[The_Return]

I mentioned this a few times around here....

Falling Angel by William Hjortzburg [I probably spelled that wrong]

The film Angel Heart was based on this book, and as far as Im concerned it's essential reading just as the film is essential viewing. If you dont know the incredible twist yet, I recomend reading the book first as it delivers the ending in a much more unique fashion. The plot is great and original, the characters are great [Harry Angel = One of the coolest PI's of all-time], and as I mentioned, the ending will blow your mind. Even if you've seen the movie and already know the ending, the way it is delivered in the novel is beyond cool. On top of all that, it's relatively short, so it wont even take much out of your busy lives!

You must see the movie as well for the simple reason of seeing that a great book can be turned into a great movie. Absolute perfect casting, nobody but Rourke could have played Angel. He had the perfect look, the perfect voice, the perfect attitude...amazing. DeNiro, while far from stretching his boundaries, plays Cyphre to menacing perfection. For once, the changes to the plot and setting actually enance the original story, especially moving the action from New York to New Orleans. There were a few notable scenes missing of course, but not as many as in most book-to-film adaptions.

Great book, great movie. Falling Angel. William Hjortzburg. Read it now.

By the way, has anyone read any of his other novels? I always intend to order something else of his from the library, but I never remember. Worth reading?