The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Donald will be leading the discussion for this book -- have fun, everyone!!!

Welcome - John Connolly is my favorite author in this genre. One of the things I like is he crosses over genres. "Every Dead Thing" is his first novel in the Charlie Parker series. It took Connolly five years to write and it was rejected often before someone took a chance on him. I am always curious how those who have rejected a now famous author feels. The Harry Potter series comes to mind as one of the most lucrative.
If this is your first Connolly novel, you are in for a great reading experience. If you have read him before, you know how good of a writer he is. Connolly calls himself an "Irish writer", meaning he is Irish and writes, as opposed to writing about Ireland or using it as a setting.
Connolly said the prologue took six months to write. He kept going over it to make it perfect. It sets the background for this and other Charlie Parker novels. What was your reaction?
I look forward to moderating the discussion and will be interested to see where it leads.
Thanks for joining in!
Don

Haven't ever read this author, just getting started but will say the prologue was pretty gruesome. Not a fan of such gore. But can see that it frames the trauma for this character and I assume his subsequent actions.

Chris wrote: "Haven't ever read this author, just getting started but will say the prologue was pretty gruesome. Not a fan of such gore. But can see that it frames the trauma for this character and I assume his ..."

Chris -
I agree the description of the gore is heavy. You are right in that it sets the story so we understand the character of Charlie Parker. Connolly's other books in the series are not as graphic as this one.

This book is one of the darkest reads on my favorite detective, a touch literary, paranormal and horror list (one of those 'all of the above' series) ! I just checked out "A Game of Ghosts", as I have read all of the previous Charlie Parker series. The series settles down more into a dark detective series slowly as it goes along, but actually, despite the flaws, I liked this one best.

Still waiting for my copy to arrive- can't wait!

aPriL does feral sometimes wrote: "This book is one of the darkest reads on my favorite detective, a touch literary, paranormal and horror list (one of those 'all of the above' series) ! I just checked out "A Game of Ghosts", as I h..."

This is one of my favorites also. Thanks for reminding me about "A Game of Ghosts", had forgotten to order it!

I'm about 70% through the book, I hope to finish it today! Happy Labor Day.

Debby wrote: "I'm about 70% through the book, I hope to finish it today! Happy Labor Day."

Will be curious about your thoughts!

L.J. wrote: "Still waiting for my copy to arrive- can't wait!"

Hope you get it soon, interested in your reaction to Connolly.

Connolly is one of my all-time favorite authors. I devour each of his books as soon as they are published. Just finished his latest Charlie Parker book-A Game of Ghosts. Loved it.

Jo wrote: "Connolly is one of my all-time favorite authors. I devour each of his books as soon as they are published. Just finished his latest Charlie Parker book-A Game of Ghosts. Loved it."

Just wondering how you would describe his writing to someone who asked about him.

Donald wrote: "Just wondering how you would describe his writing to someone who asked about him. .."

I'd say he writes exciting thrillers chock full of eerie supernatural critters.

I finally finished the book about 30 minutes ago. Beautiful writing. In fact that's what made the experience a bit eerie, The most horrible things in the book are written in the most gentle prose. I'm just starting his second book, it will be interesting to see who his character develops.

Debby wrote: "I finally finished the book about 30 minutes ago. Beautiful writing. In fact that's what made the experience a bit eerie, The most horrible things in the book are written in the most gentle prose. ..."

He is an amazing writer. I agree he writes graphic things in a way that doesn't repulse. Glad to hear you enjoyed this book.

Just started this yesterday. Love Connelly's writing.

Debby wrote: "I finally finished the book about 30 minutes ago. Beautiful writing. In fact that's what made the experience a bit eerie, The most horrible things in the book are written in the most gentle prose. ..."

Totally agree with you Debby. Made a similar note in my diary yesterday soon after starting.

Debby & Sandy- I am only about halfway through, I am hooked on the story, but I am not finding anything gentle about the graphic descriptions!

I have read every book in the entire series. I didn't find a character that I truly hated (other than the villians). The characters are so well developed that when I finish the series it is like I just lost my friends until the next one comes out. This book is more gruesome than the others as I recall because it sets the stage of Charlie's character.

He comes across some unorthodox friends that are hilarious. There are so many scenes between Louis and Angel that I laughed out loud and had to read the paragraph to whomever witnessed me laughing.

hello everyone,
I'm just jumping in here to give a quick comment and scan people's reactions.

I read this a while back and rated it 5 stars. 'I liked the fast pace and the immediacy of this book. The story starts off with a prologue that's like a kick in the stomach...'
(you can read my full yada here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)

Looking back on it, what I remember most are the atmospheric scenes of New Orleans and the surrounding area, twinned with creepy, maybe supernatural events.

Ann wrote: "hello everyone,
I'm just jumping in here to give a quick comment and scan people's reactions.

I read this a while back and rated it 5 stars. 'I liked the fast pace and the immediacy of this book..."

Just curious if you have read any of his other books in the series.

Jannene wrote: "I have read every book in the entire series. I didn't find a character that I truly hated (other than the villians). The characters are so well developed that when I finish the series it is like I ..."

You are right about this being more graphic than his other books. I hope readers will keep reading the rest of the series as it is awesome.

Donald said, 'Just curious...'

Actually, no, I've not yet read any more Connolly.
That doesn't mean I wouldn't. But I guess I've been side-tracked by other thrillers.

Also, in a series with sixteen books, I guess it's got to really grab you to continue down the road.

I see you liked Game of Ghosts. Was that your favourite?

Ann wrote: "Donald said, 'Just curious...'

Actually, no, I've not yet read any more Connolly.
That doesn't mean I wouldn't. But I guess I've been side-tracked by other thrillers.

Also, in a series with sixt..."

Oddly enough, my favorite was "The Lovers" which is more about his relationship with his wife.

It's just arrived, here I go...

Ann wrote: "Donald said, 'Just curious...'

Actually, no, I've not yet read any more Connolly.
That doesn't mean I wouldn't. But I guess I've been side-tracked by other thrillers.

Also, in a series with sixt..."

My favorite is A Game of Ghosts. (view spoiler)[This is because the mother of his child, Rachel, ends up seeing his ghost of a daughter, Jennifer. This cliffhanger keeps you wondering if their relationship will eventually change. I thought she was good for him. Also, you see the love between Angel, Loius and Charlie when he gets sick. (hide spoiler)]

Have just finished Every Dead Thing by John Connolly and was stunned. Complex, intriguing, enthralling. My no spoilers review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jannene wrote: "He comes across some unorthodox friends that are hilarious. There are so many scenes between Louis and Angel that I laughed out loud and had to read the paragraph to whomever witnessed me laughing. ..."

Do you think the author used them as a slight comic relief from all the tension building? They are quite the pair with contrasts of personalities to their "work".

Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* wrote: "Have just finished Every Dead Thing by John Connolly and was stunned. Complex, intriguing, enthralling. My no spoilers review https:..."

Awesome review!

Just received my book in the mail and took a quick peek. Read the prologue. Wow! I'm one that favors prologues and this one is up there as one of the best. First time reading Connolly, excited to start Chapter one tonight.

Angela wrote: "Just received my book in the mail and took a quick peek. Read the prologue. Wow! I'm one that favors prologues and this one is up there as one of the best. First time reading Connolly, excited to s..."

Welcome to the discussion. If the prologue hooked you, hang on. It only gets better.

Donald wrote: "Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* wrote: "Have just finished Every Dead Thing by [author:John Connolly|38951..."

Thank you Donald. ☺

Jannene wrote: "I have read every book in the entire series. I didn't find a character that I truly hated (other than the villians). The characters are so well developed that when I finish the series it is like I ..."

Me too. The dialogue between these two was just brilliant.

Donald wrote: "Welcome - John Connolly is my favorite author in this genre. One of the things I like is he crosses over genres. "Every Dead Thing" is his first novel in the Charlie Parker series. It took Connolly..."

I loved the prologue. I was immediately hooked by it. Actually I was hooked by the end of his introduction, where he talks about spending 6 months writing and rewriting the prologue. I can sympathize with him there. ....

Janenne said, 'My favorite is A Game of Ghosts. (view spoiler) ...'

thanks for that, Janenne :)

Donald said, 'Oddly enough, my favorite was "The Lovers"..'

thanks!

Hello, I am fairly new to this group and this is my first Connolly read. This story has been haunting me since the first page. I did have to put it down for about ten days because it was so graphic I didn't know if I could finish it. I did just finish the book and did it surprise! Talk about twists and turns. Best ending yet. It was stunning. I gave it 4 stars but may change my mind. It still has a hold on me.

This is my next read. I had to read something from own series that I'm trying to finish.

Patricia wrote: "Hello, I am fairly new to this group and this is my first Connolly read. This story has been haunting me since the first page. I did have to put it down for about ten days because it was so graphic..."

Welcome. This one does get to you but his books are like the old Lay's potato chip ad, you won't be able to read just one.

While I was reading, I thought to myself that I would never pick up one of Connolly's books again. But after the complete read I've changed my mind. The protagonist is so fleshed out that I want to keep him in my life.

Just finished. Although I could do without the graphic descriptions of the mutilations, it was a page turner!! Found the story intriguing, however did I miss the killer's motivation in all this? Or is he just pure "evil"? Perhaps his motivation was too esoteric that it went over my head? Agree that the characters were well-drawn & the Angel & Louis duo a contrast to what was going on about them.

The ending left me with questions. Not only about the killer's motivation but also (let's see how can I put this without spoiling anything) how 2 of the characters were extricated from a dire situation.

Since I have been assured that the rest of the series is not as graphic, I'll definitely read more in the series.

I liked it more than i was expecting (wich is always a good thing) but it didn't blow my mind.
All the murder descriptions were like 'OMG!!! what?!?!'
It was a fun ride for me. People told me that the series is really good so i'm probably gonna stay in this series at least for the second book and see what happens.

This series does grab you. After the second book you will not want to stop.

I'm almost finished with this, although it has a good story line I find it slow going. It's like the more I read I'm not getting anywhere in the book.

Linda wrote: "I'm almost finished with this, although it has a good story line I find it slow going. It's like the more I read I'm not getting anywhere in the book."

The way Connolly writes, the main story does unfold slower than other thrillers, but his style is leaps above writers like Child or Michael Connelly which, for me, makes it enjoyable.

Donald wrote: "Linda wrote: "I'm almost finished with this, although it has a good story line I find it slow going. It's like the more I read I'm not getting anywhere in the book."

The way Connolly writes, the m..."

Leaps above Michael Connelly? Hard to imagine.

Like I said good story line but it's taking forever to get to the point of the story. I keep thinking how much longer is this book. I can honestly say I'll be glad when I'm done.

At the mention of Luis and Angel, I remembered reading another of John Connolly's books, 'The Reapers' a long time ago. I also remembered not being too keen on reading any more of them.
Nevertheless, I was directed to this one via this reading group so I decided to give it a try... I'm afraid to say it hasn't changed my mind.
I'd rather read than watch films, quite simply because I enjoy conjuring up the characters in my mind's eye. So I read 'tall, handsome man', or 'ancient, derelict warehouse' and there they are, right in front of me. I'm sure it's the same for most readers, which is why we're often so disappointed when Hollywood offers us its version of a popular novel and it turns out the lead players are nothing like the ones we have in our heads ( little Tom Cruise buying his way into Jack Reacher's skin is a fine example of this. Just....noooooo).
So why does this author insist on giving us such long-winded descriptions of everything from messy eaters to swamp water? Can he not credit us with some iota of imagination? I've been out in the rain, several times, I've been in rooms soupy with cigar smoke; I even slept fitfully one night a few years ago. And I have never felt a special need to learn how to cook Cajun chicken. Consequently I found myself skipping long passages just to get back to the action. Mr. Connolly writes a darned good story, or stories, maybe, in this book, but I can't help feeling that he's written this more in the way of a rather over-enthusiastic screenwriter, so possessive of his creation that he feels the need to accentuate every tiny detail just in case the film crew strays from his ideas.
Sorry to all you fans out there: I really did want to enjoy it.

L.J. wrote: "At the mention of Luis and Angel, I remembered reading another of John Connolly's books, 'The Reapers' a long time ago. I also remembered not being too keen on reading any more of them.
Nevertheles..."

There is probably a whole generation out there who has never experienced a room soupy with cigar smoke, and all the coming generations who never will. It is just his style of writing. If you have never been to these places, as I haven't, then it is an excellent device.

Donald wrote: "Linda wrote: "I'm almost finished with this, although it has a good story line I find it slow going. It's like the more I read I'm not getting anywhere in the book."

The way Connolly writes, the m..."

I am with you Donald. 😉