Review by Ulysses Dietz
For all its references to Frank Spinelli’s first Angelo Perrotta book, “Perfect Flaw,” this complex, unsettling story holds up as a complete stand-alone. Lured to Los Angeles by the opportunity to expiate his guilt over a grisly murder on the East coast (that’s book one), Angelo gets sucked into the orbit of a trash-talking radio star called Rocky Thorn and her slippery, sexy producer, Wes. Rocky Thorn is known as the Queen of the Unknown LGBTQ community of Los Angeles, and her bombastic radio voice and die-hard fanbase both fascinate and appall Angelo.
A serial killer seems to be on the loose in LA, preying on young gay sex-workers. Angelo begins to build a messy love/hate relationship with Rocky and Wes through his appearances on Rocky’s radio show, only to have the murder investigation take on an even more sinister turn with the intrusion of a scientist-turned-evangelical minister who seems to practice conversion therapy.
The book is a wild roller-coaster ride, building in intensity as Angelo tries to find his way on unfamiliar ground. The author’s writing works hard to convey Angelo’s increasing confusion with his situation, as if he’s stumbled into an alien world that he doesn’t quite understand or know how to handle. The reader is carefully manipulated into making the same kind of assumptions and errors that Angelo himself experiences. When Angelo’s boyfriend, New York policeman Jason Murphy, gets added to the mix, things get really crazy.
This is a pretty dark story, and it’s no accident. I’d say it feels like the 1990s, except that much of what Spinelli brings into the plot has an unhappy resonance with the mood of our nation today. The book is an emotional tour-de-force and kept me caught up in it from start to finish.
Official No Angels Wept Trailer
Thanks to my friend the artist James Angel for creating this video
Five Star Review by Patrick Seidel
No Angles Wept (NAW) is a compelling thriller with a bit of romance thrown in. (It’s equally, if not better than Perfect Flaw (book 1), which is also a must read.) I loved getting lost in this engaging story, which had me on the edge of my seat from the first page. Wow. Super-fast-paced with two main characters you can’t help falling in love with! I was so shocked by all the plot twists! I could NOT stop reading.
One of the highlights for me is the way the story builds on suspense. The twists and turns along the way are perfectly crafted to pull us deeper into Angelo’s expanding nightmare. NAW is a character-driven mystery or maybe a psychological thriller with romantic elements. But whatever you want to call it, it’s nail-biting, angsty and thoroughly entertaining. The book gives you mystery, suspense, fun, and romance.
Frank Spinelli’s writing is completely engaging, smart, and very intelligent. The dialogue is quick and clever and serves to establish the unique relationship Angelo shares with each person he meets. Plus, this story is so creative, I never knew what might happen next and it kept me caught up in its drama right to the end. There’s a chock full of teasers that are meant to stump even the best armchair detectives.
NAW is, by far, one of the best mysteries and psychological thrillers I’ve read in a long time. Frank Spinelli has delivered an exceptional crime mystery told in a humorous and twisted way.
I highly recommend adding this book to your reading list!! I couldn’t put it down. Run, don’t walk to get No Angles Wept.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199820548-no-angels-wept
No Angels Wept teaser
“NO ANGELS WEPT is a deliciously frightening, page-turning thriller simmering with suspense; Frank Spinelli once again flaunts his mastery at weaving together a myriad of characters - as sexy and heroic as they are realistically flawed - within a bi-coastal tapestry of murder, pathos, and intrigue. NO ANGELS WEPT is a chilling, breathless, hilarious race against the clock.” – Nick Nolan, author of Strings Attached and the Tales from Ballena Beach series
Check out the NAW teaser trailer created by the artist, James Angel
Doctor Deceit
Watch my interview on the ABC 20/20 episode, Doctor Deceit, recounting the horrific murder that inspired my novel,
Perfect Flaw.
What People Are Saying About Perfect Flaw
5 out of 5 stars Sexy and Suspenseful Thrill Ride
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5 out of 5 stars Sexy and Suspenseful Thrill Ride 〰️
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2022
“I could not put this book down! With every turn of the page, I was deeper and deeper into the story. And what a story it is, full of unexpected plot twists and drama but also has a heart of gold. Spinelli masterfully packs a lot of action into the story but it is never hard to follow. Angelo, the protagonist, is someone that anyone can relate to - filled with hopes and desires, genuinely good but not perfect - but also feels very specific and endearing. I was rooting for him every step of the way. I sincerely hope that Spinelli will turn this in to a series because I want the journey to continue. You will be very happy that you purchased and read this book.”
— David Roche
5 out of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic read!!
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5 out of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic read!! 〰️
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2022
“Great read , story line that’s draws you in from the start !”
— Clark Fennimore
5 out of 5 stars Amazing Read! Keeps you guessing until the end!
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5 out of 5 stars Amazing Read! Keeps you guessing until the end! 〰️
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2022
“Dr Spinelli crafts a murder mystery that is full of twists and turns and paints a story that could very well have been a real life documentary. Highly recommend!”
— Bob Morris
Twists and Turns on Every Page 5 out of 5 stars
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Twists and Turns on Every Page 5 out of 5 stars 〰️
Reviewed in the Unites States on June 14, 2022
This book grabs you from the first page until the last. This is one book you will hate to see end. These characters are so real and go through real life issues while drama and suspense come along for the ride. I saved this book to enjoy on vacation and finished it before I left the airport. Yes, its That type of good. Frank Spinelli has a great writing style with his choice of words, subtle humor, and a way to keep you wanting more and reading on. Definitely looking forward to future books from him and sharing this as a top summer read!
— Paul Quinn
5 out of 5 Stars
“This - nearly - true story, a queer thriller, will keep you on the balls of your feet as you run through the streets of mid-town Manhattan. Written by a renowned physician this medical murder mystery provides details only a real life - murderer - or Doctor would plan, execute and recall.
The action occurs inside an active medical practice where vendors, patients and staff find success, failures and passion. The characters leap off the page . . . I can barely wait for the next in this evolving series of murder mysteries from the unique vantage of a physician.” - Michael Lyon, PhD
Kindle Quotes
Trio Review
5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Medical Mystery Thriller!
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2022
I love getting lost in an engaging story, and Frank Spinelli had my guts churning with his new medical mystery thriller, Perfect Flaw. The main character, Angelo, makes one mistake after another, and has the worst luck in the history of forever! What should have been his dream job turns out to be a nightmare; and the future he worked so hard to secure, is irreparably destroyed. No doubt, if he could do it all again, Angelo would make some very different choices.
From the moment Angelo appears on the page, Frank Spinelli lays the groundwork to explain how anyone could possibly have such poor common sense. Step by step, Angelo’s decisions grow increasingly questionable, and the fallout mounts to catastrophic levels. As we gradually learn his family history, meet his ex-boyfriend, and spend time with his friends and family, Angelo’s actions and reactions start to make sense.
The rest of the cast of characters are just as gritty and unerringly real. Whether they’re wearing their flaws right out in the open, or if Angelo (as the storyteller) is just really good at seeing - and telling us - what’s under their masks, these folks are authentic in their humanity.
One of the highlights for me, in reading Perfect Flaw, is the way Frank Spinelli builds the suspense. The persistent thrum of foreboding gains momentum as the story unfolds, and Angelo’s naivete and poor judgment leads him down a slippery slope. The twists and turns along the way are perfectly crafted to pull us deeper into Angelo’s expanding nightmare.
Frank Spinelli’s writing is completely engaging. Smart and very subtle, there’s a lot of information to be gleaned when we read between the lines. The dialogue is quick and clever, and serves to establish the unique relationship Angelo shares with each person he meets. Plus this story is so creative, I never knew what might happen next!
There are some gruesome and macabre scenes in Perfect Flaw, and the vivid descriptions heighten the sensation that all of this could actually happen. I love the down to earth, realness of this story, and it’s a testament to this talented author that he successfully keeps this up through the whole novel. I’m thoroughly impressed with Frank Spinelli, and I’ve got my fingers crossed this is the first of many thrillers we see from him!
The Reviews Are In
Lambda Literary award winners, Felice Steven, S. C. Wynne and Lambda Literary finalist, Dal Maclean.
Five Stars Review
As soon as I saw that the author is an MD, I realized he brought an insider’s understanding to the angst-ridden story of Angelo Perrotta, a young doctor, fresh out of his residency, lured by the siren call of a private medical practice with a big-name physician.
What’s striking about this book is that everybody is flawed. There are, nominally, good guys and bad guys, but really it’s just a many-layered study in how some folks’ flaws push them over the edge into evil, while others, by luck or pluck (or both), keep from going into the abyss.
Angelo comes from a background of poverty and fatherlessness, which has left him scarred, literally and figuratively. He describes himself as pathetically aspirational, but he also has (as you might expect) daddy issues. Angelo is dazzled by Anthony Stanzione, a high-profile private doctor specializing in HIV treatment from his Park Avenue office. Stanzione is the archetype of the successful, powerful gay man. He’s the doctor Angelo wants to be and the father Angelo never had. Angelo thinks that he’s captured the brass ring; but right away things begin to feel off at Dr. Stanzione’s practice.
What Angelo doesn’t realize is that his shiny new boss is flawed, too, with a drive for celebrity and profit. Angelo doesn’t see it immediately, but that’s because he’s susceptible to it himself, given his background—which is revealed in flashbacks and conversations over the course of the narrative. It is Angelo’s susceptibility to the lure of money and power that brings him into contact with his boss’s former patient turned potential business partner, Demetre Kostas. Demetre not only looks and acts with the kind of confidence Angelo wishes for, but he’s older and very good looking.
Even the most obvious good guys in the book, policeman Jason Murphy and Angelo’s best friend from medical school Tamara—called Tammy—are flawed. This keeps Angelo from seeing them as clearly as he should, making him a less good friend that he should be, but also leaving him vulnerable to the darker influences around him. Angelo is so desperate for some fantasy notion of “success” that he’s dangerously blinkered, morally and emotionally.
It is frustrating to watch Angelo fumble with bad choices and crippling insecurity when it’s clear that he’s meant to be a bright light in this cast of characters. You want to shake him and tell him to wise up. But the author insists on exploring every possible frailty that drives his gentle soul. It takes multiple disasters, including near estrangement from his beloved sister Camille, before Angelo finally finds himself on the brink, wondering if he’ll be able to save himself and the people he loves.
This isn’t a romance, but it’s a multi-faceted love story. It’s a nailbiter, too, and kept me caught up in its drama right to the end.
By Ulysses Grant Dietz, author of Cliffhanger
Dal Maclean Review of Perfect Flaw
Alternative cover art for Perfect Flaw
Another pre-Christmas gift this time from the artist James Angel with an alternative cover video for my upcoming #lgbt #romantic-suspense novel PerfectFlaw check out his page. Check out his website. James' site
Advance praise for Perfect Flaw
“A twisty, suspenseful, sensual thrill of one man’s journey between right and wrong.” Felice Stevens, Lambda Literary Award Winning Author, Beautiful Mistakes
Perfect Flaw teaser trailer
When newly-minted Dr. Angelo Perrotta joins an exclusive concierge medical practice, he believes he has found success. But this dream job spirals into a nightmare when he becomes entangled with charismatic colleague, Demetre Kostas. Harmless office flirtation turns to lust and Angelo quickly finds himself subsumed by a series of tragic events that could jeopardize his career and destroy all hope of winning handsome, but troubled cop Jason Murphy.
Reject the Boy Scouts of America’s Proposed Plan
Claimants will receive an AdobeSign document that will enable them to electronically sign, in which they can reject or accept a “quick pay” option of $3,500.
NPR Interview with Frank Spinelli
Eighty-two thousand men have sued the Boy Scouts of America for sexual abuse by scoutmasters. And after the organization denied it for decades, the Boy Scouts now admit to the victims' allegations. Now, we want to warn you that this conversation discusses the sexual abuse of children. Here's NPR's Wade Goodwyn in Dallas.
Pee-Shy Trailer
"A devastatingly heartbreaking look at life after childhood abuse, with wit and piercing insight that can only come from a place of brutal honesty." -- Josh Kilmer-Purcell, author The Bucolic Plague
"This is a memoir about a grown-up boy's generous--and healing--heart."-- Kevin Sessums, author Mississippi Sissy
"This is one of those horrific, true stories that Dr. Spinelli so courageously reveals. With raw honesty he makes us understand that monsters do exist and a child's innocence is precious. His story is one of too many, but maybe, this one will help open our eyes a little more and shine a light on a taboo subject that many chose not to see or believe." --Whoopi Goldberg