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ivanaradevic's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
rfwads's review against another edition
2.0
Yea.....this book was not my style. I thought it was going to be a crime/ mystery novel...and it was to a point but I don't know if I should say sifi or cult ?!?
nigelbrown's review against another edition
5.0
When setting the scene, many writers fail to either, fully hold your attention or just plain waffle their way through. Connolly makes you think that every word he writes is crucial to the story, he makes you believe that every character has their own story worth reading and he is also capable of sending a shiver right through your core with his ability to write about subjects many would not dare to touch on. Horror/ Supernatural is not usually a genre that would interest me, having read my share about twenty five years ago, but he manages to pull it off with the mixture of Horror and Thriller and he does it very well by making you believe that an otherworld were spirits and fallen angels crossover may really exist. Charlie Parker has to be one of my favourite characters in any novel and the supporting characters are superbly written as well. Parker's friends Angel and Louis take more of a back seat in this one but are more than compensated for with the characters from his and his fathers past.
mjanemartin's review against another edition
3.0
This is the 8th book in a series of which I have read none. I would suggest starting at the beginning. I did not expect the supernatural turn of events half-way through, but had I read the first 7 books, I believe it would have been a 4 star book. Definitely a page turner and I am likely to start the series from the beginning.
nightwyrm's review against another edition
4.0
Not an overly complex plot overall, but very well written. Great character definition and scene-building.
rachelteresacrawshaw's review against another edition
5.0
This book was an excellent read, i am a massive fan of the Charlie Parker novels and have read them all this year after a reccomendation from a friend, and they have ultimately become my favourite series of books. I never get tired of reading about Charlie, Louis and Angel and so the only fault with this book was that Angel and Louis were not major characters. I can't wait for the next installment of the Charlie Parker series and I would reccomend them to anyone who loves a good thriller as long as you are open to a bit of the supernatural.
thefool's review against another edition
5.0
This has become one of my all-time favorite Parker novels out of the series thus far! One of the most pleasing aspects of these books are the supernatural elements to them. Vague, subtle but apparent at the same time, a contradiction that makes more sense when you read them. They aren't the sort that are too 'in your face' either for those who don't relish seeing 'werewolves' at the counter of Starbucks, or monsters that are somehow able to freely wander out in the open [especially when we can't even handle our own prejudices in the real world, we - as readers - are supposed to believe that monsters can just waltz about without consequence????]. There has always been the outstanding question of what exactly happened with Charlie's father that caused him to break and kill two unarmed teenaged lovers in cold blood. The answers are unveiled in this book.
I don't think it will come as a terrible surprise to discover that Charlie Parker is certainly not who he thought he was...
I don't think it will come as a terrible surprise to discover that Charlie Parker is certainly not who he thought he was...
addison_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Although not my favorite of the series, it was a nice detour and gave some interesting information into Charlie Parker's past.
I feel like this one didn't have the usual dark, gritty undertone that the others have, but learning about Parker's family and how it has shaped him helped make him seem more human once I finished this one.
I feel like this one didn't have the usual dark, gritty undertone that the others have, but learning about Parker's family and how it has shaped him helped make him seem more human once I finished this one.
vailynst's review against another edition
5.0
Notes:
Not perfect but it held all the elements of history, the unexplained, character developments and driving action that I expect from the series. It seems like the story is settling in to dig deep and answer some of the questions that have been around from book one.
Not perfect but it held all the elements of history, the unexplained, character developments and driving action that I expect from the series. It seems like the story is settling in to dig deep and answer some of the questions that have been around from book one.
carol26388's review against another edition
4.0
As I was doing the unthinkable--physically browsing library shelves instead of requesting on-line--I saw a number of Connolly's Charlie Parker books. Despite friends' enthusiastic reviews, I've been unsure about trying the series, as I'm generally sensitive to horror. However, I really enjoyed his young adult series, so thought it was worth testing my squimishness and selected one of the books that didn't seem quite so focused on mass killings. I confess: I was riveted. How good? I drove back to work after I accidentally left the book there, because it would have been three days before I could finish it.
Charlie Parker has a deeply unfortunate past and is haunted--perhaps literally---by the murders of his wife and daughter. He had been working as a private investigator, but a recent suspension of his license leads him at loose ends, so he decides to investigate a very old case: his father murdering a young couple and subsequent suicide. Atmospheric, ranging in time and place, from the Parker's home in the Irish town of Pearl River, to New York City, to the bar Parker's working at in Maine.
Something about Connolly's writing just works for me. I found myself trying to read faster so that I'd find out what was happening, and the reasons for the father's crime. There's a nice balance between description and action, and in general, I find his characters intriguing.
"Or perhaps that was just a game memory was playing on me as I churned up the mud in the reservoir of the past and, when the dirt had settled, picked my way across the bottom to see what had been exposed."
Narrative did occasionally shift viewpoints, following Parker, a reporter, a young woman on the move, and a range of smaller players. Early in the book there is a section about a search for a missing boy. It's engrossing, and in only three pages, two of the searchers realistically created. Unfortunately, they are only bit characters in a scene most likely meant to titillate the reader into realizing the killing are continuing. It's too bad, as I thought the scene was exceptionally well done--yet as the dead character is a mere footnote to the larger story, it really had no plot significance. The most extensive non-Parker narrative was from someone recounting historical events, and it was one of the only times I found myself disengaging from the story. The text was entirely italicized, so it was also visually off-putting. It might have worked better for me had the viewpoint remained rooted in the present tense, with the narrator or Parker actively engaging. It just didn't flow as well for me. Come to think of it, it might have even worked as a flashback. Nonetheless, it remained an interesting sub-story that ended up explaining much.
"He stayed on the step until I reached the sidewalk, then he waved once and closed the door. I looked up at the window with the broken pane, but there was nobody there. That room was empty. Whatever remained there had no form; the ghost of the boy was inside me, where he had always been."
The horror-ish bits were bearable for me, and generally over quickly. There were some quiet, enjoyable but rather under-developed paranormal elements. It reminded me quite a bit of the early and grim episodes of the tv series Supernatural, including the hints at a larger agency/conspiracy. The climax was small letdown, as I expected more agency from Parker. His plan for the confrontation is kept from the reader until Parker the scene, and I thought it just a bit of a stylistic disappointment, an unimpressive surprise. Yet despite all these quibbles, it was a book that was difficult to put down. For book eight in a series, it was extremely readable and I don't think I lost much by my random pick-up point. I understand Parker has a bit of character growth through the series, so I think I'll go back and start with book one. But I guarantee I won't be reading before bedtime.
Charlie Parker has a deeply unfortunate past and is haunted--perhaps literally---by the murders of his wife and daughter. He had been working as a private investigator, but a recent suspension of his license leads him at loose ends, so he decides to investigate a very old case: his father murdering a young couple and subsequent suicide. Atmospheric, ranging in time and place, from the Parker's home in the Irish town of Pearl River, to New York City, to the bar Parker's working at in Maine.
Something about Connolly's writing just works for me. I found myself trying to read faster so that I'd find out what was happening, and the reasons for the father's crime. There's a nice balance between description and action, and in general, I find his characters intriguing.
"Or perhaps that was just a game memory was playing on me as I churned up the mud in the reservoir of the past and, when the dirt had settled, picked my way across the bottom to see what had been exposed."
Narrative did occasionally shift viewpoints, following Parker, a reporter, a young woman on the move, and a range of smaller players. Early in the book there is a section about a search for a missing boy. It's engrossing, and in only three pages, two of the searchers realistically created. Unfortunately, they are only bit characters in a scene most likely meant to titillate the reader into realizing the killing are continuing. It's too bad, as I thought the scene was exceptionally well done--yet as the dead character is a mere footnote to the larger story, it really had no plot significance. The most extensive non-Parker narrative was from someone recounting historical events, and it was one of the only times I found myself disengaging from the story. The text was entirely italicized, so it was also visually off-putting. It might have worked better for me had the viewpoint remained rooted in the present tense, with the narrator or Parker actively engaging. It just didn't flow as well for me. Come to think of it, it might have even worked as a flashback. Nonetheless, it remained an interesting sub-story that ended up explaining much.
"He stayed on the step until I reached the sidewalk, then he waved once and closed the door. I looked up at the window with the broken pane, but there was nobody there. That room was empty. Whatever remained there had no form; the ghost of the boy was inside me, where he had always been."
The horror-ish bits were bearable for me, and generally over quickly. There were some quiet, enjoyable but rather under-developed paranormal elements. It reminded me quite a bit of the early and grim episodes of the tv series Supernatural, including the hints at a larger agency/conspiracy. The climax was small letdown, as I expected more agency from Parker. His plan for the confrontation is kept from the reader until Parker the scene, and I thought it just a bit of a stylistic disappointment, an unimpressive surprise. Yet despite all these quibbles, it was a book that was difficult to put down. For book eight in a series, it was extremely readable and I don't think I lost much by my random pick-up point. I understand Parker has a bit of character growth through the series, so I think I'll go back and start with book one. But I guarantee I won't be reading before bedtime.