Review: Take a bow Mr Kipling! Another Gripping Crime Fiction.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2014
The author, James Kipling, prefaces the book Angels by stating that it is "neither about conspiracy theories, nor about mystical beings. It is a story unbound by time and location...A story about real people".  And so it is...Yes Angels is overflowing with mafia crimes, drama and suspense, but it goes deeper and bigger than that...it is indeed a story unbound by time and location; it is a social commentary on:* The extent of our responsibility as citizens when faced with criminal elements.  "we are not against rituals and worship.  It is when these are used to cover criminal activities...it is then, only then, we speak up"* Hate crimes against humanity that is larger than life.  It is a blend of Hitler and the likes of Jim Jones where discrimination against race is merged with one person having control over the minds of thousands of people to create his own army for criminal activities. "Even though this group...was guilty of crimes against humanity, there were victims inside the group as well.  Young men were being fed with hate and false dreams of racial supremacy to the point where they'd go ahead and kill another human being."It is essentially a story about the intellectual battle between a young lawyer and the corrupt, criminal mind of a delusional powerhouse who `robbed hundreds of young men from their power to think".  As a result, the reader is caught in this battle and oftentimes doesn't know who to trust and is always second guessing the characters as well him/herself.Kipling cleverly presents the above themes through layers and Layers of plots, subplots, symbolisms and other literary devices.  Biblical connotations are at the forefront.  From the title `Angels' which, as the name of a cult, speaks volumes as to the depth of corruption that pervades the book; to the  Biblical names of most of the characters which hint at their personality traits - Daniel, Gabriel, Jonah and  Judas  to name a few.Kipling has an excellent knack of strategically posing questions or situations that beg questions right at the end of a chapter so that the reader finds it hard to put the book down!  "Daniel needed help and there was only one place to go".This book ends with a message for the world community...and it's one of freedom.A good mafia thriller filled with conspiracies.Highly recommended reading!