I always have to wonder about the minds of the authors who can come up with such diabolically deranged characters; characters like Chad Baker. Chad ran a recording studio out of his basement, and also helped a number of runaways survive, either breaking into the music scene, or going home. Then he came up with one very twisted idea, and those runaways began to be recorded as they were tortured. Pain creating a very interesting series of notes and sounds to Chad, notes which he then put together into something which became far more dangerous than a simple experiment. Perhaps it isn't wise to fool with death, and the sounds of inconsolable pain of so many different types, but it was something Chad felt he had to do. Blended in with this was some genuine singing and other sounds which can be acquired in asylums and hospitals, all culminating in a symphony of horror.

Using current technology, Chad finally put all the sound bits together and then played the painful music back for himself. The outcome of such a composition was unknown, but not for long. When you dabble in the pain and anguish of others, sooner or later it will seek you out. Chad's music unleashed a horror upon the streets of Ottawa that should never have come to light, a horror so unknown and inexplicable that normal methods would never be adequate for destroying it. When the "Angel of Darkness" is called forth, she destroys Chad and the police are called to the scene by a private eye who'd been looking for Chad's last victim.

It is a horrible scene, but unfortunately for humanity it is an ugly part of reality, for there are those who prey on the young and the helpless in our society. The officers who attend the scene all find their lives changed, as they keep slipping in and out of this reality into a far bleaker one. One where it looks as if a nuclear bomb has been dropped and they are not safe. These people and those close to them begin to pop in and out of sight unexpectedly, and when they return, they are usually corpses. The police are mystified, and have no idea who or what is behind this, and the measures that are taken to destroy this evil walking the streets of Ottawa are quite fascinating.

Samuel weaves together a tight plot filled with darkness and horror, with only a glimmer of hope shining as a beacon for some memorable characters. Characters who resemble any number of people you might know or meet, characters who are wholly believable and human, characters who may not survive hearing the music. In all of us there is some past or present hurt we have caused to another - however unintentional it may have been - will this come back to haunt us someday? Samuel seems to think it may...

And for those of you who don't know it, Samuel M. Key is actually a pseudonym for Canadian fantasist Charles de Lint. Two other titles have been published under this name, and they are "From a Whisper to a Scream" and "I'll be Watching You."

Review Previously Posted at www.linearreflections.com

How are 'angels' made? Is it perception? Chuck Baker, described as an angel of the Ottawa music scene, is also a serial killer. While he helps some young musicians, a particular few he keeps--and records their dying screams. What he unleashes from this is an Angel of Darkness--and an Angel of Pain. The book is eerie and somewhat wooden, but still a good, fast paced read.

The book is like eating bag of tasty chips -- the first few euphoric bites entice you to devour more & more till nothing is left and when peering at bottom of the now-empty bag, you get a not-so-good-feeling in the pit of your stomach of a having eaten an unsatisfactory meal.

The book's first few chapters about an evil song made up from screams and sufferings of human beings hooked me in like a good "Twilight Zone" episode and I was intrigued at this original preimise but like someone else mentioned, I eventually felt the characters were wooden and plot twists predicatable leaving me feeling a bit cheated out of a potentially very good story. While I won't give away the ending, it would have been nice if De Lint played more with the sonic aspect of his plot. Aside from the opening chapters, this aspect of the plot was ignored.

In anycase this was my first De Lint book, and I've heard great things about him so I'm optimistic that his other books will be better. While I don't recommend this one, there was enough spark here to make me consider reading his other Samuel Key books

After reading all other reviews, I was eager to read this one. Now I'm left to ask myself what all the hype was about. I found the characters to be very wooden and the dialogue completely unbelievable. Everyone was either really really good or really really evil with no texture or subtlety. Still, DeLint used some good devices. He then proceeded to run them into the ground and use slight variations on the same scene over and over.

Highly recommended. Fresh de Lint in a new vein. The author says in the introduction that he felt compelled to write the book, and it shows. Different, powerful stuff.