Customer Reviews

Every Dead Thing (Cs)

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

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.

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!

"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!

I read this book in about 6 hours and I couldnt put it down. After my disappoinment with Hannibal I was relieved to find someone to take Thomas Harris' place. One of the things that I enjoyed most about this book were the characters of Angel and Louis, who brought a smile to my face during a most chilling tale. I would like to add that I have just today finished John Connollys new book named on my proof copy as Requiem For The Damned but renamed apparantly as "Death Hollow" and for the people out there who loved Every Dead Thing you certainly wont be disappointed with his second offering. To keep me happy it again stars Charlie and his sidekicks Angel and Louis.

I discovered John Connolly when I read "Bad Men" and the experience was extremely pleasant, so I decided that I had to read the books in the Charlie "Bird" Parker series. In this first installment I found a novel that blends the mystery and horror genders in a superb manner and that keeps you guessing on what will happen next. One of the aspects I enjoyed most was that the main character is not one of those good guys you see in most mystery novels, who are always working towards a good cause and have no negative feelings towards others. Charlie is more human than that, and this carries with it a desire for revenge that will not be quenched easily.

Why does he want revenge? Because his wife and three year-old daughter were brutally murdered and desecrated by a man that can only be considered a demon. Related to this event is that we see the author immerse the novel into the horror genre through the use of gory details about the murders by introducing a detail version of the police and autopsy reports. The descriptions are precise and Connolly does not pull any punches, going straight for a knockout of our endurance to take the effects of evil.

Charlie was a cop at the time of the murders and had a problem with alcohol, but after the terrible shock, he left the force, became a private eye, and quitted cold turkey. Seven months later he is working on a case involving dangerous guys, who use bullets that can go through body armor and have no qualms about killing anyone that crosses their path. Concomitantly, Charlie is in constant search of the killer of his family, and the fact that the monster contacts him, gives him greater strength to pursue his desire for revenge.

I like horror, so I have no problems with reading about the gruesome aspects of the murders described in the novel, but I understand that some people may not feel comfortable with these, so be aware of this aspect. The novel that starts this series also has a nice pace, which is helped by the constant switching back and forth between the two cases Parker is involved in. You will also get a few twists that will keep you on your toes until the conclusion. Overall, it is a book that left me eager to keep reading about this fascinating character and move along with this series.

Since they're are already some really detailed reviews about the storyline I thought I'd do something different and give you some opinions I had about this book and the subsequent reviews.

I really liked and recommend this book. In response to some of the complaints about it...1)yes there were a lot of characters to keep track of. You see that all the time in a Tom Clancey novel. 2)He didn't develope the main character enough. True, but if you're like me and you try to assign someone you know (actor wise)to a character, then it left the door open for you to jump right into Bird Parker's shoes yourself. As if you are viewing everything first hand. 3)He didn't explain the motives behind the Travelling Man other than the poets told him to. That really mirrors life, where there is no solid reasoning that causes a psycho to go on a killing spree.

This isn't a quick read. It's a complicated thriller that takes a few to comprehend. John Connolly gets a big pat on the back for this one and I really look forward to his next one.

John Connolly appears to have an outstanding sense of the underbelly of New York and New Orleans particularly for an Irish national. From the boondocks of Maine to the roach infested streets of Queens to the bayous of Louisiana we follow former NYPD detective Charlie Parker on the trail of one of the most evil and deranged serial killers I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. The "Traveling Man" not only has a surgeon's skill and knowledge of anatomy,but makes use of mythology and the Bible while carving up his victims. The vivid descriptions of the murder scenes, the autopsies, and a gruesome encounter with fire ants make this a novel definitely not for the squeamish.

Connolly fills this story with so many characters that at times it becomes difficult to tell the badguys without a scorecard. Our hero gets caught up in the Mafia, a war between rival Louisiana gangsters, voodoo, and a battle with rednecks all of which somehow are related to his manhunt.

Thanks to the occasional glimpses of a wry sense of humor, the many twists and turns in the plot, and a dynamite climactic scene I look forward to the next effort from Mr. Connolly.

When former New York cop "Bird" Parker's wife and child are hideously murdered, Bird's life is turned upside down in every way. Suddenly sober and no longer a cop, Bird is taking a few unlicensed PI cases when he is hired to locate a missing woman. As one clue leads straight to another, Bird is firmly convinced that the case of the missing woman is linked to the killing of his family. And so the hunt is on.

The action moves from New York City to a small, insular town in Virginia, to New Orleans and the dank and murky swamps of south Louisiana. The psychic visions imparted to Bird by an elderly blind woman living in bayou country are only the beginning of this stunningly chilling novel. As more people die and old bodies surface, the evidence is unmistakable that they all died at the same hands and that Bird, with the assistance of local police, the FBI, and assorted miscreants of his own choosing, is on the trail of a horrific serial killer.

The characters are wonderfully 3-dimensional, the imagery is simply stunning, and the suspense is unrelenting as Bird is forced to not only try and remain alive by out-maneuvering the killer but to confront the dichotomy of his own nature. The conclusion of this dark and disturbing novel is, in a word, breathtaking.

It is true that the violent nature of the story is graphically depicted, but it is crucial to the story and thus not gratuitous. It is the nature of the genre.

I am astonished that this is Mr. Connolly's first novel and anticipate with great relish the gift of his next.

When it comes to suspense, tension, and dark appeal, Every Dead Thing is tough to beat. I have seldom read a novel that kept me so absorbed. The epic war novel, "The Triumph and the Glory" was the last book I read that had such visceral appeal and relentless tension.

These days, it seems as if any book featuring a serial killer is inevitably compared to Thomas Harris's Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs. Indeed, this is exactly what has happened to John Connolly's Every Dead Thing. Kirkus Reviews says, "Irish journalist Connolly's first novel is an ambitious, grisly, monstrously overextended foray...deep into Hannibal Lecter territory." Publishing News ran an article called "In the Steps of Hannibal..." subtitled, "Lecter, that is." Although meant as compliments, I think comments like these unjustly pigeonhole this riveting novel. While Connolly certainly owes something to Harris, he also owes a considerable debt to other genre authors. Connolly adopts tropes and techniques from these authors, successfully blending these elements to create a unique, satisfying tale of his own.

Several months prior to the main action of Every Dead Thing, NYPD Detective Charlie "Bird" Parker makes a decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Fresh from an argument with his wife, Susan, he storms out of the house and heads for a local bar, determined to tie one on. Returning home several hours later, Parker makes a grisly discovery -- Susan and his three-year-old daughter Jennifer have been murdered, their faces removed, their mutilated bodies arranged in a position that Parker later discovers is meant to mimic Estienne's Pieta. Grief stricken, Parker vows vengeance on their killer.

Parker leaves the force to investigate the murders full time. Months later, however, he is no closer to solving the crime. In fact, the only clue he has to the killer's identity is one provided by Tante Marie Aguillard, a New Orleans mystic who tells him the killer, whom she calls the Traveling Man, has struck before, and has buried a previous victim in the bayou near her home. Parker isn't quite sure why he believes her, but is certain she's telling the truth.

The frustrated Parker is thus almost grateful for the distraction provided by a missing person's case fed to him by old police friend Walter Cole. Parker's search for Catherine Demeter, the missing girlfriend of a wealthy Manhattan socialite, leads him to the ironically named small town of Haven, Virginia, where his outsider status and insistent questions open wounds long thought closed. Parker solves the case, but only at the cost of great damage to his person and his psyche. Unknown to him at the time, however, he indirectly moves closer to his ultimate goal -- although the connections between the two cases are tenuous, this seemingly unrelated investigation is only the beginning of a tortuous chain of events that will eventually lead him to the Traveling Man. Their final, brutal confrontation is surprising and terrifying -- Connolly keeps readers guessing until the very end, stretching nerves to their breaking point.

The first half of the novel evokes both Ross MacDonald and Andrew Vachss, as Parker uncovers secrets that lead to the discovery of a child killer thought dead for over three decades. The second half strays into territory mined successfully by James Lee Burke, as Parker travels to New Orleans for his final confrontation with the Traveling Man. Connolly pays homage to the genre in other ways as well. In the hard-boiled tradition, Parker is sullen, often depressed, but, even so, is always ready with a witty comeback. In a nod to Robert B. Parker, and maybe to Joe Lansdale, Parker's current flame is a criminal psychologist, his closest allies two tough, black gay men.

Connolly even goes so far as to name certain characters after genre authors. Of course, there's Charlie Parker, perhaps named for Robert B. Parker or Richard Stark's famous thief. There's also police officer Gerald Kersh, FBI agents Woolrich and Ross, and supporting characters Emo Ellison, Evan Baines, and Gunther Bloch.

It's been reported that Simon & Schuster paid a considerable sum for the U.S. rights to Every Dead Thing. To my mind, it's money well spent. Connolly has written a dark, hard-hitting, yet thoughtful thriller, one that advances the genre even as it nods respectfully to its predecessors. Well plotted and solidly crafted, Every Dead Thing is a powerful, often frightening piece of writing, an auspicious debut from a truly gifted storyteller.