The White Road by John Connolly

In this installment of the Charlie Parker series, Parker is headed to Charleston, SC, where racism runs deep, murders from long ago are coming back to haunt those involved, vengeance is being doled out by those who feel it's their duty, and blood feuds are running deep.


Parker gets a call from an old friend of his who is now working as a private attorney in Charleston. He has taken on the case of Atys Jones, a young black man who is accused of the murder of his rich white girlfriend. Parker agrees to help him out, and uncovers long buried secrets, long buried murders, while the players involved are being exterminated one by one and all involved are being haunted by the spectre of a ghostly woman in white, burned beyond recognition and by a black car waiting for a passenger who never comes. Soon all will face a final reckoning on a place called The White Road.

I am really enjoying this series, and I am not a fan of series books. I like how in each book things you thought were going to be left unresolved come back into the spotlight throughout the series and you found out more information. If you plan on reading these, I recommend starting with the first one for this reason or you will get lost.

5 stars

The Killing Kind by John Connolly

When the discovery of a mass grave in northern Maine reveals the grim truth behind the disappearance of a religious community, Charlie Parker is drawn into a violent conflict with a group of zealots intent on tracking down a relic that could link them to the slaughter. Haunted by the ghost of a small boy and tormented by the demonic killer known as Mr. Pudd, Parker is forced to fight for his lover, his friends......and his very soul.

This is the third installment in the Charlie Parker series. Not one of the best though. The story felt pretty rushed to me, with the fate of characters from the previous two books decided rather abruptly and with little fanfare in my opinion. The constant mention of the honeycomb world, the origin of the Golem, and how the Traveling Man figured into the story are still lost on me. It was an ok read, however I am hoping the rest are better.

3 stars

Dark Hollow by John Connolly

Charlie "Bird" Parker has retired to Scarborough, Maine and is continuing his work as a private investigator. He is asked by a woman he knows to try to get child support money from her ex. Bird gets the money, which is dirty, the woman and her son are found murdered, the ex flees, and Bird, Louis and Angel are headed for northern Maine in search of a killer, who haunted Bird's grandfather and became a myth in the town he grew up in, a killer by the name of Caleb Kyle. While Bird and his friends are on the hunt for his ex-partner's daughter, who disappeared along with her boyfriend on their way to the mountains,they are drawn into the mystery of decades old murders, old rivalries, and long ago loves.

"Caleb Kyle, Caleb Kyle, if you see him run a mile"

I enjoyed this one much better than Every Dead Thing. With a lot going on and many characters, Connolly never loses you along the way. Louis and Angel have become my favorite characters in the series. I was laughing so loud the other night my brother came to ask what was so funny. I can't wait to continue with the series.

4 stars

Every Dead Thing by John Connolly

Charlie "Bird" Parker is recently retired from the New York police force following the murders and mutilations of his wife and 3 year old daughter. He is asked by his former partner to investigate the disappearance of a young woman who was the girlfriend to the son of an acquaintance. The former partner is involved in a charity run by the boyfriends step-mother. As Bird starts investigating her disappearance he is drawn into another search, for The Traveling Man, the man who murdered his family and others. From the underground of New York to the swamps of Louisiana, Bird tries to find the man responsible for ruining his life.

I really wanted to like this book. It had a fast moving plot, lots of secrets being revealed, but there was one big problem. I figured out who the Traveling Man was about 200 pages from the end. I like being surprised, I don't like being right. I was so incredibly disappointed when I found out I was right it just ruined everything I liked about the book. I am not happy I spent so much time reading it.

2 stars

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

Twelve year old David, while mourning the loss of his mother in a house with his dad's new wife and their newborn son together, finds solace in the books he reads. When David starts experiencing black outs, he can hear books speaking among themselves. He sees a hole in the garden wall of the house and goes through it one night after a fight with his father over his new step-mother. He finds himself in a new world, where his favorite fairy tales have come to life, but with a twist. Where a King is loosing control of his kingdom as he dies. David is heading to the castle to find The Book of Lost Things that belongs to the King and is said to tell him how to get back to his own world. He encounters many people along the way, is being stalked by a herd of half human wolves who want to take over the kingdom and his every step is followed by the Crooked Man who has plans of his own.
I loved this book. Even if you don't read it, pick it up in the store or library and just read the two chapters about Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, it is absolutely hysterical. I wish more fairy tales had been incorporated into the story, but the way it is written I felt like I was right there along side David, and it was a great adventure. Beautiful ending that gave me chills and made me smile. A must read.

4 stars