Charlie Parker Returns in a Tale of Settling Blood Debts -- Past, Present, and Future
As a small boy, Louis witnesses an unspeakable crime that takes the life of a member of his small, southern community. He grows up, moves on, but is forever changed by the cruel and brutal nature of the act. It lights a fire deep within him that burns white and cold.
Now, years later, the sins of his life are reaching into his present, bringing with them the buried secrets and half-forgotten acts of his past. Someone is hunting him, targeting his home, his businesses, and his partner, Angel. The instrument of revenge is Bliss, a killer of killers, the most feared of assassins. Bliss is a Reaper, a lethal tool to be applied toward the ultimate end, but he is also a man with a personal vendetta. Hardened by their pasts, Louis and Angel decide to strike back. But when they mysteriously disappear, their friends are forced to band together to find them. They are led by private detective Charlie Parker, a killer himself, a Reaper in waiting.
Connolly creates a world where everyone is corrupt, murderers go unpunished, but betrayals are always avenged. The Reapers is sure to terrify and transfix.
A Waste Of Time And Sewage For The Mind This is a story about paid killers killing one another. The plot is unremarkable and the author inserts way too many digressions that add nothing to the tale. The effect of reading this book is to have sick and disgusting images inserted into your mind. There is only one reason to write a book of this kind, since it has no redeeming qualities; that reason is to make a buck. Why does an author of obvious talent decide to spew out such garbage? I guess because it sells. But it also inadvertantly corrupts. This is my last John Connolly read.
Cold violence This is an extremely violent book, peopled by characters who seem to have no sense of right or wrong and who are able to kill a designated person without the slightest qualm. A "reaper" is a killer who has been especially trained to kill other killers, under a contract from a crime boss. It took me a while to establish exactly who the characters were as this is the first book I've read in this series and it would be much easier if the reader had previous contact with these men. The story was well plotted and raced along, once I'd worked out who everyone was, but be warned, it's a book about retribution and vengeance and so is one of the most violent books I've ever come across. I don't regret reading the book, but don't wish to spend too much time in the company of these merciless, cold and evil men.
Boring I got as far as page 47 and finally had to put this book of rubbish down.
Perhaps Mr Connolly if you watched FOX news you might come up with a better plot. (was there one?)
Not up to snuff-wanders a lot I liked all of his other books, but this one came across (to me) like he was just filling up pages.
Ok - but not as good as the others The story of Louis and Angel - finally some background about their upbringings (mostly Louis's) - was good, but it was not in the same category as the rest of Connolly's works. Louis was developed well, but not at the same depth as Charlie Parker (we were spoiled) and Angel still remains a tertiary character. That being said, I think the author has set a very high standard and certain expectations for the "Parker series" - i.e., Charlie Parker's struggles and some supernatural element -that just wasnt present in this book. I would highly recommend, but would do so only if the reader was not expecting the same as a typical Charlie Parker book.
Also, I think the final scene (reversal of the scenes where Louis and Angel rescue Charlie) was a little drawn out and it ended on a soft note. Again, while this was a very good book, it was not the best that I've seen from the author.
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