The Peacock Angel

Jason Ender, the acknowledged master of the espionage game, leads a team of dedicated people in a desperate hunt for a mysterious, ancient religious icon. With the future of the Middle East at stake, Ender soon discovers that despite his vast talents and skills, he may be fated for death by powerful forces determined to take and use the icon for their own purposes. From the streets of Zurich to the mountains of Italy and the hills of Mesopotamia, the action rolls inexorably toward the surprising and unexpected conclusion.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Jack Bauer In Print, 2008-04-19
I read with great interest some of the reviews and descriptions of this series of books and truly looked forward to an entertaining novel in The Peacock Angel. What I received instead was a Jack Bauer-esque version of what the author imagines the world of espionage and intrigue to be. The clipped, macho, and totally cliche dialouge is distracting at best, and totally annoying at its worst. The characters are similarly shallow, cliche, and are cut from a fastfood, Jack Bauer 24-type mold, one which is designed for readers who have no imagination or appreciation for the subtlety of intelligence work. When placed next to say John LeCarre, Alan Furst, or Eric Ambler, this book shrinks to dust and blows away with the first breeze. In short, if you like cliche, shallow stories, by all means read away......


3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

FAST, INTRIGUING, AND TIMELY, 2007-11-20
"David Chacko is truly multifaceted. Not every author can pen a contemporary suspense novel as good as he writes Historical. Or vice versa. I read THE PEACOCK ANGEL right after I finished THE SEVERAN PROPHECIES, and while it took me a few pages to switch gears, i.e. from the Roman Empire to a present-day web of intrigue racing across Europe and Turkey, the tempo of the story, its well-drawn characters and the mystery surrounding an ancient religious icon soon drew me in. I could not come up for air until its satisfying conclusion.
THE PEACOCK ANGEL is not only an entertaining read, but TIMELY. Recommended read!"


5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Fast read through fascinating locations, 2006-04-06
Reviewed by Lynn O'Connell for Reader Views (4/06)

American spy, Jason Ender, accepts a contract with the U.S. State Department which takes him through Western Europe and into Turkey in this latest novel by David Chacko. The book begins as Ender is hired to follow Leyla Pamir, Kurdish mistress to an enemy of America and other countries, during her visit to Zurich. Ender assumes he's looking for oil money. Part One of the book concludes as Leyla is severely injured by her lover.

In Part Two, "The Color of Passion," Ender digs deep into the world of Swiss jewelers, particularly that of Franz Hermann who deals in rubies among other fine gems. Finally, in Part Three, the search turns to art and Ender learns that he is in pursuit of the peacock angel - also known as Melek Taus and Ezrail. This angel which Ender pursues is apparently the primary religious symbol of the Yezidi sect of the Kurds and dates back to at least 2000 B.C. Meanwhile, Ender pursues this treasure into the mountains of Italy and then on into Turkey until the book reaches its surprise conclusion.

"The Peacock Angel" is Chacko's eleventh novel and is a sequel to "Less than a Shadow." Chacko creates his niche here because he lives in Istanbul and has traveled a great deal in this part of the world. I have rarely seen a fiction writer with such knowledge of Middle Eastern culture. Also, I appreciated the in-depth character development that he provided for several of the key characters, including Leyla and Franz Hermann.

The book will appeal to basically two types of fiction readers. First, readers of action and spy novels will enjoy this book. Second, readers interested in the Middle East with its diverse cultures will enjoy this work of fiction which includes a lot of realistic elements about the region's history, art and economics. Those elements of the book are what particularly made the book appealing to me. I felt Chacko did a good job of defining some of the unique aspects of Islam. And, I was fascinated to go online after finishing the book and read in more detail about the peacock angel.

In all, a fast read that takes you to some fascinating locations throughout the world.



2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

A GEM, 2005-12-09
For a book that is about gems, ancient cult objects, and outlaw financiers, THE PEACOCK ANGEL delivers a tremendous amount of action along with the intrigue. More active than Chacko's last (LESS THAN A SHADOW) it's also faster moving and filled with great characters. The locations keep changing across Europe and into the Near East, but the hunt for the prize is always up front on every page. Jason Ender is a shape-shifting agent who is as sophisticated as he is foreceful. The result is a classic series that leaves you waiting breathlessly for the next installment.


5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Made for a Movie, 2005-12-08
The Peacock Angel is a fast-moving book with a full cast of carefully drawn characters and a plot that drives the story hard. Jason Ender is a hero who can carry the load without noticeable effort and still stand on his own to deliver a good punch line (or a good punch). This book, and Ender's previous adventure (Less Than A Shadow) establish Chacko's series as the only viable espionage fiction in current literature. It's real and it's real-time. Highly recommended.

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