Falling Angel - William Hjortsberg - A Short Summary & Review
Falling Angel - William Hjortsberg - A Short Summary & Review
By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures
A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review
A short summary:
Falling Angel follows private investigator Harry Angel as he’s hired to track down a missing man with a shadowy past. What begins as a standard assignment slowly descends into something far stranger and far more dangerous, a journey through corruption, identity, and spiritual debt.
As Angel digs deeper, the case becomes increasingly personal, blurring the line between hunter and hunted. Set against a grim, decaying New York and infused with occult undercurrents, the novel twists the hard-boiled detective story into a Faustian reckoning where the past is not forgotten, and never forgiven.
My favorite quote:
Questions to ponder while reading:
My review:
Falling Angel takes classic noir and drags it somewhere darker, stranger, and far more sinister. Hjortsberg keeps the familiar detective rhythms, sharp dialogue, moral rot, lonely streets, but layers in dread until the story becomes claustrophobic and deeply unsettling.
What makes the novel work is its commitment to inevitability. Every step Angel takes toward the truth tightens the trap, and the revelation feels earned rather than sensational. This isn’t noir for comfort or cleverness; it’s noir as moral descent.
Stylish, disturbing, and unforgettable, Falling Angel is a reminder that some bargains cannot be undone, and that self-knowledge can be the most dangerous discovery of all.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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