Every Dead Thing [Import] [Hardcover]

John Connolly (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 485 pages
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton; First Printing edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340728973
• ISBN-13: 978-0340728970
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (159 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,113,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and have, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a "gofer" at Harrods department store in London. I studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which I continue to contribute, although not as often as I would like. I still try to interview a few authors every year, mainly writers whose work I like, although I've occasionally interviewed people for the paper simply because I thought they might be quirky or interesting. All of those interviews have been posted to my website, http://www.johnconnolly.co.uk.

I was working as a journalist when I began work on my first novel. Like a lot of journalists, I think I entered the trade because I loved to write, and it was one of the few ways I thought I could be paid to do what I loved. But there is a difference between being a writer and a journalist, and I was certainly a poorer journalist than I am a writer (and I make no great claims for myself in either field.) I got quite frustrated with journalism, which probably gave me the impetus to start work on the novel. That book, Every Dead Thing, took about five years to write and was eventually published in 1999. It introduced the character of Charlie Parker, a former policeman hunting the killer of his wife and daughter. Dark Hollow, the second Parker novel, followed in 2000. The third Parker novel, The Killing Kind, was published in 2001, with The White Road following in 2002. In 2003, I published my fifth novel - and first stand-alone book - Bad Men. In 2004, Nocturnes, a collection of novellas and short stories, was added to the list, and 2005 marked the publication of the fifth Charlie Parker novel, The Black Angel. In 2006, The Book of Lost Things, my first non-mystery novel, will be published.

I am based in Dublin but divide my time between my native city and the United States, where each of my novels has been set.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven at first; a roller-coaster through hell by the end., October 28, 1999

By 

Dan Reilly ([e-mail]) (Rochester, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Dead Thing (Hardcover)

Despite a strong start, I quickly found myself getting bored with Connolly's attempt to create a world of characters that he could build a book series upon. The story starts with our hero attempting to find the murderer of his wife and child, but meanders far and wide before getting back on track in the final 50 pages. Despite my waning interest, the characters of Bird, Louis, Angel, and the mysterious, grisly psychopath "Travelling Man" kept me going until the satisfying, edge-of-my-seat ending. Uneven, but I will give connolly's next book a look. The guy has raw talent.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it with the lights bright and the doors firmly locked!, July 28, 2000

By 

Simon Jackson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Dead Thing (Mass Market Paperback)

So much did this novel disturb me that at times when I wanted to put it down (mainly to sleep) I had to read on to find a place in the story line at which I could leave it. If a book, any book has such an effect on me as a reader then it's done its job! Every Dead Thing is written in the first person (not my favourite style to read) and what emerges is a novel that is both individualistic yet somehow collective in that it taps into a variety of common human insecurities: the death of those close to us, the abuse of the innocent and the chill of our personal destiny being controlled by another.

For his first novel John Connolly has written an outstanding thriller that is crammed full of suspense. The plot centres on Charlie Parker, a former police detective as he battles both with alcohol and the horrors that torment him following the violent murder of his wife and child. Parker throughout the course of Every Dead Thing attempts to track down a child killer, while at the same time graduating towards the activities of a serial murderer known as the Travelling Man. It would be unfair to elaborate on the plot in more depth. It is however, realistic to note that Every Dead Thing is at times standard thriller material, a taut page turner, believably frightening and totally engaging while at other times it adopts a more dark and menacing approach that takes the reader certainly beyond what I've previously experienced from other books defined as thrillers.

I recommend Every Dead Thing to you, read it with the lights bright and the doors firmly locked!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The next Thomas Harris, September 30, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Dead Thing (Hardcover)

"Just when I thought I had figured it out .... he pulled me back in!" This is a great first novel for John Connolly; he out did "Hannibal" by a mile. I liked the 2 in 1 story line and the plot twists - you won't believe the ending. If you start this book be prepared to finish it in one sitting. I can't wait for Connolly's next one!