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judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
A TIME OF TORMENT, John Connolly's latest chilling and gripping suspense thriller crossing over to the dark (er) supernatural side with Charlie Parker #14.
The Cut, an area of ten square miles of Plassey County, east of Charleston, West Virginia.
An independent quasi-medieval community, an irreligious cult, presided over by capable, ruthless men with names such as Oberon and Cassander.
A litany of killings and disappearances over the best part of a century and a half.
If the people of the Cut took it upon themselves to give the county an edge by warning off anyone who viewed it as an easy conquest for drugs, prostitution, racketeering, or excessive corruption. Time to bring the Cut to an end.
Jerome Burnel was once a hero. He intervened to prevent multiple killings, and in doing so destroyed himself. His life was torn apart. He was imprisoned, brutalized. He wants Charlie to clear his name.
Enter, private detective Charlie Parker.
He speaks of the girl who was marked for death, but was saved; of the ones who tormented him, and an entity that hides in a ruined stockade.
Parker is not like other men. He died, and was reborn. He is ready to wage war.
Now he will descend upon a strange, isolated community called the Cut, and face down a force of men who rule by terror, intimidation, and murder.
Somewhere in Plassey County, West Virginia was a Dead King.
Now the disgraced Burnel, is out of jail and seated in the Great Lost Bear across a table from private detective Charlie Parker and his associates, Angel and Louis. Burnel claims he was set up: for the child pornography at the very least, and quite possibly to have been robbed and killed in that gas station heist. By the time Parker decides to take the case, Burnel has already been seized and taken into “the Cut”.
Charlie Parker is haunted by his past with an investigation leading him into a creepy cult group called the Cut.
Parker’s investigation leads him in several directions before eventually pointing him towards a weird, creepy, cult-like evil group who call themselves the Cut. This is a group you do not want to cross, especially the master, Dead King.
PI Charlie uncovers a dark secret.
"Was it a symptom of their collective madness, an infection of the mind passed down through generations. A voice given, to a form that they themselves had created?"
From wickedly dark and evil, full of horror, a man haunted by the death of his wife and child, he continues to courageously fight the battle against the darkness. Entertaining!
"It should be noted that children at play are not merely playing; their games should be seen as their most serious actions." -Michael de Montaigne
A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
The Cut, an area of ten square miles of Plassey County, east of Charleston, West Virginia.
An independent quasi-medieval community, an irreligious cult, presided over by capable, ruthless men with names such as Oberon and Cassander.
A litany of killings and disappearances over the best part of a century and a half.
If the people of the Cut took it upon themselves to give the county an edge by warning off anyone who viewed it as an easy conquest for drugs, prostitution, racketeering, or excessive corruption. Time to bring the Cut to an end.
Jerome Burnel was once a hero. He intervened to prevent multiple killings, and in doing so destroyed himself. His life was torn apart. He was imprisoned, brutalized. He wants Charlie to clear his name.
Enter, private detective Charlie Parker.
He speaks of the girl who was marked for death, but was saved; of the ones who tormented him, and an entity that hides in a ruined stockade.
Parker is not like other men. He died, and was reborn. He is ready to wage war.
Now he will descend upon a strange, isolated community called the Cut, and face down a force of men who rule by terror, intimidation, and murder.
Somewhere in Plassey County, West Virginia was a Dead King.
Now the disgraced Burnel, is out of jail and seated in the Great Lost Bear across a table from private detective Charlie Parker and his associates, Angel and Louis. Burnel claims he was set up: for the child pornography at the very least, and quite possibly to have been robbed and killed in that gas station heist. By the time Parker decides to take the case, Burnel has already been seized and taken into “the Cut”.
Charlie Parker is haunted by his past with an investigation leading him into a creepy cult group called the Cut.
Parker’s investigation leads him in several directions before eventually pointing him towards a weird, creepy, cult-like evil group who call themselves the Cut. This is a group you do not want to cross, especially the master, Dead King.
PI Charlie uncovers a dark secret.
"Was it a symptom of their collective madness, an infection of the mind passed down through generations. A voice given, to a form that they themselves had created?"
From wickedly dark and evil, full of horror, a man haunted by the death of his wife and child, he continues to courageously fight the battle against the darkness. Entertaining!
"It should be noted that children at play are not merely playing; their games should be seen as their most serious actions." -Michael de Montaigne
A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
oursinculte's review against another edition
4.0
J’en ai déjà parlé mais j’ai quelques difficultés avec le genre policier, un ras-le-bol face à la surenchère de clichés, de glauque, de « serial-killer pervers », de victime torturée… Mais pourtant je tente, incorrigible optimiste, j’essaye toujours de nouveaux auteurs avec l’espoir d’en trouver un qui me fascine autant que ce cher Michael Connelly. Oh, tiens, un John Connolly dans la dernière opération Masse Critique de Babelio… Qu’est-ce que c’est donc ?
J’ai reçu le Temps des tourments sans trop savoir où je mettais les pieds, et en lisant que c’était le quinzième tome de la série « Charlie Parker » (d’après Ouikipedia), j’ai du louper quelques détails. M’enfin, en général les auteurs de grosses séries de polars se démerdent assez bien pour rendre chaque enquête indépendante donc c’est pas bien grave. J’ai découvert l’histoire de Jerome Burnel, un ex-taulard qui engage le détective Charlie Parker pour revenir sur son affaire après avoir purgé une peine de prison assez hardcore, ayant été condamné pour pédophilie. Charlie, qui se remet d’une affaire particulièrement traumatisante, sent que cette histoire cache des trucs pas nets et décide d’enquêter. Il va se retrouver sur le chemin de L’Entaille, une communauté isolée de Virginie qui cache bien des secrets et des tarés.
Effectivement, la lecture de ce roman nous donne l’impression d’avoir loupé quelques épisodes dans la vie de Charlie Parker, et vu l’état dans lequel il est ça donne bien envie de rétropédaler pour aller voir ce qui s’est passé, mais pourtant ça n’enlève rien au plaisir de lire celui-ci. J’ai découvert un détective qui en a vu des vertes et des pas mûres mais qui en impose ! Épaulé par un duo de criminels dont le simple regard suffirait à faire chialer Hannibal Lecter, l’enquêteur a abandonné les méthodes classiques pour taper dans le borderline assez régulièrement. Passé une introduction qui m’a donné l’impression de retomber dans des clichés énervants, l’apparition du trio a directement changé la donne. Parker a une dynamique qui réveille l’intérêt du lecteur et donne une saveur particulière au roman. Même si j’ai rien suivi de son passé, il lui a laissé une grosse ombre au-dessus de la tête, et quelque part ça a participé à son aura pour moi, ce qui n’aurait peut-être pas été le cas si j’avais lu toute la série.
L’enquête part sur un classique du genre, le gars emprisonné pour un crime qu’il n’a pas commis, ou peut-être, ou on sait pas trop. Mensonge ? Complot ? Faille spatio-temporelle ? Double maléfique ? L’histoire de l’Entaille va venir prendre sa place dans le puzzle et imposer une touche paranoïaque poisseuse superbement mise en place. L’ambiance un peu « fargo » associée aux bars sordides, aux campagnards hyper-violents qui dégagent tous les touristes qui marchent dans leurs rues, elle donne une vraie identité à cette lecture et s’ancre grâce à une belle brochette de personnages secondaires bien mis en place.
J’ai été surpris par la petite touche fantastique qui plane sur le récit. Moi qui m’attendait à un simple polar réaliste, voilà qu’on me montre des morts qui reviennent, des visions, de la sorcellerie, on est où là ? Chez Gabriel Knight ? Et pourtant c’est cool ! Ben oui, de l’imaginaire dans un polar, tu parles que ça va me botter moi… L’ombre au tableau est un rythme un peu mou qui s’attarde beaucoup sur pas mal de personnages secondaires et ralentit le tout. Et bizarrement, notre héros s’efface sur un gros milieu de l’intrigue où c’est le Shérif Henkel qui prend la main, Parker ne sert que de point de départ et de gros muscles sur le final, je reste un peu sur ma faim, j’avais bien envie d’en savoir plus sur le bonhomme. Pour ça il va falloir que je lise tous les livres précédents, peut-être.
Bouquin reçu dans le cadre d’une opération Masse Critique du site Babélio.
http://ours-inculte.fr/le-temps-des-tourments/
J’ai reçu le Temps des tourments sans trop savoir où je mettais les pieds, et en lisant que c’était le quinzième tome de la série « Charlie Parker » (d’après Ouikipedia), j’ai du louper quelques détails. M’enfin, en général les auteurs de grosses séries de polars se démerdent assez bien pour rendre chaque enquête indépendante donc c’est pas bien grave. J’ai découvert l’histoire de Jerome Burnel, un ex-taulard qui engage le détective Charlie Parker pour revenir sur son affaire après avoir purgé une peine de prison assez hardcore, ayant été condamné pour pédophilie. Charlie, qui se remet d’une affaire particulièrement traumatisante, sent que cette histoire cache des trucs pas nets et décide d’enquêter. Il va se retrouver sur le chemin de L’Entaille, une communauté isolée de Virginie qui cache bien des secrets et des tarés.
Effectivement, la lecture de ce roman nous donne l’impression d’avoir loupé quelques épisodes dans la vie de Charlie Parker, et vu l’état dans lequel il est ça donne bien envie de rétropédaler pour aller voir ce qui s’est passé, mais pourtant ça n’enlève rien au plaisir de lire celui-ci. J’ai découvert un détective qui en a vu des vertes et des pas mûres mais qui en impose ! Épaulé par un duo de criminels dont le simple regard suffirait à faire chialer Hannibal Lecter, l’enquêteur a abandonné les méthodes classiques pour taper dans le borderline assez régulièrement. Passé une introduction qui m’a donné l’impression de retomber dans des clichés énervants, l’apparition du trio a directement changé la donne. Parker a une dynamique qui réveille l’intérêt du lecteur et donne une saveur particulière au roman. Même si j’ai rien suivi de son passé, il lui a laissé une grosse ombre au-dessus de la tête, et quelque part ça a participé à son aura pour moi, ce qui n’aurait peut-être pas été le cas si j’avais lu toute la série.
L’enquête part sur un classique du genre, le gars emprisonné pour un crime qu’il n’a pas commis, ou peut-être, ou on sait pas trop. Mensonge ? Complot ? Faille spatio-temporelle ? Double maléfique ? L’histoire de l’Entaille va venir prendre sa place dans le puzzle et imposer une touche paranoïaque poisseuse superbement mise en place. L’ambiance un peu « fargo » associée aux bars sordides, aux campagnards hyper-violents qui dégagent tous les touristes qui marchent dans leurs rues, elle donne une vraie identité à cette lecture et s’ancre grâce à une belle brochette de personnages secondaires bien mis en place.
J’ai été surpris par la petite touche fantastique qui plane sur le récit. Moi qui m’attendait à un simple polar réaliste, voilà qu’on me montre des morts qui reviennent, des visions, de la sorcellerie, on est où là ? Chez Gabriel Knight ? Et pourtant c’est cool ! Ben oui, de l’imaginaire dans un polar, tu parles que ça va me botter moi… L’ombre au tableau est un rythme un peu mou qui s’attarde beaucoup sur pas mal de personnages secondaires et ralentit le tout. Et bizarrement, notre héros s’efface sur un gros milieu de l’intrigue où c’est le Shérif Henkel qui prend la main, Parker ne sert que de point de départ et de gros muscles sur le final, je reste un peu sur ma faim, j’avais bien envie d’en savoir plus sur le bonhomme. Pour ça il va falloir que je lise tous les livres précédents, peut-être.
Bouquin reçu dans le cadre d’une opération Masse Critique du site Babélio.
http://ours-inculte.fr/le-temps-des-tourments/
librarian_wenn's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent. Can't wait for the next one. I love Charlie Parker.
throwerp's review against another edition
3.0
This book started strong but faded in it's final third. I was disappointed that Parker and Co took a back seat throughout the unraveling of this and I wasn't really taken with The Cut and its characters.
tufriel's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book a lot. Although I had little patience for sections that explored emotions a little too deeply to maintain my attention much, the rest of the book kept me riveted. Great build-up and tying together of multi-faceted characters, throw in some funny moments to lighten the mood plus an eerie ending. Great Charlie Parker novel, as usual.
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this ebook in return for an honest review. It is book 14 in the Charlie Parker series. I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books in the series, as there are references to incidents in the the previous books, such as Charlie dying and coming back to life. Charlie is able to summon help from the afterlife as a result of his brief stay in the afterlife. Charlie is a determined private investigator, taking cases w/o pay. He is subsidized by the FBI on the quiet. This particular book has him taking on "The Cut", a West Virginia mountain enclave of a murderous group of families that have local law enforcement/people afraid of them.
This book reminds me of some of Stephen King's books, with good and evil on two levels, physical and afterlife in conflict. Charlie also uses allies who are criminals, reminding me of Robert B. Parker's Spenser series.
Some quotes: "He could dip in and out of destroyed lives. He was an emotional vampire."
"I met him. He was hard to warm up to. Easier after they burned him."
"...a prickle of disquiet crept across him like the touch of a spider in the dark."
This book reminds me of some of Stephen King's books, with good and evil on two levels, physical and afterlife in conflict. Charlie also uses allies who are criminals, reminding me of Robert B. Parker's Spenser series.
Some quotes: "He could dip in and out of destroyed lives. He was an emotional vampire."
"I met him. He was hard to warm up to. Easier after they burned him."
"...a prickle of disquiet crept across him like the touch of a spider in the dark."
debbiesilkserif's review against another edition
4.0
Received via Emily Bestler/Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for an completely unbiased review.
Also posted on Silk & Serif
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I received an invite via NetGalley to read A Time of Torment. The synopsis is rather vague and doesn't really do this novel justice. I have never read a novel from the Charlie Parker series so I wasn't sure what this novel was really about. Paranormal creatures? Vigilante Private Investigator? Murder Mystery? It turns out A Time of Torment is actually a little bit of all three.
The Cut is a tiny settlement of people who have employed unscrupulous means for generations in order to keep their community secular. Although the Cut keeps crime down in the surrounding counties by ensuring those who break the rules disappear, thus keeping their small community out of the purview of State authorities, local law enforcement is uneasy. When a convicted child predator named Jerome Burnell goes missing and is tracked back to the Cut by Charlie Parker, the Sheriff supplies just enough information to send Parker on a bloody hunt that could upend the quietly malicious existence of the Cut for good. What Charlie finds there is a shockingly grisly secret and an ancient entity of great evil of which not even the Sheriff had an inkling. Something is rotten in sleepy Charleston, and its up to Charlie Parker to exorcise it - with force.
First, and foremost, A Time of Torment is book number 14 of the Charlie Parker series thus there is a really intense multi-book plot arc that requires patience to understand should a reader be new to the Charlie Parker series. There is plenty of history between characters, some allusion to previous struggles Charlie has barely survived that a first time Charlie Parker reader will need to shuffle through to enrich their understanding of the enigmatic character that is Parker. Fortunately, the story of Burnell and the Cut is very easy to follow and properly detailed to create a mystery within a paranormal suspense within a action thriller.
In typical John Connolly fashion, A Time of Torment is a slow burn novel with colorful characters, deep historical details about the locales and some seriously exceptional prose. Connolly never ceases to surprise me with his ability to develop characters that are realistic and appear to be living lives in a world filled with plenty of context, diverse histories and corruption. He also continues to cultivate the legend that is Charlie Parker - the man with two daughters (one living, one dead), the man with physical and emotional scars, the man who helps the little people and the paranormal warrior.
My only complaint for this novel was that the end is rather abrupt. The Cut's evil entity is overcome through a method that seemed underwhelming and dissatisfying even while the over arching story line of Charlie Parker's future battle with the Great Evil continues to march forward. I was expecting more oomph from Charlie's final show down with the paranormal Dead King but regardless, I am incredibly excited to read the next thrilling installment of the Parker series. Consider me a new series convert!
This novel will appeal to readers of Connolly's other works, fans of paranormal thrillers, mysteries, novels with religious overtones and corruption. I would suggest this novel to readers who enjoy an intense and well researched mystery with a story arc that will probably span a multitude of books. A Time of Torment does not contain any sappy romance, many uncomfortable subjects and is a rather dark read.
Also posted on Silk & Serif
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I received an invite via NetGalley to read A Time of Torment. The synopsis is rather vague and doesn't really do this novel justice. I have never read a novel from the Charlie Parker series so I wasn't sure what this novel was really about. Paranormal creatures? Vigilante Private Investigator? Murder Mystery? It turns out A Time of Torment is actually a little bit of all three.
A Time of Torment is properly dark, with some really captivating cultural lore behind the mystery of the "entity" that resides in the Cut.
The Cut is a tiny settlement of people who have employed unscrupulous means for generations in order to keep their community secular. Although the Cut keeps crime down in the surrounding counties by ensuring those who break the rules disappear, thus keeping their small community out of the purview of State authorities, local law enforcement is uneasy. When a convicted child predator named Jerome Burnell goes missing and is tracked back to the Cut by Charlie Parker, the Sheriff supplies just enough information to send Parker on a bloody hunt that could upend the quietly malicious existence of the Cut for good. What Charlie finds there is a shockingly grisly secret and an ancient entity of great evil of which not even the Sheriff had an inkling. Something is rotten in sleepy Charleston, and its up to Charlie Parker to exorcise it - with force.
First, and foremost, A Time of Torment is book number 14 of the Charlie Parker series thus there is a really intense multi-book plot arc that requires patience to understand should a reader be new to the Charlie Parker series. There is plenty of history between characters, some allusion to previous struggles Charlie has barely survived that a first time Charlie Parker reader will need to shuffle through to enrich their understanding of the enigmatic character that is Parker. Fortunately, the story of Burnell and the Cut is very easy to follow and properly detailed to create a mystery within a paranormal suspense within a action thriller.
In typical John Connolly fashion, A Time of Torment is a slow burn novel with colorful characters, deep historical details about the locales and some seriously exceptional prose. Connolly never ceases to surprise me with his ability to develop characters that are realistic and appear to be living lives in a world filled with plenty of context, diverse histories and corruption. He also continues to cultivate the legend that is Charlie Parker - the man with two daughters (one living, one dead), the man with physical and emotional scars, the man who helps the little people and the paranormal warrior.
Connolly is a master manipulator by dropping some obvious hints that some seriously exciting things will be happening for Charlie Parker in the near future with "happenstance" pushing him towards a possibly preordained conclusion.
My only complaint for this novel was that the end is rather abrupt. The Cut's evil entity is overcome through a method that seemed underwhelming and dissatisfying even while the over arching story line of Charlie Parker's future battle with the Great Evil continues to march forward. I was expecting more oomph from Charlie's final show down with the paranormal Dead King but regardless, I am incredibly excited to read the next thrilling installment of the Parker series. Consider me a new series convert!
This novel will appeal to readers of Connolly's other works, fans of paranormal thrillers, mysteries, novels with religious overtones and corruption. I would suggest this novel to readers who enjoy an intense and well researched mystery with a story arc that will probably span a multitude of books. A Time of Torment does not contain any sappy romance, many uncomfortable subjects and is a rather dark read.