The Book Report Episode #39

Episode #38

The Fifth Angel – A One Man Killing Machine By David Wiltse

The Book

This book is from my to-be-read bookcase. But this book is extra special. My Mum bought me this book. Back in the late eighties, when I was a kid, just as I was starting and enjoying reading. At the time, I was getting into horror stories more than any other genre. And I was reading adult horror books. And my parents didn’t seem to care. As long as I was reading and they knew I was happy that was all that mattered.

But this book stood out when I found it in the newsagents on Church Road, in Leyton. It’s not there anymore sadly. I don’t know why I have never read it until now, but I have been carrying this book around with me, for over thirty years.

But Anyway… This book was published in Great Britain by Souvenir Press Ltd in 1985 but Printed by Collins, Glasgow. The Book has 280 pages.

What Did I Think

A deadly, trained soldier. On a test training mission. He is hiding within a camp of friendly’s. He has to get to the base camp without being detected, to complete his mission. But he was too good. Nobody could find him and a tank rolled over his hiding spot, burying him alive. It would take three days to find him. Due to mental problems, he had to be locked away.

He has now escaped and has one thing on his mind. The mission he was trained to do. The problem is that the mission is no longer required, as Russia did not attack America. But now, he is focusing his mission on America, specifically New York. And also finding his nephew (adopted son) and wife.

However, the other problem is trying to convince him that his nephew is the one who has been visiting him all these years. Not a Russian spy.

His mission is to infiltrate the country and slowly destroy the infrastructure until the nation can not continue.

Why Didn’t I Read This Earlier?

I haven’t read anything like this in a long time. Written in the 80s, you can feel the nostalgia. Fair enough I never grew up in New York. But I have seen enough movies of the time. This is an action thriller and I really should read some more of this style of book. I feel like I may be getting a bit boring. As most of the things I read seem safe compared to this. Maybe I should go back to some of the horror books and used to read as a kid.

Even in the sex scenes, I found myself a little shocked I was reading such things, especially at who was doing who. What happened to the girlfriend? She was there at the beginning of the story, and then gone, never to be seen again.

But the story itself was great. A chase through the streets and underground by the FBI and the local police. To stop a man hell-bent on nothing but destruction, who hides in plain sight. A man who doesn’t care about your feelings. But only cares about his mission. A man who will kill without hesitation. And a man the government wanted to forget.

Seriously, what more could you want?

Would I Recommend

Yes. I would recommend this book. The story brought back the feelings of how the old eighties movies made me feel. You cannot get that feeling with today’s media. I am glad I finally got to read it.

Please give this book a try.

Would you like to purchase your very own copy?

You could try these online stores: Amazon UK/USA. Waterstones. AbeBooks UK/ USA, Barnes and Noble and eBay UK/ USA.

Alternatively, you could try your local bookshop or even your local library.