Angel of Darkness (Key Books, 1)

Chad Baker was a rock star once, a real '60s hitmaker. Now he serves as benevolent angel of the Ottawa music scene, helping new bands make demos--and sometimes, secretly, helping a young beauty into his second, hidden recording studio. This is where Baker, a serial killer, records his victims' dying screams. When he combines the agonized vocalizations, he creates a hellish new music. Music that summons a different sort of angel--an unearthly and brutally vengeful Angel of Darkness.

Originally published in 1990 under the pen name Samuel M. Key, fantasy master Charles de Lint's Angel of Darkness betrays its early-novel status. The pacing is uneven. The Stephen King influence is occasionally too strong. And there are more characters involved than the younger, less experienced author was capable of juggling. --Cynthia WardChad Baker was a rock star once, a real '60s hitmaker. Now he serves as benevolent angel of the Ottawa music scene, helping new bands make demos--and sometimes, secretly, helping a young beauty into his second, hidden recording studio. This is where Baker, a serial killer, records his victims' dying screams. When he combines the agonized vocalizations, he creates a hellish new music. Music that summons a different sort of angel--an unearthly and brutally vengeful Angel of Darkness.

Originally published in 1990 under the pen name Samuel M. Key, fantasy master Charles de Lint's Angel of Darkness betrays its early-novel status. The pacing is uneven. The Stephen King influence is occasionally too strong. And there are more characters involved than the younger, less experienced author was capable of juggling. --Cynthia Ward