Solitary Man

First edition cover
Author	Jeff Mariotte
Language	English
Series	Angel novels
Genre	Horror
Publisher	Pocket Books
Publication date	December 1, 2003
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (paperback)
Pages	304
ISBN	0-7434-7796-0
OCLC	53837477
Preceded by	Dark Mirror
Followed by	Love and Death

Solitary Man is an original novel based on the US television series Angel.

Plot summary

The widow Mildred Finster has been a fan of "cozy" mystery novels for years. At the age of seventy-one she decides she would like to become a real private detective. She finds a business card for Angel Investigations and likes the name.

Team Angel is busy with its own personal problems, and has little time to deal with Mildred offering her services. Later a truckload of valuable antiquities is stolen and they assume a simple theft. The arrival of ruthless killers from afar soon gets the attention of the gang.

They must cope with being followed everywhere by a well-meaning old lady, fight off poltergeists, and try to set aside their personal differences (at least temporarily) so that they can overcome the supernatural foe which is responsible for a centuries-old mystery.

Continuity

Characters include: Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, and Lorne.

Supposed to be set in Angel season 4.

Canonical issues

Angel books such as this one are not usually considered by fans as canonical. Some fans consider them stories from the imaginations of authors and artists, while other fans consider them to be taking place in an alternative fictional reality. However unlike fan fiction, overviews summarising their story, written early in the writing process, were 'approved' by both Fox and Joss Whedon (or his office), and the books were therefore later published as officially Buffy/Angel merchandise.