I like this series in a weird way, kind of like I enjoy the Preston/Child Agent Pendergast books. Outlandish. Bizarre. This series is more brutal than the Preston/Child books, though.
Maybe I'm a little tired of the strange, evil groups spider-webbed throughout Maine. The Collector was mentioned and played a superfluous role in the beginning of A Time of Torment, then disappears from the main portion of the novel. I'm always curious about The Collector, and as scary as he is, I'm not sure I like the direction his role is taking.
The story line has to do with Jerome Burnel and how his life has been destroyed when the bad guys exact vengeance for Burnel's act of heroism. One good deed results in a very long "time of torment" and not just for Burnel.
Louis and Angel's roles were minimal, and they are my favorite characters. I need that comic relief, and A Time of Torment has next to none. Truthfully, Charlie's character is becoming something symbolic, and as it does, I need Louis and Angel even more.
Does this mean I won't be eager for the next in the series? Nope, even though I liked the last one better than this latest, I'm committed.
Read in April. Blog review scheduled for 7/13/16.
NetGalley/Atria Books
Suspense/Horror. Aug. 2, 2016. Print length: 480 pages.
I don't think I've ever read anything of this series, but I think I did read one or two standalones by this author. This one sounds like a disappointment and I hope the next book will be better!
ReplyDeleteI hope the next will be better, too! I was disappointed in this one, but that doesn't mean that I was reading avidly. :p
DeleteI didn't know this series delved into the supernatural. I'm a huge fan of the Preston & Child novels, so I might like Connolly's books, too. What's the first one in this series?
ReplyDeleteThe first in the series is Every Dead Thing, and Lark, it is brutal. I started somewhere in the middle of the series and went back and picked up the first few books. If I'd started with the first one, I don't know if I would have read any more. It does explain a lot about Charlie's character and includes the supernatural.
DeleteI hesitated to read the first in this series when I read reader reviews about how violent and unusual it was. So... I don't know. But sometimes we need a change from the usual sub-genre we gravitate towards. I've only read one in the Preston/Child series, not the first one though, and find it rather... strange. I'm thinking out loud here, but thanks for a good and informative review.
ReplyDeleteThe Preston/Child books are strange and a little like licorice--some people really like them, others hate them. Few neutral opinions on the Pendergast series. The Charlie Parker series has had some books that I enjoyed and some that I liked less, but the first one was too graphic for me.
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