The Angel of Death is Trevor Wood’s third book in his engrossing DCI Jack Parker series. It is a character-driven police procedural. Jack was diagnosed with early onset dementia in The Silent Killer. Unpleasant memories of how Alzheimers impacted his father led Jack to isolate himself from his family. Eventually he shared his diagnosis with his wife and son but still kept his health concerns a secret at work. He returned to the family home in The Inside Man and attempted to slow the progression of his dementia with clean living.
In The Angel of Death, Wood ventures into more controversial territory by touching on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which is currently in legislative limbo in the UK. It appears that someone in Newcastle has been helping terminally ill people end their lives on their own terms. Two individuals have reported to the police that they believe that an ill family member did not die of natural causes. Mercy killing? Murder? Both? Does Jack still have the ability to lead this complex investigation?
Fortunately for Jack, he has some good people on his team. Leon Johnson is happy with his recent promotion to detective inspector. As a black man from the West End of Newcastle, Leon never expected this level of success. He occasionally sounds like he has imposter syndrome however he is smart and dedicated. His Achilles heel is his feelings for his co-worker, Detective Sergeant Emma Steel.
Emma is bright and oozes with confidence, which is good on the one hand but it sometimes impacts her judgement resulting in poor decisions. Occasionally she will go rogue or proceed without back-up. She is an interesting mix. On the one hand, she is aware that something is going on with Jack. On the other hand, she can be totally oblivious to the feelings of others.
Jack used to feel a connection with his boss, Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Curtis but they haven’t been that close since the latter started moving up the ladder. It is awkward for the team when Jack realises that Bob knows one of the families being investigated for a possible murder.
None of these characters is perfect. They all have some flaws. This is what gives them realistic depth. Jack is not perfect either. Although he seems to be functioning in his current role, you know that a man with his diagnosis does not have an optimistic future. At some point, things will change. He is not a reliable narrator. Fortunately, he has finally shared his diagnosis with Leon and Emma. Some chapters are told from their perspectives which will help you assess if Jack’s dementia is progressing.
The two victims did not appear to know one another. One was Ellen Bishop, who received a lung cancer diagnosis over a year ago and had felt poorly ever since. Her son suspects his father of hastening her death. The other, Duncan Milton, was in his early 50s. He had been suffering from Huntington’s disease for more than a decade. His sister says that he had lost the will to live and she suspects that his wife may have had him killed.
Jack’s dementia is front and centre in this investigation. He can’t help but relate somewhat to the potential murder victims. Of course, he has considered the how and when of his own death. He doesn’t want to become a burden to his family. He has told them about the things that he is not prepared to accept in life and he plans to head to Dignitas when they occur. Ironically, through Jack’s experiences as a dementia patient, he comes up with an avenue for investigation.
As in life, comedy and tragedy are often linked. For example, the online viewing habits of Jack’s son start out as a somewhat jokey concern between him and his wife. When the truth comes out, it feels a gut punch to Jack. Brief authentic moments like that are scattered throughout the book and they resonated with me as my mother had dementia.
In both the Man on the Street and the Jack Parker series, Wood has demonstrated his ability to write an absorbing crime story that also shines a light on the challenges faced by certain groups of people. Even better, he does this with empathy and humour.
Also see My Grandfather, the Master Detective by Masateru Konishi and The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark.
Orenda Books
Print/Kindle
£6.49
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
