"The crucial thing about Michael Marshall is that he is enormously readable....Once you have started one of his books you won't want to stop" (The Independent uk) His books are much more than mere thrillers and his characterization creates memorable participants in stories that have a certain gothic/horror feel similar to the Charlie Parker series created by the amazing John Connolly. Connolly in his books has the shadowy figure of "The Collector" and Marshall has created in this trilogy (The Straw Men, The Lonely Dead and Blood of Angels) a group known as the Straw Men who operate outside the conventional rules of society guided in their endeavours by a serial killer known as The Upright Man...."He's a serial killer. He also abducts people for others to murder for kicks. He has a theory that mankind was infected by a virus tens of thousands of years ago. It made us more sociable, enabled modern society to coalesce by obscuring some or our natural enmity towards our fellow men. We started living closer together, began farming, developed the modern world. They don't like it. They want the planet back the way it was."

Raged against this attempt by a shadowy group to spread fear, confusion and death amongst an unsuspecting populace is an eclectic group of characters; Ward Hopkins ex CIA agent recovering from the shock and death of his parents and their association with The Straw Men; John Zant an ex LA homicide detective with a personal interest in the capture of The Upright Man who he believes was responsible for the death of his only daughter Karen; Nina Baynam discredited FBI agent believing totally in both the existence of The Straw Men and their murderous agenda; Paul Hopkins, brother to Ward and identified as the notorious serial killer The Upright Man.

What is so readable about Blood of Angels is that even the minor characters we meet play an important role in the unfolding drama and they all contribute to the pulsating tension that radiates from page one; James Kyle/Jim Westlake is a killer in retirement in Key West Florida until his services are required by The Straw Men one last time; Lee h
Hudek his friends Grant and Sleepy Pete all wealthy middleclass kids dealing drugs until they encounter The Upright Man, a meeting that will alter their lives irrevocably......there is no going back!

The search is on for Ward's brother The Upright Man who has escaped from a secure institution. Has he been broken out for a reason? Have The Straw Men got a hidden agenda that will ultimately mean the destruction of society as we know and love. Ward, Nina and John are on the case and in the very capable hands of Michael Marshall we are treated to an extraordinary reading experience. The UK paperback version of this story is some 540 pages but I can honestly say I devoured this story in some 3 reading sessions. It still puzzles me that Michael Marshall, although a popular author, has never received the acclaim and credit he so deserves.....so, dear reader of my review, do yourself a favour and read all 3 books in this well researched, intelligent, dark and above all well written tale. A pleasure to read and a pleasure to recommend 5+++++ stars! ( )

The cover reads, "The heart-stopping conclusion to The Straw Men trilogy". I wouldn't go quite that far, but it was a good story. Is it the actual end? I guess we'll see. Enough of the plot is left open-ended for it not to be. But, John, Ward, and Nina do take it to Paul (The Upright Man) and it does have an ending, if not a definitive one. As for "heart-stopping", I would disagree. But, overall, I did enjoy the trilogy. And I would definitely recommend this installment to people who enjoy conspiracy theories! This book really has a doozy! ( )

Met het lezen van dit derde boek had ik een iets betere ervaring. Veel minder langdradige stukken en heel veel spannende hoofdstukken. Toch vind ik het einde ietwat onbevredigend. Ik had gehoopt op wat meer afsluiting. ( )

Thriller, het derde deel in een trilogie rond de Stromannen, een sinistere broederschap van seriemoordenaars. De eerste twee delen van de trilogie zijn 'De Stromannen' en 'Het oudste offer'. Dit deel is afzonderlijk te lezen, hoewel kennis van de eerdere delen het verhaal begrijpelijker maakt. Ex-CIA agent Ward Hopkins en zijn vriendin en FBI-agente Nina Baynam houden zich schuil voor de Stromannen. Wards tweelingbroer Paul, die hij nooit heeft gekend, behoort tot de Stromannen en is onlangs uit de gevangenis ontsnapt. Nina's hulp wordt gevraagd bij een moordonderzoek waarbij sprake is van een vrouwelijke seriemoordenares, en vervolgens verlaten Ward en Nina hun schuilplaats om de strijd aan te gaan. Ook ex-agent John Zandt zit achter de Stromannen aan, zijn dochter is door hen vermoord. Spannende, duistere thriller, kreeg drie sterren van een recensent van de site Crimezone.nl. De Engelse auteur Michael Marshall (1965) schreef ook onder de naam Michael Marshall Smith.

Solid third novel of the series, wraps up necessary details without sacrificing story or character development. Surprises and twists galore, but none are beyond belief. Marshall has a fourth in the series out in the spring of 2009 (?), and it's possible the first is to be made into a film. This could very well be a saga, as the capacity for humanity's deprivation knows no bottom limit. ( )