Broken Angel, by SW Vaughn, breathes with an insistent life of its own, pulling readers along through the dark underworld of barbaric fight clubs and prostitution.

The story unfolds as twenty-two year old Gabriel Morgan, destitute and starving, discovers a lead to his missing sisters whereabouts deep in the seedy underbelly of Manhattan. For two years, Gabe scoured the city in search of his sibling, driven by memories of their traumatic childhood and praying to rescue Lillith from the ring of prostitution into which shes been ensnared.

Slade, cold-hearted leader of an underground street fighting society, has been waiting for the unsuspecting Gabriel. Lillith dangles like a spiders prey in his web, luring Gabe into Slades trap.

Beneath the glamour and glitz of Fifth Avenue pulses a world fraught with greed, violence, and cruelty. Captured, tortured and held in a secret complex beneath Fifth Avenue, Gabe is chained to a wall in his own private dungeon, where he discovers his fate. Terms for release: ten million dollars. Broke and desperate, Gabe is forced to fight for Slade in exchange for his sisters freedom.

Training is brutal and comes with a price. Jenner, slithering and sadistic, delights in torturing Gabriel, calling him his angel. The name sticks. Slade bills Angel as his newest weapon; sure that hell make millions in the no-holds-barred events.

Angel grows stronger and more resilient as the months pass under Jenners vicious tutelage. Jenner tattoos an elaborate set of wings on Angels back, driving him into a pain-induced coma. After an excruciating recovery, fight follows fight as Angel strikes blows for freedom. He wins the first, the second, and the third event. Hes good - and discovers a disturbing affinity to the blood sport. Befriended by Akuma, an exotic and lithe fighter, Angel welcomes the brief moments of companionship as he works his way through the human cockfights.

Vaughn has created a fascinating, yet disturbed world. The tight writing flows effortlessly and propels the reader forward, mesmerized and horrified, to the startling ending. Readers must be forewarned, they will likely read late into the night, unable to abandon Angel in his plight, and will beg for the release of Devils Honor, the second book in the series.

Aaron Lazar

Aaron Paul Lazar resides in Upstate New York with his wife, three daughters, two grandsons, mother-in- law, two dogs, and four cats. After writing in the early morning hours, he works as an electrophotographic engineer at NexPress Solutions Inc., part of Kodak's Graphic Communications Group, in Rochester, New York. Additional passions include vegetable, fruit, and flower gardening; preparing large family feasts; photographing his family, gardens, and the breathtakingly beautiful Genesee Valley; cross-country skiing across the rolling hills; playing a distinctly amateur level of piano, and spending ?time? with the French Impressionists whenever possible. Although he adored raising his three delightful daughters, Mr. Lazar finds grandfathering his ?two little buddies? to be one of the finest experiences of his life.

The Gus LeGarde Mystery series was launched in January 2005. Nine books have been written and are in the process of being published. Upstaged, #2 in the series, is currently in production.