From the Bookshelf of What's the Name of That Book???…

Every Dead Thing (Charlie Parker, #1)

John Connolly

Why we're reading this: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...…more
[close] https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Mar 13, 2020 Thomas rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, crime

In a lot of ways, this book is cliched. It's about an ex-cop, also an ex-drunk, whose wife and daughter were tortured to death by a serial killer. Still on the hunt for said killer, he bounces in and out of the force of which he used to be a part, and still helps solve cases. Partly set in New York, the story involves mobsters with names like Fat Ollie and Tony Loo-Loo, so it's not the kind of book that feels new and fresh.

In other ways, the book isn't cliched. This is a dark book, and Connolly In a lot of ways, this book is cliched. It's about an ex-cop, also an ex-drunk, whose wife and daughter were tortured to death by a serial killer. Still on the hunt for said killer, he bounces in and out of the force of which he used to be a part, and still helps solve cases. Partly set in New York, the story involves mobsters with names like Fat Ollie and Tony Loo-Loo, so it's not the kind of book that feels new and fresh.

In other ways, the book isn't cliched. This is a dark book, and Connolly doesn't hold back in describing what happens to the victims in the story. It touches on artistic and literary themes, which gives the story a kind of depth that the other characteristics belie. It makes me wonder if Connolly was doing so intentionally, lulling us into believing the story was one thing and then tricking us with what it was actually about.

That theory would also explain a big gripe I had with the book, which is that it's actually two stories crammed together. It's not that one is the main plot and the other is a sub-plot; the first half of the book is one case, and the second half is a different one. They're related only tangentially, and I don't understand why they aren't two separate books, especially when each one is long enough to serve as one. There's also a shift in tone at that point, in how the dialogue changes from testosterone-laden banter to introspective examination.

The story is mostly told in the first person, from the ex-cop's perspective, but for some reason Connolly peppers the story with some third-person omniscient passages that stand out because they don't fit the structure. Those kinds of things bother me because they feel clunky and forced, but it's something I see more in debut books, of which this is Connolly's, so maybe this is something that disappears in his later books.

I also found it odd that the story features a black, gay Republican character. It's not possible to trademark a character type, but Joe Lansdale has all but done so with that one through Leonard Pine, and it felt out of place, almost like theft. Maybe it's intended as homage, but since Louis doesn't have the kind of subtle development and charm that Leonard has, he feels forced in and out of place. There's no point to make him that kind of character, and he serves such a brief purpose that it leaves me wondering why Connolly chose to make the character like that.

Lastly, I was under the impression that the books in this series were crime novels, yes, but also supernatural, but I don't remember anything supernatural about this story. There were some scenes that were eerie, and hinted at something otherworldly, but they came across as dream sequences, not as anything overtly supernatural. I dig horror, and I thought that I would enjoy the series based on that connection, but I was disappointed because it was just hinting at it, if it was there at all.

Still, Connolly's a decent writer, and this series came highly recommended from a buddy of mine, and even he admits this isn't the strongest book in the series. I'll stick around a bit longer, but this book is just a decent read, at best. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2009 Julie rated it it was ok

Shelves: mystery-thriller

I wanted to like this; I really did. The characters were interesting and the story was engaging but in the end it was just too much. Too much violence, too many characters. I'd like to read more from this author but I'm not sure about this series. ...more

1 like · Like · see review