Update: Sorry for the lengthy period of no blogging. My mother fell ill and it's been a very long 8 weeks of recovery for her as well as for me. I'm back in the saddle again expect my weekly posts.
I was able to attend Baltimore Bouchercon this year and had a chance to talk and spend time with some of my favorite authors. John Connolly falls into that category. I adore his Charlie Parker detective series. It's traditional PI series with just a smoky wisp of the supernatural. I've always wondered about the back stories for Louis and Angel two prominent secondary characters in the series and this novel answers those questions.
The Reapers, provides Louis back story as the premise of the novel. Louis is one of the reapers, assassins, who shall not be named, for fear they will materialize in front of you and preform their magic. Someone is hunting and targeting Louis's friends and businesses. Louis past is so traumatic, and the sins of his past now require retribution. Angel, Charlie and the rest of his friends try to help but the story can end in only one way, Louis provides the redemption with more violence.
Connolly's prose is lyrically. His characterizations of Louis and Angel transfix the reader and make it impossible to put the book down. His plotting can be predictable at times, but his pacing and characterizations are so strong you don't mind the plotting. All Connolly's novels provide an unflinching look at the horrors which dwell in quiet unexpected places.
It was a great thrill to spend time talking with him at Bouchercon. He's funny and charming, plus he writes and speaks like poet and he's easy on the eyes.
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