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njtigers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
skwiecien's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
oramayjutila'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
4.0
gabmc's review against another edition
4.0
Not only is this a page turning thriller, but a beautifully written one. The language is so evocative of a winter in Maine and I enjoy the 'I see dead people' elements that main character, Charlie Parker, enjoys/endures. In this story, Parker is approached by a friend who wants her ex-husband to pay child support. Parker his to see this man , Billy Purdue and soon discovers that he's not the only one looking for him. Charlie's original client and get 2 year old son are murdered and Billy is nowhere to be found. Charlie must try to find Billy before anyone else does, and there is quite the body count along the way. Charlie is joined by his friends Angel and Louis in his quests
posies23's review
5.0
This is the remarkable follow-up to EVERY DEAD THING. It's a little hard to write about this book without giving spoilers for the first book (or this one for that matter), but it's the story of Charlie Parker, an ex-policeman who is in a very dark spot following the events of EVERY DEAD THING. After he tries to help out a young mother, he is drawn into a very complicated plot with links to his family's past. By the end, he's discovered some things he'd like to forget, and met some people who want him out of the picture.
This is a very dark book, but it does end with some hopeful elements. (I don't think that's a spoiler . . . .)
Highly recommended.
This is a very dark book, but it does end with some hopeful elements. (I don't think that's a spoiler . . . .)
Highly recommended.
dotorsojak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This is the first book I’ve read by John Connolly (JC). It’s the second one in the Charlie Parker series, and thus I think it’s fair to say that JC is feeling his way towards his character and tone.
(I am by no means an expert in the hard-boiled detective/noir/mystery genres—that is I’ve never studied the literature systematically—but over many years I have read a fair number of books from all these genres and I have my tastes for sure.)
That said, I was not bowled over by this book. It suffers from having too many villains. We have foreign assassins, Mafiosi, and a decades old serial killer who comes out of retirement just to torment our hero. JC also gives Charlie two convenient side kicks who tell him stuff he needs to know and kill people who need killing whenever that suits the plot. They also disappear when Charlie needs to be on his own.
Charlie is mourning some characters killed in the first book in the series (a book I’ve not read) and he is understandably rather depressed. He is a melancholy, introverted fellow who finds revenge easy to justify, a kind of anti-hero I guess. I found him difficult to like.
There are several shootouts between Charlie and various bad guys. Each one seemed like it ought to be the climax of the book, but no. The best scene is one in which Charlie is being hunted through the snow of the northern Maine woods. He’s wounded and eventually weaponless, and JC’s description of the whole sequence creates a good deal of suspense.
The level of violence here is high. Young women are killed serially. One of the assassins is a master of slow torture and slow killing. We hear about most of the murders second hand, especially the more gruesome ones. Still, the bodies do pile up. Charlie and his friends kill without remorse.
Overall, the pages of this book turned easily and I was involved in the plot. JC has a penchant for poetical writing. Nevertheless, I must give this a mixed review. After this book settles in my brain and I think about it some more, I might try another, maybe more recent, of JC’s books.
(I am by no means an expert in the hard-boiled detective/noir/mystery genres—that is I’ve never studied the literature systematically—but over many years I have read a fair number of books from all these genres and I have my tastes for sure.)
That said, I was not bowled over by this book. It suffers from having too many villains. We have foreign assassins, Mafiosi, and a decades old serial killer who comes out of retirement just to torment our hero. JC also gives Charlie two convenient side kicks who tell him stuff he needs to know and kill people who need killing whenever that suits the plot. They also disappear when Charlie needs to be on his own.
Charlie is mourning some characters killed in the first book in the series (a book I’ve not read) and he is understandably rather depressed. He is a melancholy, introverted fellow who finds revenge easy to justify, a kind of anti-hero I guess. I found him difficult to like.
There are several shootouts between Charlie and various bad guys. Each one seemed like it ought to be the climax of the book, but no. The best scene is one in which Charlie is being hunted through the snow of the northern Maine woods. He’s wounded and eventually weaponless, and JC’s description of the whole sequence creates a good deal of suspense.
The level of violence here is high. Young women are killed serially. One of the assassins is a master of slow torture and slow killing. We hear about most of the murders second hand, especially the more gruesome ones. Still, the bodies do pile up. Charlie and his friends kill without remorse.
Overall, the pages of this book turned easily and I was involved in the plot. JC has a penchant for poetical writing. Nevertheless, I must give this a mixed review. After this book settles in my brain and I think about it some more, I might try another, maybe more recent, of JC’s books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Gun violence and Domestic abuse
Minor: Torture
billymac1962's review against another edition
3.0
15 years ago I read Every Dead Thing and rated it two stars.
Overall I wasn't that impressed as there were far too many shootouts and the incessant descriptions of pants, shirts and shoes of every character was really grating on me.
But throughout the years with every Charlie Parker novel that's released there's a ton of love for the series. So I relented and decided to give the series another try.
I will admit that there is a lot to like about Dark Hollow. The plot was very good, and much more linear than I found Every Dead Thing to be. Also, this guy is a very good writer. His sense of place and atmosphere really is top notch. Yes, the incessant descriptions of pants, shirts, and shoes were ever present, but I found it didn't bother me too much this time, I actually started to find it amusing:
Even the reveal of a body in a freezer lets us know the victim is sporting overalls.
I will take Connolly to task on what he knows about snow and cold, though.
Snow will not pile up on your tongue. It will melt no matter how cold it is outside (and in this instant, a pond was barely frozen).
Noone, and I mean no one, would survive a swim in a freezing pond, especially clad in a coat, thick sweater, and shirt.
After being shot.
And thanks again for the wardrobe breakdown.
Despite my little gripes here, I did enjoy a lot about Dark Hollow. I really like the supernatural touches that are haunting Parker, and the crimes are quite grim.
But the shootouts again. You know, it's just not for me. I read for great characterization and captivating story, not action. I mean, yeah you need things to happen but chases and shootouts really annoy me in novels, when they are obviously key points to the story development. I guess I'm not a thriller guy. I'm a suspense guy.
It would be unfair to rank this book really low for what it is. Because, for what it is, it is very good. But I don't think I'll do another one, let alone 14.
No regrets. Three stars.
Overall I wasn't that impressed as there were far too many shootouts and the incessant descriptions of pants, shirts and shoes of every character was really grating on me.
But throughout the years with every Charlie Parker novel that's released there's a ton of love for the series. So I relented and decided to give the series another try.
I will admit that there is a lot to like about Dark Hollow. The plot was very good, and much more linear than I found Every Dead Thing to be. Also, this guy is a very good writer. His sense of place and atmosphere really is top notch. Yes, the incessant descriptions of pants, shirts, and shoes were ever present, but I found it didn't bother me too much this time, I actually started to find it amusing:
Spoiler
Even the reveal of a body in a freezer lets us know the victim is sporting overalls.
I will take Connolly to task on what he knows about snow and cold, though.
Snow will not pile up on your tongue. It will melt no matter how cold it is outside (and in this instant, a pond was barely frozen).
Noone, and I mean no one, would survive a swim in a freezing pond, especially clad in a coat, thick sweater, and shirt.
After being shot.
And thanks again for the wardrobe breakdown.
Despite my little gripes here, I did enjoy a lot about Dark Hollow. I really like the supernatural touches that are haunting Parker, and the crimes are quite grim.
But the shootouts again. You know, it's just not for me. I read for great characterization and captivating story, not action. I mean, yeah you need things to happen but chases and shootouts really annoy me in novels, when they are obviously key points to the story development. I guess I'm not a thriller guy. I'm a suspense guy.
It would be unfair to rank this book really low for what it is. Because, for what it is, it is very good. But I don't think I'll do another one, let alone 14.
No regrets. Three stars.
belanna2's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
3.75
This was a decent follow up to the first book in the series with a creepy killer and an eerie environment (the backwoods of Maine). To nitpick, the complete 180 of the relationship/friendship with his NYPD pal felt forced and to justify the storyline/plot we see in the book.
unpadh's review against another edition
4.0
John Connolly's prose is better than his contemporaries, and the way he merges gritty crime thriller with occasional sombre and supernatural contemplation is so poignant. My only gripe with this story is that it takes too much time to develop, but once it does, it is so remarkably well written that it won't leave you until you have reached the epilogue.
mikibooks's review against another edition
5.0
Alucinante. Para que a nadie se le ocurra denigrar al género policial/novela negra. No es que sea una experta en la materia, pero la fantástica forma en la que Connolly logra espantarte, horrorizarte, hacerte reír en voz alta y obligarte a estrujar tu cerebro, en la misma continuidad argumental es incomparable. Sin cortes abruptos, ni pozos literarios ni agujeros en la historia. Al final, si no lográs dar con el "asesino" es porque su autor claramente es más inteligente que todos nosotros, simples mortales, no por falta de datos previos ni porque se le haya ocurrido cuando terminaba de escribirla. "Bird" Parker es un protagonista intenso como pocos, con el que te aliás sin dudarlo, adoptando su causa como propia. Y el contrapunto que entabla con los personajes secundarios ayuda, cual bálsamo, a atravesar las partes más duras de la novela. Tengo un listado de libros pendientes, de temáticas y autores que admiro o que me han recomendado. Lo siento, Parker se ha convertido en una droga que no puedo dejar.