First published 2004
Twenty years after his release from Western State Mental Hospital, Francis Petrel covers his apartment walls with words. He writes about the brutal murder of a young nurse trainee that shattered the Massachusetts institution. An inmate witnessed the killing and calls the perpetrator The Angel. Francis remembers how profiler Lucy Jones pulled him into her investigation. She had personal reasons for hunting this particular killer. Together they faced an impossible puzzle: how do you identify a calculating murderer hiding among patients who genuinely suffer from mental illness? The hospital holds hundreds of potential suspects. Francis must distinguish between authentic madness and a killer's calculated performance. As he relives these events through his writing, hallucinations visit him. His grip on reality weakens. The investigation depends on Francis recognizing what others cannot see. The Angel commits acts that appear insane, but his mind operates with cold logic.
Genres: mystery, crime, detective, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigation, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Massachusetts, Western State Mental Hospital
Period: 20 years after release
438 pages · Hardcover · Bantam Books
Content warnings: mental-illness, murder, violence