Something More Than Night by Ian Tregillis

Synopsis: Somebody has murdered the angel Gabriel. Worse, the Jericho Trumpet has gone missing, putting Heaven on the brink of a truly cosmic crisis. But the twisty plot that unfolds from the murder investigation leads to something much bigger: a con job one billion years in the making.

Because this is no mere murder. A small band of angels has decided to break out of heaven, but they need a human patsy to make their plan work.

Much of the story is told from the point of view of Bayliss, a cynical fallen angel who has modeled himself on Philip Marlowe. The yarn he spins follows the progression of a Marlowe novel — the mysterious dame who needs his help, getting grilled by the bulls, finding a stiff, getting slipped a mickey

Angels and gunsels, dames with eyes like fire, and a grand maguffin, Something More Than Night is a murder mystery for the cosmos.

Review: Ah this book … it was really difficult for me to rate it and write a review, because even now that I’ve finished it, the story is always stuck in my head, as I’m still trying to figure out if I understood everything right.

The angel Gabriel is dead and Bayliss, another angel, and one of his friends must find a replacement. And when he finds the perfect prey, he is forced to change this plan and collect a young woman who died because of him instead. And then he intends to get rid of her as soon as possible to return to his life, and he does not understand why all this is bothering her. He does not want a dead weight and this girl brings him a lot more problems than expected. Indeed it seems that Molly is more than a simple young woman and she may well be able to appear in situations completely beyond her where she is ultimately a pawn in a story far more complex. And when, despite their resentment, they decide to team up together to find the trumpet of Jericho, we can only have some sparks between them.

The story consists of the point of view of our two characters and each chapter follows what happens to one or the other. I am quite often mixed when the authors use several characters like that yet I found that it was beautifully done here. I enjoyed getting to know Molly, as she is a young woman with a fiery temperament! Despite her condition, she does not hesitate to say and do what she wants, even if it horrifies Bayliss. I loved how she was able to face him and defeat what he was trying to make her do. She is a new really talented angel and she will have to learn the laws of this universe alone. As for Bayliss, ah what to say about this man? I enjoyed the way he appeared in the human world, in a form we can easily imagine, with his cigarette and irritating ideas. Yet I loved the duo they formed while they were investigating for the trumpet and the Gabriel’s murder. I must also say that in this respect I was really surprised when revelations occur at the end of the story. I did not expect that at all, and the author has really tricked me throughout the novel. The only downside I would say about the story is that I’m not quite sure I understood everything that was happening and it is true that it was a bit difficult for me. I had a distance in regard of the story as I had many questions.

But anyway it was a nice surprise, different from what I usually read and I was happy for this discovery.