“There’s a kind of evil that isn’t even in opposition to good, because good is an irrelevance to it. It’s a foulness that’s right at the heart of existence, born with the stuff of the universe. It’s in the decay to which all things tend. It is, and it always will be, but in dying we leave it behind. And while we’re alive? We set our souls against it, and our saints and angels, too. Especially the destroying ones”
STORY LINE:
Charlie Parker is back in action in this fast paced thriller. Author John Connolly has once again created a novel of intrigue, suspense, and mystery with paranormal elements.
Charlie Parker fights evil; evil of the most insidious kind, evil that seeks to erode the soul and framework of man. Charlie Parker is a man who died and came back. He is different now; he has a fire in his soul as he seeks to destroy evil as he senses and see things others can not. Charlie Parker and his friends Angel and Louis will fight the ultimate evil in this novel from the imagination of John Connolly.
Jerome Burnel was once a hero; once he had everything; a wife, home, job, then in the blink of an eye it all came crashing down. For Jerome came to the attention of the Cut, when he interrupted a robbery and killed two monsters that were part of the Cut. Jerome found himself framed for child pornography and convicted; his life in prison was hell on earth. After his release from prison, Jerome hires Charlie Parker to right the wrong done to him.
Charlie and friends will pursue the Cut and the ultimate evil at the center of this group of monstrous criminals. An evil unlike any seen before and as old as time.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, AND DEVELOPMENT:
Author John Connolly has once again penned a solid thriller filled with emotion, criminal deeds, evil as old as the world, and a hero with a thirst to right wrongs and bring justice to a world spinning out of control. Charlie Parker and friends are a force to avoid at all cost; if you can not avoid a confrontation then God be with you. Some would say they have no conscience; some might be right but these three will always fight on the side of good against the insidious evil seeking to destroy.
The character development in this novel was skillful as Mr. Connolly grabs the reader from the first page of this fast paced novel. Mr. Connolly is talented in revealing the depth of evil humans are willing to pursue and inflict on one another. His portrayal of the Cut as an interbred, secluded, and isolated community of criminals which have for decades existed on their criminal activity was very skillful. Their hold of fear and terror on this small county was absolute, but things are changing as Charlie Parker is on his way.
Mr Connolly had many threads to bring together to create a cohesive novel and he did so perfectly. Mr. Connolly never disappoints and this book is no exception. The pace was fast with plots which kept coming and held the reader’s attention. The paranormal elements added depth to the story-line.
RECOMMENDATION: 4 STARS
This is an action packed story-line that will hold the interest of the reader and leave you wanting more. It is a solid well-written and developed book which I do not hesitate to recommend. Due to violence and subject, I recommend this book for young adults and adults.
I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley.com in return for an honest book review. Books reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion; book reviews on line and on my blog are my opinion.