A Quiet Belief in Angels: A Novel - Hardcover

"There aren't nearly enough beautifully written novels, that are also great mysteries. Like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Smilla's Sense of Snow, A Quiet Belief in Angels is one of them." —James Patterson

"A Quiet Belief in Angels is a beautiful and haunting book. This is a tour de force from R.J. Ellory." —Michael Connelly

From rural Georgia to New York City, a harrowing, evocative, and mesmerizing tale of murder and redemption

1939. In the small, rural community of Augusta Falls, Georgia, twelve-year-old Joseph Vaughan learns of the brutal assault and murder of a young girl, the first in a series of killings that will plague the community over the next decade. Joseph and his friends are determined to protect the town from the evil in their midst and they form "The Guardians" to watch over the community. But the murderer evades them and they watch helplessly as one child after another is taken. Even when the killings cease, a shadow of fear follows Joseph for the rest of his life. The past won't stay buried and, fifty years later, Joseph must confront the nightmare that has overshadowed his entire life...

More Praise for A Quiet Belief in Angels

"A Quiet Belief in Angels is a rich, powerful, evocative novel of great psychological depth." —Jonathan Kellerman

"R.J. Ellory is a uniquely gifted, passionate, and powerful writer, and the quality of his prose—every word, every sentence—lifts A Quiet Belief in Angels far above genre." —Alan Furst

"A mesmerizing tale whose intrigue will pull you from one page to the next without pause...R.J. Ellory's remarkable talent for probing the unknown establishes him as the master of the genre. The perfect author to read late into the night." —Clive Cussler

"I read A Quiet Belief in Angels breathlessly as this is one of those rare authors who is able to combine a poetic literary style with a stunning mystery story. R.J. Ellory will quickly rank with the best crime writers working today." —Otto Penzler

"A Quiet Belief in Angels is a riveting mystery, as compelling as it is moving. Joseph is destined to become one of those seminal characters of literature. Here is a book that restores not only a quiet belief in the redemptive power of literature, but is a novel that you will read over and over again." —Ken Bruen

"Roger Ellory is a class act. If you like James Lee Burke or James Sallis, he’s a writer who speaks your language." —Val McDermid

"R.J. Ellory's A Quiet Belief in Angels starts out like a moody Chopin piano etude and quickly takes on the size and force of a symphony by Grieg—at times poignant and somber, at others plunging recklessly into the deep to consider many of the darkest and most dangerous caverns of the human heart, only to break through to the surface again and surge toward a shattering—and perfectly realized—crescendo. Ellory's style is original and complex, the story quite harrowing, and the book will stay with you long after you've quietly closed the end-pages and stared for a while into the complicated darkness beyond your own bedroom window." —David Stone

"This isn't your standard shock and bore serial killer novel. It's an impassioned story of a man's life told in Ellory's distinctive voice, and it confirms his place in the top flight of crime writing." —The Sunday Telegraph

"Ellory harnessed me and drove me headlong through his extraordinary, elegant and powerfully elegiac prose. This is compelling, un-put-downable thriller writing of the very highest order." —The Guardian

R.J. Ellory is the author of twelve novels, including the bestselling A Quiet Belief in Angels, which was Strand Magazine's Thriller of the Year, shortlisted for the Barry Award, and a finalist for the SIBA Award. He is also the author of City of Lies, Candlemoth, A Quiet Vendetta, A Simple Act of Violence, and the e-book original series Three Days in Chicagoland.