Member Review

An engrossing thriller with a wonderful cast of characters! Michael is a retired intelligence operative who lives a reclusive life in his New York apartment, looking out of the window at the park below. His only companion is his housekeeper who looks after him.
Everyday he sees a young girl in a grey coat and he wonders what reason she has for wandering round the park and sitting on the bench near his window. One day she spends the night on the bench and Michael , fearing for her safety, sends Gabriel, a local cafe owner to keep an eye on her, worried she could be attacked alone all night in the park.
When he finally hears Angel”s story he realises that she is an innocent who has become involved with some very bad people. Determined to save her he decides to hide her in his house and give her a new life.
In an effort to further help her he tracks down a pair of psychologists who have acquired a treasure that does not belong to them and which has also attracted the attention of the same particularly unpleasant gangsters. Somehow they are connected to Angel’s predicament.
Michael uses his former skills to try and extricate Angel from her situation and in the course of helping her reintegrates himself into society by actually talking to people again, finally coming to terms with his guilt for past events.
This is a clever story and a really enjoyable read. I loved all the characters, Michael, Angel, Mrs Baker , the house keeper and Gabriel, cafe owner and son of Michael’s old friend. They were all quirky people but with kind hearts.
I believe this is the start of a series and I’m certainly looking forward to reading more about Michael, the redacted man and intelligent mystery solver. Recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.