel.

But then there's the sex scenes. I'm well aware that Masterton has also written some books on how to improve your sex life (yes, police thrillers, horror novels, historical novels, better sex guides...he gets around), but you wouldn't know it by the terrible, terrible sex scenes in this novel.

In the first one, you've got a guy going down on Maguire, and he actually takes the time to explain the original terms for the left and right sides of a book using her anatomy. It's one of the most painfully awkward and painfully contrived sex scenes I've ever read. I actually felt bad for the author.

Then there's the last one where Maguire has to say goodbye to her book-loving lover. Mid-way through their sex scene, she pulls him out, rolls over, and tells him to hurt her, by taking her anal virginity. "You know you want to," she says, though he has not shown a single sign of hating her or desperately wanting to pack her fudge.

Seriously? Masterton is actually a decent writer. Not brilliant, not fantastic, but decent. He's written enough to know that this (pardon the pun) shit won't pass.

So, slide over the guys that moon over the heroine, and skip the laughable sex scenes, and you've got yourself a decent, even nasty, little thriller here. ( )

In Broken Angels, the second book featuring County Cork DI Katie Maguire, Graham Masterton focuses the plot on religion and beliefs. It picks up 18 months after the end of White Bones, when Katie is investigating the murder of a priest who has been castrated. While this could be a very obvious story line if you think about possible motives, it was anything but. I admit I found the brutal torture scenes in this one more disturbing than in book 1. Listening to the graphic descriptions actually made me squirm, which is highly unusual for me. But the scene with the rat really was horrendous. It's definitely not for the faint-hearted!
The police procedural blends well with the plot line about Katie's personal life. But there were several inconsistencies that really should have been picked up by an editor. Those were details regarding the content that made no sense and were contradictory. And my last bit of criticism, please Mr. Masterton no more of those Katie sex scenes. I don't mind them at all if done well, but in this instance, there was just so much wrong with them. I also hope the recurring lesbian attraction angle will be dropped now.
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this very much and I think a lot of it was due to the absolute perfect 5 stars audio book narration by Caroline Lennon.
While the above may actually sound rather negative, I still think this was a terrific thriller and I really liked it despite my points of critique. On to book 3. ( )

The second book following the career of Detective Inspector Kate McGuire. It's a tough and an uncomfortable read as at times it involves repeated scenes of castration (ouch!)The story revolves around the creation of a "choir of Castrati" and as this suggest involves sexual and physical abuse. A number of priests are disappearing soon to be found horribly mutilated, all evidence points to an abuse of power and privilege within the church. The action is fast, the storyline never falters, and all this set against Kate's personal life which is fast disintegrating. I actually preferred book one in the series "White Bones" (originally released as A Terrible Beauty) but both are great reads by the master of horror Graham Masterton turning his talents to gritty crime writing...I look forward to no.3 in the series. ( )