Mel Odom pens another winner in the “Angel” book series with “Bruja” (August 2001), which blends a lot of story threads into a surprising yet natural conclusion. Without using the flashback device often found in these books, the author allows the story to serve as a parallel to Angel’s own feelings of guilt over killing his family and the search for redemption that gives his life meaning. Doyle and Cordelia play key roles, as the trio now operates like a well-oiled machine in this eighth original “Angel” novel.
A major strength of “Bruja” is the Weeping Woman, whom Odom alternately refers to by the title term (Spanish for “witch”), “the woman in black” and “La Llorona,” her Spanish name. La Llorona comes from actual Mexican folklore and has been featured in many horror stories, including the TV series “Supernatural” and “Grimm.” Earlier this year, “The Alienist” tapped into the idea via a woman who had drowned her children and then stumbles through the rest of her days, having gone insane.
Odom makes this villain sympathetic – illustrating how children could be enough of a burden for a woman of old times to consider such a horrific act – yet also a terrifying threat. The way she laughs and cries simultaneously is interesting, at least in book form. La Llorona is an “elemental,” an ancient entity that feels related to the Malignancy Demons from the “Buffy” comic arc “A Stake to the Heart” (Issues 60-63) in the way she personifies unending grief and regret.
The most daring aspect of “Bruja” might be that it is not structured like one singular case. Many “Angel” books and episodes – indeed, many detective genre books and episodes – chronicle one case from start to finish, as if cases never overlap. “Bruja,” though, gives a realistic picture of what it would be like for a P.I. agency during a busy stretch, as there are four seemingly disparate cases going on at once.
Settings are another strength of “Bruja.” The action begins in a seemingly abandoned portion of Los Angeles where Angel and Doyle uncover a blood-smuggling ring that would make The Master from “The Wish” (“Buffy” 3.9) proud. We visit an old warehouse where runaways are squatting, like in the Christmas episode of “My So-Called Life.” Doyle takes in the beach life – and also a serious beating as he searches for a person of interest in the case – and Cordelia engages a client on his off-shore yacht. Later, she enters a creepy church basement room that once held a demon in captivity. The whole of L.A. comes alive under Odom’s pen.
“Bruja” is a sprawling, noir-tinged story with a lot of side characters. There’s a convenience-store holdup. A mentally challenged newspaper delivery man witnesses police brutality of prostitutes. A man’s wife has disappeared. The connective tissue between each sequence is tenuous, yet substantial enough to make this feel like a “big” story.
It ties together with a delicious twist I should’ve seen coming but did not. Rather than being a crazy coincidence, the premise of “Angel” makes it work, as we ultimately understand the point of Doyle’s initial vision from the Powers That Be. Some readers might want a tidier conclusion to threads such as the blood smugglers and Angel’s communications with Kate.
But overall, Odom’s novel works both as a character-driven mystery and as a slice of life at Angel Investigations when things get particularly hectic. One of Angel’s coping strategies is to get lost in his work, and “Bruja” allows him to do just that.
Click here for an index of all of John’s “Buffy” and “Angel” reviews.