Customer Reviews
Mildly diverting - By: Carolyn O'brien, 03 Apr 2008 
After reading Dark Matter & True Evil (both of which I enjoyed, but have yet to review on this site) I dove into Turning Angel with relish, urged on by the overwhelmingly positive reader & critic reviews.
Perhaps it was a case of `overdosing' on the same author, having read a number of Iles novels in quick succession, but my initial & ultimate response to `Turning Angel' was tepid. The characters were, for the most part, 2 dimensional. Not `cardboard cut-out' to the extent of say, the protagonists of a Dan Brown novel, but lacking the extra padding that entices sympathy & kinship from the reader. It was this central flaw that kept me at a distance while reading. Rather then travelling with the characters on their journey, I remained a passive 3rd party. The `accused' Dr Drew Elliott, was for the most part peripheral to the story. The narrator, Penn Cage, offered few insights beyond furthering the plot. The only character I found worthy of further exploration was Kate Townsend, deceased from the outset of the novel.
The plot followed the typical fantastical thriller format, & was moderately engaging. It is, however, a book I could pick up again in a few years, begin to read & wonder as to its vague familiarity. Alas, like most novels of its genre, Turning Angel is not memorable. I will not turn back to it time & time again, nor recommend it wholeheartedly. I won't present it as a gift, or attach it to my list of alll time must reads.
There is no doubt in my mind that Iles is a gifted writer. He has a wonderful command of the English language, & he obviously researches his subjects thoroughly. For a mildly diverting, commuter read, Turning Angel ticks alll the boxes. For a truly exceptional read, look elsewhere.
Faith restored - By: John, 10 Aug 2007 
A few years ago I read Iles WW2 thrillers & enjoyed them. More recently I thought 24 Hours was excellent. Then I tried Sleep No More & Dark Matter & thought they were rubbish as Iles tried to explore the para normal which is not for me.
I liked the synopsis of this book & decided to give Iles another try. However when I started reading one Saturday lunchtime I did so with scepticism. Two hours & 150 pages later I was hooked. This was a true whodunnit set in a southern American town. Racial tension, bigotry, sexual deviation & drug abuse are alll inter twined to make a cracking read. As I progressed through the book I realised that it is a second novel involving Penn Cage. He & many of the characters appeared in The Quiet Game. The actual story stands alone although some of the character development refers to the previous novel. Penn's relationship with his daughter & girlfriend has developed as a result of what went before. The animosity between him & the DA is because of what happened in the previous story. However if the Quiet Game is as good as this then it should be a pleasure to read it first.
Sins of the Flesh - By: G. M. Buchanan, 04 Jun 2007 This is the first Greg Iles book that I have read. It wont be the last. The story is about a middle aged, married, doctor having an affair with a high school student who is found murdered at the start of the story.An old school budy of the doctors has returned to the town, to give up his law practice, & become a full time writer. Of course things don't work out that way & our hero is soon involved in the case.A good read full of twists & turns & smalll town politics. Well worth four stars & well worth a read.
First Class Thriller - By: Andrew M. Jones, 14 May 2007 Not even the size of author Greg Iles burgeoning reputation can blunt the impact of this excellent thriller. For one thing, Iles is astute in avoiding the most obvious of thriller cliches. None of the principals actions or history are easily anticipated & Iles manages to keep the trajectory of the plot a step ahead of the reader for most of the book. He doesn't duck discussion of race & drugs & is frank in his descriptions of sex.
The book is not a masterpiece as none of the characters are rendered to a sufficiently high resolution to alllow us to fully "walk in their shoes". Having said that, I would strongly recommend this to alll fans of the genre.
Turning Angel = Turning Heads - By: K. E. Owen, 15 Mar 2007 This was my first installlment of Greg Iles, were have i been? Turning Angel was more than a pleasant suprise for me, this is a page turner if ever there was one. Iles writes with precision & leaves you hungry for more. Easily read in one sitting, altough i only gave it 4 stars because the plot wasnt the best but it was a brilliant read & would highly recommend it, am going to purchase the rest of his books!
