The Angel of Death by Trevor Wood

I was worried this might be a challenging read for me - see below for more details - but I'm happy to say I very much enjoyed it. Welcome to my blog tour review of The Angel of Death by Trevor Wood. Big thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb

Battling his own advancing dementia, DCI Jack Parker is forced to confront a ruthless killer on the streets of Newcastle…

Death is stalking the streets of Newcastle. An anonymous killer is offering the terminally ill a dignified escape. Mercy to some. Murder to others.

DCI Jack Parker doesn’t want the case. He has a secret of his own – an early-onset dementia diagnosis he’s desperate to conceal. But the signs are becoming impossible to ignore. As his mind begins to betray him, the city faces its own moral reckoning.

While politicians debate a contentious new law and the self-styled Angel of Death selects another victim, Jack’s world is shaken when the killings are traced to a carers’ support group – one his wife, Helen, has been attending in secret.

Yet his deepest fear is also his darkest temptation. Because when his disease becomes unbearable, Jack can’t escape one haunting question:
Could the Angel of Death be the saviour he’s been waiting for?

My Review

I read the previous two books in this series before this one. I heard Trevor speaking at Bloody Scotland last year (I think) and bought the first book then. And I bought the e-book version of the second in the series so I could read them all in order. Having said all of that, The Angel of Death works fine as a standalone but I always feel you get a richer reading experience if you read the whole series.

A killer whose agenda hits close to home for DCI Jack Parker. A couple of people come to the police convinced that someone has helped a relative to die - are they right and if so, did they give their consent or were they murdered?

I did wonder how I would be reading this series as I lost my mum in December and my dad, who had dementia, just there in April, so things are still a bit raw. My experience was very different from Jack's though and that helped, I think. As the child of a dementia sufferer, I felt for Aidan, who is struggling not only with his dad's condition and its implications but also with Jack's decision about what he wants to happen when his dementia worsens. And for a 16 year old, that's a lot to carry. 

I found the storyline very interesting, and a difficult read in places, as it leads to much discussion about the rights and wrongs of the Assisted Dying Act.  But for Jack and his team, there is still a murderer to catch. I love the relationship between Jack and the two main members of his team, including the jokes and sarcasm. And I have a wee soft spot for Leon, who seems like a lovely young man and a dedicated policeman, although he can get a bit jealous! 

The investigation for the team is a tough one and it's a while until they get their break, then it's full on tension and jeopardy for the denouement. And I loved that the ending hints that there might be another Jack Parker book in the works. 

The Angel of Death is a well written police procedural, focusing on a difficult subject, which is dealt with effectively and sensitively. The characterisation is good and the denouement is tense. And the dementia side of things appears to be well researched, which is great. A series which offers something a wee bit different which is well worth checking out. 

The Author

Trevor holds an MA in Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) from UEA. His first novel, The Man on the Street, won the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and the Specsavers Best Crime Debut and shortlisted for Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. It was followed by two critically acclaimed books in the Jimmy Mullen trilogy, One Way Street and Dead End Street. You Can Run, a standalone thriller set in a remote Northumberland village, was also longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. The Angel of Death is the third in a police procedural series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Jack Parker, who is in the first stages of early-onset dementia. The series started with The Silent Killer and was followed by The Inside Man. Trevor is one of the founding members of the Northern Crime Syndicate.

Book Blanket 2026

Here are my three DCI Jack Parker squares for my book blanket project. The Angel of Death square is the one on the right.