The Killing Kind

Rating:
Summary: What a great book!!
Review: As a fan of John Connolly since his first novel, I was excited to read The Killing Kind, his latest effort involving a murdered girl, smarmy, swindling preachers, and a missing religious cult in Maine -- the Aroostook Baptists. Charlie Parker, as always, was wonderfully written as were Angel and Louis, despite a few disappointing stereotypical lines of dialogue from these two. I don't recall from the first couple of books Louis speaking the way he did in the Killing Kind and it was a bit distracting...other than that, they were great. The character of Pudd was just plain creepy and a wonderful creation.

The book starts off at a quick pace, but then slows a bit in the middle -- so much so that I was beginning to feel a bit disappointed which is why I rank it at 4 stars and not the full 5 -- but the ending was out of this world!!! When Charlie finds what everyone was looking for, I was literally open mouthed with surprise (and disgust!). It was GREAT!! It really makes me wonder where John Connolly comes up with such gruesome stuff -- I hope he's getting the psychiatric help he needs. He puts Barker and King to shame.

Also, the ending shows a touching side of Charlie as he's called upon to try to rescue Angel...it was a nice touch and not overdone. All in all, this book was terrific and I can't wait to get the next in the series!

Excellent read!!

Rating:
Summary: The Killing Kind
Review: As a lover of mysteries I was horrified and disgusted to the extent that, after the first 50 pages I put this book down for good. For the first time in my life I considered offering my copy for destruction - I have never read copy that was so gruesome and found absolutely no saving factor therein. I will definitely remember this supposed writer's name and will avoid anything else he has written or will write in future. This book was not written to either inform or entertain - it was written to nauseate.
P.Sandler

Rating:
Summary: Not for the faint of heart
Review: Charlie Parker is back, on the trail of evil-doers once again; seeing dead people and seeking to avenge their deaths. In The Killing Kind Charlie is asked to look into the death of Grace Peltier and off we go on a dark, spooky ride. As always Connolly writes with great ease, creating villains of unsurpassed creepiness and describing horrific deaths of a vast variety. The horror is eased by the startling bits of humor that pop up when they're most needed--the sure signature of an author who knows that the material needs breaths of fresh air at regular intervals.

The book gallops along, in Connolly's always trim narrative style, with enough heart-stopping moments to warrant having a cardiologist on stand-by while you read--particularly if you pick up this book at night. There is much to be admired in this author's writing: a fine gift for characterization, clean tight prose, and a sense of timing that would do any musician proud.

Most highly recommended, but with a caution. If you're at all bug-phobic, stay well away from The Killing Kind

Rating:
Summary: A honeycombed world of evil
Review: Charlie Parker, ex NYPD homicide detective, is living a relatively subdued life, for him, in Scarborough Maine. He has started to put the brutal deaths of his wife and daughter behind him. His impressive exploits in the Traveling Man and Dark Hollow cases have carved him a reknowned reputation as an investigator. He prefers now to merely to pursue the more sedate private investigation of white collar crime.

Against his better judgement to decides to take a case presented to him by wealthy local bigshot and ex Maine senator Jack Mercier. Mercier, acting on behalf of ex business partner Curtis Peltier, implores Parker to explore the apparent suicide of Peltier's daughter Grace. Grace Peltier, a long ago lover of Parker's, had been working on a Phd. thesis concerning the Aroostook Baptists at the time of her demise. The Aroostook Baptists were a cult like religious group led by the extremely sketchy and fanatical Reverend Faulkner. Faulkner mobilized a number of families to establish a colony at Eagle Lake, in the backwoods of Maine in 1963. By 1964 the colony was abandoned and the inhabitants had disappeared.

Grace Peltier's research led her to a present day religious group, the Fellowship, led by TV evangelist and charlatan, Carter Paragon. This is where Parker's investigation began. At the same time, a construction project at Eagle Lake uncovered a mass grave, the apparent final resting place of the Aroostook Baptists. Parker soon learns that others have been inquiring about the Fellowship only to suffer untoward consequences. He eventually collides with Elias Pudd, the apparent enforcer and guardian of the Fellowship. Pudd, a ruthless red haired insect looking arachnophile prefers using poisonous spiders to dispatch his victims. Parker soon mobilizes his criminal friends Angel and Louis and his lover psychological profiler, Rachel Wolfe to assist him.

Parker, who frequently has visions of the dead, including his family, fashions himself as a protector of the departed. He is determined to relentlessly track the quandry established by Grace Peltier's death.

John Connolly is an utterly fantastic and riveting crime drama author. I am anxiously awaiting his next effort, as he is already on my list of favorite writers.

Rating:
Summary: A very suspensful and creepy thriller.
Review: Charlie Parker, having faced much tragedy in his life-the suicide of his father, the murder of his wife and daughter, and the hunt for their killer-has been trying to live a tranquil life until he is called upon to investigate the death of Grace Peltier, a young woman whose untimely death sparks many questions.

Grace's death is ruled a suicide, but her father believes it to be murder so he enlists the help of Charlie to find out what happened, and when a mass grave is discovered Charlie realizes the two seemingly un-related are connected and they lead to a religious group known as the Aroostook Baptists.

The further Charlie digs to uncover the secrets surrounding the religious order he is put at odds with the group's leader, while being tormented by a killer known as 'Mr. Pudd', forcing him to fight for his friends, his lover, and his life.

'The Killing Kind' is another great novel in the Charlie Parker series. The pacing is fast, the plot gripping, and the writing is lyrical and intense. Once begun this novel can't be put down, leaving readers anxious for the next book featuring Charlie Parker.

John Connolly has a gritty, dark, gothic writing style, one that mesmerizes readers with it's exploration of the dark sides of human nature. Expertly blending creepy thrills, fascinating characters, and un-thinkable violence, suspense readers will be hard pressed to find a better novel of this kind.

Nick Gonnella

Rating:
Summary: great private investigative story
Review: Graduate student, Grace Peltier is working on her Ph.D. thesis centering on religious zealots the Aroostook Baptists and their unexplained disappearance in 1963. Her research takes Grace to Carter Paragon, founder of the Fellowship. Not long after meeting Carter, Grace is found dead in her car parked on an isolated dirt road. All evidence points towards a suicide.

Grace's father Curtis rejects the notion that his daughter killed herself. He hires New England private investigator Charlie Parker to make inquiries and find out what really happened to Grace including as Curtis expects the identity of her killer. While Charlie works on the case, a mass grave containing the remains of the Aroostook Baptists has been discovered that ties back to Carter and his Fellowship. Charlie notices a link between the Aroostook, the Foundation, and his client's daughter that leads to malevolent beings informing him to drop the case or die.

Two things make THE KILLING KIND a lot better than most private investigative stories. Rarely is a villain seemed to be as humanly evil as Mr. Pudd is, so much so, that his nasty cohorts appear like choir children in comparison. Then there is Charlie trying to atone for all the wrongs he committed in his past. The investigation engages the reader and the rest of the cast is powerfully written as John Connolly continues the climb to soaring higher than birds fly with this strong novel that never eases up until the final paragraph is read.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: ITSY BITSY SPIDERS
Review: Here it is: this book's opening murder featuring an abortionist is perhaps the most riveting, disturbing and downright frightening scene of any novel in recent memory. Suffice to say, you may never feel the same about spiders again!
With that said, read this book...it's a superb novel, and the best of the three Charlie Parker novels. They are all superb, and Connelly's writing improves, and mesmerizes, entrances and provokes thoughts as well. The plotting is outstanding, the characters rich and well-developed, and the ultimate reward is a fine, fine thriller!
Great!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Rating:
Summary: This guy is Unbelievable!!
Review: I can't get over how hooked I am to this author and his 'Parker' series. While it's not the type of crime noir I'm become accustomed to while reading James Ellroy, this series has it's own unique qualities that makes it awesome. After all, if I want to read an Ellroy novel...I'll buy an Ellroy novel.

Charlie Parker has flaws in his character that, at times, makes him 10 times scarier than the villians. His best friends are a burgler and an assassin.

Also, I can see how this author could have been influenced by authors like Stephen King. How Charlie Parker is haunted by victims of violent crimes and how the wilderness of Maine seem to have a life of their own. And the bad guys...they are almost demonic.

If this isn't enough to excite and encourage you to read John Connolly then you need help. No...Seriously. Professional Help.

I hate it when reviews have spoilers, so I'll end by suggesting that you to visit Amazon.UK ...you can buy the 4th Parker novel (The White Road) which has not been published in the U.S. yet...also a new novel by Connolly (which is NOT in the Parker series) called 'Bad Men'. I don't know the plot but, if it's written by John Connolly, I'm buying it.

Rating:
Summary: a dark ride through Hell
Review: I had recently read Connolly's EVERY DEAD THING and thought it was very good, yet I wasn't prepared for how wonderfully dark and evil this book was-- this inhabits the same subterranean battleground as the works of Ellroy and Vachss. Connolly has really outdone himself in creating a horrific narrative; in fact, a previous reviewer has said he is better than Stephen King, and I would certainly agree. This is not a book for people who are looking for sunny affirmations-- or for those who are squeamish-- though the mood is lightened here and there by Connolly's wicked wit. It starts with the discovery of a decades-old mass grave and a murder by spider and ends with a truly twisted description of a particular object being sought by the leader of a religious cult (I won't say anything more and spoil the surprise) and a showdown that is one of the grimmest I have ever read. Even the very last lines of the novel, which normally would be seen as upbeat, carry ominous implications. I could quibble about various aspects of the plot (How one individual was killed so easily, for example), but that would be emphasizing very minor details at the expense of all the is right about this novel. Very well done and very highly recommended.

Note to Publisher's Weekly: It's "grisly", not "grizzly".

Rating:
Summary: A new hope!
Review: I have a confession to make. I am a murderer. I killed my love for the detctive story by reading too many novels that were just too bad. I never thought I'd appreciate a crime novelist the way I did Ed McBain when I was younger. And then along came John Connolly, creeping up on me, hiding in the shadows, lurking, and then attacking without warning.

This is the best crime novel I have read in years, for two reasons. First of all, the language is exquisite. Connolly writes like a poet, and the first few pages where he described the "honeycomb world" is worth the price of the book alone.

Second of all, Charlie Parker, the main character. With a dry cynicism as sharp as his wit, he delivers one-liners one after one. I found myself going back to re-read passages many times during the course of this book, for the humour alone. But this is not a funny book, not at all.

I won't tell you any more about the story, as it deserves to develop on its own when you read it. Let me just warn you that the ending is not at all as good as the rest of the book, and that did make me sad. The last ten or so pages are standard Hollywood-drama, and lack the originality the reader has been spoiled with during the course of the novel.

Still, Connolly pulls it off.

"The Killing Kind", approved!