Bright Angel

Isabelle Merlin (author)

Random House, Australia: 2010; 290

ISBN: 9781864719635

Genres: crime, romance, thriller

Issues: family, grief, relationships, trauma

Sylvie and her older sister are helping a friend choose a wedding dress when the unthinkable happens. A former boyfriend appears in the shop, waving a gun, then shoots himself. After surviving such a horrific encounter, the sisters go to stay with an aunt in France in order to get away from the reporters, the fuss and, hopefully, the memories. There Sylvie meets a very unusual little boy, Gabriel, who claims he can see angels.

But it is Gabriel's older brother, the handsome Daniel who really gets Sylvie's attention - at first through his rudeness, later for his charm and creativity. A sinister uncle, a kidnapping, a betrayal - all are vital ingredients in what becomes a tangled web of romance and adventure as Sylvie tries to discover the truth: about Daniel, about what's happening and most of all about herself.

An experienced writer, Isabelle Merlin specializes in romantic thrillers for teenagers. Having grown up with a great love of fairytales, Merlin delights in writing modern ones - stories that combine the romance, magic and unexpected adventures that so delight us children but crafting them for an older, slightly more sophisticated readership. Bright Angel, with its slightly gothic edge, will appeal to readers who enjoy their romance mixed with a strong sprinkling of adventure.

Warning: violent scene at the beginning