The Reapers [Paperback] by Connolly, John [Paperback]

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Hodder
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340936681
• ISBN-13: 978-0340936689
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,486,026 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

3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite to the level of previous Parker novels, February 23, 2009

By 

Fernando Battaglia (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Reapers (Hardcover)

Though I love John Connolly, especially his Charlie Parker novels, I found The Reapers to be one of his less compelling efforts. Possibly because the character of Charlie Parker is not a main focus of the story and appears only a little. The story focuses instead on his friends, the assasin Louis and the burglar Angel, a rather unusual gay couple who come to Parker's aid in all the previous novels.

Though it's good and offers a lot more background information on these two characters, you do get the feeling that Connolly is setting you up for future books with this one, leading all three characters and the various associated characters who tend to appear in these novel into a larger, more significant storyline. As I understand it, there will be another Parker novel out in 2009.

It does also miss some of the dark, pseudo-mysticism that makes the Parker novels so good. The "honeycomb world" where all things are connected and one action can have a wide-ranging and wide-lasting impact upon many is present, but to a lesser extent that in other Parker novels.

Still, it was an enjoyable book and one I would recommend, but ideally not before reading some preceding Parker novels.

2.0 out of 5 stars Writing lacked balance, characters lacked redemption, January 8, 2009

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Reapers (Hardcover)

First Sentence: Sometimes Louis dreams of the Burning Man.

Louis and Angel are killers; accustomed to being the hunters. Now they find they are the hunted and the targets of a fellow hitman named Bliss.

I was a huge fan of Connolly's earlier books. Unfortunately, his style seems to have changed and the elements I one loved have been lost, particularly the lyrical style of his writing. That was completely missing in this book. His books have always been dark to the point where I have cautioned those to whom I have recommended his books.

This, however, seemed to be violence for the sake of violence. There were a lot of characters in this book and only one about whom one could really care. Louis and Angel are interesting and I originally liked the idea of learning more of Louis background, but without Parker, of whom very little was seen in this book, there was no balance and I found the two characters without redemption.

Connolly's wonderful dialogue was in evidence, but that wasn't enough to make me like the book. In fact, it's the only book by Connolly I found myself putting down and almost dreading going back to.

Connolly's writing both attracts and repels me, which may be his objective, but I am not certain whether I shall continue reading him.