Miss Crank
Miss Muse
Reva Diva
The Angel Whispered Danger: An Augusta Goodnight Mystery
by Mignon F. Ballard
(St. Martin’s)
Rating: Like Watching Paint Dry
I wanted to like this book, really I did. I made it to the end, but it was a struggle. I’m not a fan of fantasy, and this novel did nothing to change my mind about the genre.
If I found a strangely dressed lady in my house who claimed she was my guardian angel, I’d have trouble believing her. Sorry, I guess I’m too cyncial to be a fantasy heroine. I would run to my neighbour’s place and call the police.
But this isn’t real life, it’s fiction. I get it. As the heroine of a fantasy mystery, I’d still need more time to be convinced that angels were real. Like maybe a few sessions with a therapist to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind. And I think I’d experience more emotion. Anger, fear, confusion, something other than mild surprise.
The heroine in this novel, Kate McBride, hardly needs any time at all to be convinced that angels are real. She feels ‘a warm spot in the middle of her stomach’ when the angel touches her. I get that feeling when I drink too much. Soon she’s telling this strange angel her deepest troubles. Any doubts about Augusta Goodnight’s angel status disappear the next morning, when she tastes her coffee and pancakes. Straight from heaven. My husband makes great coffee and pancakes too, but I’m pretty sure he’s mortal.
There were so many characters in this book, I began to lose track of them all. And the only character that really mattered, Kate McBride, fell flat. I couldn’t connect with her emotionally. Kate takes everything that happens to her in stride. If she’s okay with it, why should I get bent out of shape?
Kate’s first problem is that she’s recently separated from her husband. Yawn. There’s an epidemic. Can’t authors come up with a problem other than wayward husbands? It’s getting old.
The plot progresses (slowly) and a few interesting twists occur, but by this time I don’t care anymore. There’s nothing special about these characters, or this plot. Sorry.
