Published in 1995 by Serpent's Tale, DARK ANGEL is John
Dale's debut novel. The story revolves around Jack Buturov, a
casino bouncer from Sydney with an exwife nagging him for
money, a chronically ill son, and now a friend murdered in
the street. When his friend's beautiful but damaged sister
appears Jack is swept up in a dangerous search for the killer
that involves corrupt politicians, organized crime, and
crooked cops.
John Dale lays down a dark noir tale, but a number of details
kept it from being a great book. With the exception of
Buturov, the characters were a little thin. There were so
many bad guys that the shift in focus was disconcerting. The
narrative moved quickly, but with no surprises, and although
I don't see irony as a required element, the story seemed
weakened by the lack of it. There were some sections, such as
Jack's midnight visit with Angela's father, that struck me as
unnecessary. In the end, Dale's style failed to sustain the
intensity that the narrative demanded, causing the fear and
desperation to exist only on the surface, failing to deliver
the bone-deep angst that good noir is famous for.
Although I hardly need to say this, my opinions of the book
are subjective and should be taken with a grain of salt. I
recently read Jason Starr's TOUGH LUCK, which has been well
spoken of here, and I didn't care for it either.
John Dale was born in Sydney and grew up in Tasmania. He
returned to Sydney and taught writing, worked as a bouncer
and then for the Attorney General's office. After DARK ANGEL
came THE DOGS ARE BARKING in 1998, and then HUCKSTEPP A
DANGEROUS LIFE. WILD LIFE is a nonfiction exploration of his
grandfather's murder, published by Allen and Unwin in
2004.
miker
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