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"The roaring sequel to Less Than a Shadow!"
--- ForemostPress.com

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.

Kristina O'Donnelly,
author of Korinna,
a novel of Ancient Greece, Rome, and Anatolia
http://ladyliterature.com

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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.

Reviewed by Lynn O’Connell for Reader Views (4/06)
http://www.readerviews.com
Book reviews, for readers, by readers.

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David Chacko's eleventh novel, The Peacock Angel, begins as a search for a cache of illicit oil money that morphs into a search for a treasure beyond imagining. The only constant in the accelerating chase is the danger that increases at every turn. Jason Ender, the American agent introduced in Less Than a Shadow, uses all his skills as he leads a unit of dedicated men on the trail of a mysterious religious object that has been lost for over two thousand years. The only question is whether Ender will survive his own relentlessness before the shadowy forces aligned against him close for the kill.

The Peacock Angel rips a wide swath through contemporary Europe and Turkey, the places Chacko knows best. The gem dealers of Zurich and their girls, the private bankers and their muscle, the art dealers and heroin dealers, pass in a furious collage. From the streets of Zurich to the mountains of Italy and the hills of Mesopotamia, The Peacock Angel rolls inexorably toward the surprising and unexpected conclusion.

Chacko lives in Istanbul most of the year, with side trips to every place he can manage. Less Than a Shadow, his previous novel, is set in Istanbul. The Peacock Angel travels farther afield into continental Europe and Eastern Turkey--two entirely different environments.

The story will leave the reader amazed at the intertwined history of the Middle East and the competing tribes that make up that history. It should be no surprise that in the end, the only answer is which events, and which deaths, will shape the future in a positive way.

ForemostPress.com

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"It doesn't take long to realize nothing is quite as it seems in the shadow world of spy and counterspy."
--- ForemostPress.com

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