Desde que decidí leer este libro, supuse que no me iba a gustar. Pero estaba equivocada.

Publicado a finales de los 70, tiene una trama que mezcla géneros como thriller, terror y detectives. Está ambientado en 1959, en la ciudad de Nueva York. Además, la libertad de escribir sobre temas sensibles sin reparos fue una combinación ganadora.

Harry Ángel es un solitario detective casi en bancarrota. Como caído del cielo, recibe un cliente por intermediación de un abogado. Este cliente, que parece ser un hombre involucrado en el mundo del espectáculo, busca a un cantante llamado Johnny Favorite. Johnny regresó de la guerra, fue internado en una clínica y nunca más se le volvió a ver.

A partir de ahí, Harry inicia una investigación extraña que va tomando tintes surrealistas a cada paso. Es tan extraño que el mismo detective a veces se siente envuelto en un sueño onírico o en una pesadilla demencial. En su camino, se empiezan a topar con personas con actitudes raras, por no decir extravagantes.

Hay escenas realmente impactantes. Se involucran temas de satanismo y religiones afro, así como un recorrido por todo Nueva York. Y para coronar el pastel, tenemos un final redondo al que no se le puede pedir más.

Es un libro tan de los 70 y 80 que me recuerda todas las películas ochenteras que veo ahora. Me asombran por lo libres de inhibiciones y lo ingenuamente escandalosas que eran.

Este tipo de libro no dará para reflexiones profundas, pero está muy bien escrito. Disfruté leyéndolo y es un perfecto ejemplo de un libro entretenido, sin otras pretensiones.

4 Stars

This is a thoroughly enjoyable hard boiled detective thriller that truly captivated me.

I usually don't venture into the straight-up mystery genre, but I picked this one up based on recommendations from Goodreads.

To my great surprise, I found it extremely difficult to put down this noir thriller.

Hjortsberg has done a fabulous job of infusing this story with a 1950's feel, staying true to the noir genre.

The first-person narrations, along with plenty of dark and gloomy environments, create a vivid and immersive atmosphere.

The hero, who is flawed and more real, adds an extra layer of authenticity to the story.

The plot can be somewhat complex, with several good twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Although the action is minimal, it is dispersed enough to maintain your interest and excitement throughout.

I had an absolute blast reading this book, and it has led me to wonder if I should explore the classic hard boiled detective genre further.

The ending was satisfying, leaving me eager to read more from Hjortsberg.

Highly recommended for fans of the genre or anyone looking for a thrilling and engaging read.

Argumento poco común en su momento, pero el tiempo ha pasado para todos.

Género. Novela (con toque sobrenatural en la trama).

Lo que nos cuenta. The book "El ángel caído" (original publication: "Falling Angel", 1978) presents us with Harry Angel, a private detective in New York who, in the late 1950s, is hired to investigate a potential contractual fraud committed by Johnny Liebling, better known as Johnny Favorite, a famous jazz musician and singer who supposedly returned from World War II with severe head injuries. The investigation will lead the detective along unexpected paths.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...

This novel offers a unique and captivating storyline. Set in the vibrant city of New York during a specific era, it combines elements of mystery and the supernatural. The character of Harry Angel is well-developed, and as he delves deeper into the investigation, the reader is drawn into a web of secrets and surprises. The description of the investigation's progress keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, eager to discover what lies ahead.

If you're looking for a book that will transport you to a different time and place and keep you guessing until the very end, "El ángel caído" is definitely worth a read. Don't miss out on this thrilling and engaging novel.

A rather capable detective, with doses of the supernatural, a mystery story.

The story begins with the search for a person who disappeared many years ago, but ends up in a series of murders, black rituals, mountains and generally religions.

As a detective, it is quite hardworking, fast in writing, but I would say without many clichés of the kind, creating both intensity and atmosphere in many places, while the author is also quite descriptive, both in characters and in landscapes and scenes, without getting tired. The ending is also quite interesting, and although it is not something particularly special and unique in terms of the arrest, we must admit that it stands out (especially if we consider that it was written in 1978).

Without being a must-read for the genre, I wouldn't say that it lacks anything, apart from the unique case, which we are now looking for with our eyes wide open in the detective genre.

Excelente ambientación para una novela policíaca situada en Nueva York de los años 50. Esta ambientación hace muy fácil recrear en la imaginación una urbe de crecimiento desproporcionado, marcada principalmente por la inmigración. Se puede visualizar claramente las calles bulliciosas, los edificios antiguos y la mezcla de culturas y lenguas. La novela, en general, es buena y entretiene. Sin embargo, le falta algo. Hasta la mitad se siente muy reiterativa, como si estuviera tratando de ganar páginas sin aportar realmente nada nuevo. Es un poco aburrido en ese momento. Sin embargo, el final es sorprendente y turbador. Pero, acercándonos a éste, se hace cada vez más previsible. Se empieza a sospechar lo que va a pasar y, aunque hay un giro inesperado, no es tan impactante como podría haber sido. En general, la novela tiene sus puntos fuertes y débiles, pero es una lectura interesante para los amantes de la literatura policíaca.

In 1959 New York, Harry Angel, a private detective, is hired by the mysterious Louis Cyphre. His task is to track down Johnny Favourite, a crooner who has been in a hospital since the war.

When Angel discovers that the singer is missing, a series of deaths occur among those he speaks to on the trail. And all the while, the mysterious Cyphre seems to be everywhere, even haunting Harry's dreams.

This hard-boiled private detective novel uses every staple of the genre and takes things into a much darker territory as it progresses. It remains in New York throughout, unlike the film, and often gives the impression of being written with a sense of nostalgia for the old city, which makes it even better.

The ending, as Harry attends a Black Mass in an abandoned subway station, is painful, bitter, and unpleasant, like a real kick in the gut, before the final denouement.

Having read this before and seen the film several times, I was surprised by the many obvious clues that Hjortsberg seemed to drop at the start (and the cover art doesn't help), but the clues became more insidious as the story went on.

This is an excellent novel that works perfectly as either a hardboiled thriller or a supernatural one. It isn't afraid to include violence and gore, but it also handles the love affair between Harry and Epiphany with delicate ease. Highly recommended.

”It was Friday the Thirteenth and yesterday’s snowstorm lingered in the streets like a leftover curse.”

With this deadly efficient opening sentence, Hjortsberg not only firmly established the classic Noir bona fides of his novel but also hinted at the occult horror that was about to unfold. His hero, Harry Angel, as world-weary as Philip Marlowe yet not nearly as astute, meanders through a 1950s-era New York City, oblivious to the numerous clues that we, the readers, easily pick up. For instance, the fact that his detective agency is named Crossroads or that he meets his client, Louis Cyphre, for lunch at 666 Fifth Avenue.

As a reader, you will always be a few steps ahead of Harry, but this serves to build the dread that pervades this dark tale. It doesn't even matter if you've seen the movie, Angel Heart, and already know the ending. The joys of this book lie in navigating this perfect Noir New York City and succumbing to the spell Hjortsberg weaves with his words. It hardly matters if you know the destination because it's the journey there that is truly amazing.

Stephen King read this particular book, was charmed and wrote enthusiastic comments in the preface.

Ultimately, I have noticed that whatever book King praises leaves me completely indifferent.

This specific book, I think, is not for experienced readers. In terms of reading level and age.

The truth is that the author tried quite hard from the beginning and, by firing all the literary techniques at the end,

tried to throw triumphant curtains, leaving the readers speechless. But he didn't succeed.

Perhaps because he was carried away by his intense desire to write the amazing thriller, noir, horror, mystery, police procedural story.

He wanted to interweave it with the prince of darkness, satanic rituals, mountain priests, and various supernatural elements that combine and charm the reader satanically.

He set up an elaborate trap and took care to write a sign with the indication: "Beware Danger" just before his victim approached.

The trap remains dangerous, but the warning automatically cancels it.

To clarify my thoughts better, I will simply mention that with just the obvious advice and thoughts of detective Einzel... (The Demon Angel is the title)

as well as the name of the client who hires the detective to solve a mysterious, dark, and forgotten case, the reader understands the development and the (un)expected ending from the first chapters.

There, all the grandeur of the book is lost.

Otherwise, it is an extremely easy-to-read book, with beautifully designed characters and small surprises that make you suspect that maybe

you have fallen outside your predictions and will be shocked by the final reward.

It moves at a fast pace and with a suggestive atmosphere that perfectly describes post-war New York in the 1950s, with all the impressions, smells, sounds, and colors,

in a jazzy, alcoholic, crazy, and carefree combination.

Happy reading. Many greetings.

It was Friday the thirteenth, and the previous day's snowstorm continued to linger in the streets, as if it were a curse that refused to go away. William Hjortsberg was a writer who only penned his thoughts when he truly had something significant to convey. In the 1970s, he published half of his eight-book body of work, and it was during this time that he crafted a novel that would later become a cult classic. Many consider it to be his finest, namely Falling Angel.

The inspiration for this novel dates back to Hjortsberg's high school days when he wrote a short story with a similar theme. He later expanded this into a masterful novel that received nothing but praise. Originally serially published in Playboy, it was then published in its entirety in 1978. It's remarkable to note that nearly 40 years after its initial publication, this novel remains in print, a testament to its outstanding quality.

The story follows Harry Angel, a private detective in 1959 New York City. He accepts a job from a mysterious man named Louis Cypher, of unknown nationality despite having a French passport and claiming to be "just a traveler." The pay is good, and the task seems simple enough. Angel is to visit a veteran's hospital and find out what happened to Johnnie Favorite, with whom Cypher has unresolved affairs dating back to before World War II.

Before the war, Favorite was a famous singer, somewhat like Frank Sinatra. However, he was drafted at the height of his fame in 1943 and sent to the North African front, where he was wounded and returned physically and mentally scarred. As Angel discovers, Favorite hasn't been in the hospital for years, and his departure has been carefully hidden.

As the story unfolds, Angel encounters a diverse cast of characters. He has ample time and money at his disposal, but Cypher's trail is littered with corpses, each mysteriously murdered after his visit. Harry finds himself sinking deeper into the world of black magic and voodoo, which, as it turns out, Johnnie Favorite was deeply involved in.

The only bright spot in his investigation is the introduction of a young voodoo priestess named Epiphany Proudfoot, whose father is Favorite. This passionate priestess, who uses sex to communicate with the gods of voodoo, becomes his ally in solving the mystery of "Where is Johnnie Favorite?"

Although Falling Angel is at its core a hardcore noir mystery in the style of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, written in the first person with authentic sentences and phrases characteristic of these greats, it gradually delves into the supernatural and occult. The climax, which takes place at an abandoned subway station and concludes in Angel's apartment, is both morbid and震撼, leaving the reader stunned.

Brilliantly written, the novel effectively places us in the shoes of Harry Angel, walking the streets of 1959 New York. Hjortsberg's unique blend of genres surprised many and likely produced one of the most original novels of the last century, demonstrating that a successful combination of different genres is indeed possible.

Since it is a crime mystery noir novel intertwined with mild psychological horror, it will appeal to a wide audience. When I mention horror, although there are descriptions of ritual murders in several places, it is no more disturbing or terrifying than the depictions of murders in modern thrillers. In fact, many modern thrillers seem rather dull, as if their authors lack the ability to develop the plot, build characters, and create atmosphere. Falling Angel is one of those novels from which one can learn all of these elements and how to build tension leading up to a mind-bending ending.

In 1987, Alan Parker directed a great adaptation titled Angel Heart, starring Mickey Rourke as Angel and Robert de Niro as Cypher. While there are many similarities between the film and the novel, there are also significant differences. The location was changed from New York to New Orleans, which is more fitting for the plot. Additionally, the subway scene and some other storylines were removed to focus solely on the disappearance of Johnny Favorite. Thanks to the excellent script, ingenious direction, dark atmosphere, and the acting of the two lead actors, the film has an edge over the novel. Therefore, it is well worth watching the movie and reading the book to experience this Faustian mystery, although the main twist is somewhat spoiled regardless of whether you watch the movie first or read the book.

4.5 stars!

There are two main reasons that led me to buy this book. Firstly, I purchased it from my favorite brick and mortar bookstore, Bunch of Grapes (http://bunchofgrapes.com/). I wanted to contribute, in some small measure, to the success of their beautiful store. Secondly, my friend Marc has been persistently urging me to read it for a couple of years now. And he was absolutely right. I now deeply regret not having read this book sooner.

This is a crime-noir novel. Although it was written in the 70's, the story actually takes place in the early 50's. As a result, there are some racist comments and remarks, along with some slang that was unfamiliar to me. For example, did you know that "shamus" was slang for a private detective? Well, I didn't. What places this novel firmly in the dark fiction category is the presence of voodoo and Satanic worship, both of which play significant roles in the plot.

Speaking of the plot, it was truly excellent. It did get a little complicated at times, but I never found myself lost. The story was also interspersed with a touch of dry humor, which I always appreciate.

As I was approaching the last few chapters, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. Having heard so much about this book, I guess I was feeling a bit let down. Then...

...the ending of this story completely blew me away.

Highly recommended for fans of crime-noir and dark fiction!

The movie based on this book is much better than the book itself.

Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro are great!

The film manages to bring the story to life in a more vivid and engaging way.

The acting of Rourke and De Niro adds depth and authenticity to the characters.

They bring out the emotions and complexities of their roles, making the audience truly invested in the story.

The movie also has better pacing and a more visually appealing presentation.

The special effects and cinematography enhance the overall experience, making it a more enjoyable watch.

In conclusion, while the book may have its merits, the movie adaptation is definitely a must-see for fans of the story and great acting.

Vooooodoooo...hard boiled detective mystery, and twisted loooooooove.

Thanks Jeff - just what I was in the mood for.

FALLING ANGEL...the 2nd novel I have read this month that Mickey Rourke starred in the movie. But this time, the book was sooooooooooooooo much better than the film. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Mickey is cuter in Nine and a Half Weeks - I swear.

New York City 1959.

Private investigator - Harry Angel is hired by mysterious client - Louis Cyphre to find Johnny Favorite - a crooner injured during WWII and possibly living in an old folks home....or is he?

Harry fails to abide by a number one rule...never trust a man with long finger nails. Just don't do it!!! Men with long finger nails alllllllllways = bad news.

But Harry takes the case anyways - and follows a trail leading to Johnny. Soon he is in waaaay over his head - dealing with things waaaay out of his comfort zone.

This book was EXACTLY what I was looking for, at EXACTLY the right time. Willian Hjortsberg is definitely an author I am going to read again. I just hope his next book bloooooooows me away like this one did.

The story of "Falling Angel" is a captivating blend of mystery and intrigue. Set in 1959 New York City, it follows the adventures of private investigator Harry Angel as he delves into the search for Johnny Favorite. The presence of the mysterious Louis Cyphre adds an extra layer of complexity to the plot. As Harry ignores the warning about trusting men with long fingernails and takes on the case, he quickly finds himself in a web of danger and the unknown. The book's ability to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, combined with Hjortsberg's engaging writing style, makes it a must-read for fans of detective mysteries. I can't wait to see what Hjortsberg has in store for us in his next book.