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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Very violent and gritty suspense novel. The multiple story lines and a huge cast of characters makes it a tad confusing, especially if you can't read it straight through. One man, former cop who is now a private detective who has his own personal demons, must find a psychopath who has been terrorizing people for decades. This is the main story, but there is the mob angle, the cop with a missing daughter, a new female flame, an old female flame, and the gay ex-criminals who now defend our main guy. There is plenty of suspense, but too many die to be fully believable. This is the second novel in the Charlie Bird Parker series. May appeal mainly to men.
DARK HOLLOW is filled with suspense and supernatural (and natural) scares. I was so frightened at points during this book that I had to turn on all of the lights in my apartment. This is the second book to feature grieving policeman Charlie “Bird” Parker, and it begins a few months after the events of EVERY DEAD THING. Charlie is living in Maine, where he spent time with his grandfather growing up. It’s a place for healing, but Charlie has to deal with ghosts, both old and new, oftentimes more literal than figurative. He also has to track down an old evil, a serial killer who may have returned to a quiet Maine town to kill again, and it’s Charlie’s job to stop him.
Twisted, terrifying, and most definitely disturbing, Connolly is a master suspense writer who is guaranteed to keep you up at night.
Twisted, terrifying, and most definitely disturbing, Connolly is a master suspense writer who is guaranteed to keep you up at night.
I read the 1st Charlie Parker novel from Blind Date with a Book. I picked up this second one from the library. There are so many details which I feel could have been dropped out. But it was a good read nonetheless. I already have number 3 sitting on my shelf to read.
In his second novel, Connolly continues the story of Detective Charlie Parker, a man still scarred by the murders of his wife and child a year earlier. Parker in this novel is a changed man - finding his family's murderer has given at least a small measure of peace, and he has moved to Maine in order to fix up his grandfather's house.
Of course, nothing can be that easy, and he finds himself in the midst of an old murder investigation, the last one that his grandfather worked on. Once again, his friends Angel and Louis join him, prompting this quote:
"They were on the side of the angels, even if the angels were not entirely sure this was a positive development."
Connolly is an excellent writer, and whenever the novel veers towards being too dark, he injects a bit of wit. I'm glad there are so many more books in this series to read!
Of course, nothing can be that easy, and he finds himself in the midst of an old murder investigation, the last one that his grandfather worked on. Once again, his friends Angel and Louis join him, prompting this quote:
"They were on the side of the angels, even if the angels were not entirely sure this was a positive development."
Connolly is an excellent writer, and whenever the novel veers towards being too dark, he injects a bit of wit. I'm glad there are so many more books in this series to read!
3/5 rounded up. There's a lot going on in this book.. A LOT!! Lots of people are gushing about these Charlie Parker books and I definitely have one foot in the land of gush but my other foot is dangling in mid air looking for somewhere to land (like a game of twister). I hope I find that place to put my other foot in the next book.
dark
mysterious
Absolutely loving the Charlie Parker series, each book is better than the previous!
Wow. Not too much to say. Connolly breathes life into a detective story with the strong supernatural elements. I loved Charlie Parker and his quest for not only redemption, but to help the dead find peace.
“Dark Hollow” follows Charlie after the events of the first book. He found out who murdered his wife and daughter and is now in an in between state. Living in his grandfather’s home in Maine Charlie is trying to come to some sort of peace. However Charlie takes on a client looking to get some money from her dead beat ex. When the woman and her small son end up dead, Charlie starts investigating whether her ex had something to do with it. His current case gets wrapped up in a past case that haunted his grandfather.
Charlie is one of the best fictional characters I have read in some time. He walks alone now and thinks of the honeycomb world he inhabits. He thinks of his former lover Rachel (Every Dead Thing) but wonders if he’s meant to be happy. Having his friends Louis and Angel along for the ride in this one is great. I love that we have two people who will stand by him no matter what. The three of them make an unlikely group, but they work.
I loved how he tied together. I loved the atmospheric writing. And I loved the ending. That’s all I got.
“Dark Hollow” follows Charlie after the events of the first book. He found out who murdered his wife and daughter and is now in an in between state. Living in his grandfather’s home in Maine Charlie is trying to come to some sort of peace. However Charlie takes on a client looking to get some money from her dead beat ex. When the woman and her small son end up dead, Charlie starts investigating whether her ex had something to do with it. His current case gets wrapped up in a past case that haunted his grandfather.
Charlie is one of the best fictional characters I have read in some time. He walks alone now and thinks of the honeycomb world he inhabits. He thinks of his former lover Rachel (Every Dead Thing) but wonders if he’s meant to be happy. Having his friends Louis and Angel along for the ride in this one is great. I love that we have two people who will stand by him no matter what. The three of them make an unlikely group, but they work.
I loved how he tied together. I loved the atmospheric writing. And I loved the ending. That’s all I got.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an excellent follow-up to Every Dead Thing.
I found it just as gripping, and just as tense as the first novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I loved how the new case Charlie was working on ended up being linked to his family's past, and even though keeping track of names of all of the characters involved was a bit difficult at first, once I got into the flow of the story everything became much easier to distinguish.
Reading about Charlie missing his friendship with Walter Cole was heartbreaking, but at the same time I was judging Charlie, as well as Lorna, for their past relationship and I was shaking my head at them every time they met. This book managed to inspire a lot of emotions in me, which I always appreciate.
My favourite part of this novel, however, was Charlie's friendship with Louis and Angel. Moving in with Charlie when they heard he was in trouble, Angel talking to Charlie about his past, Louis and Charlie talking after Charlie's nightmare, Louis placing his overcoat over Charlie's shoulders; I found all of these small moments precious and such a nice contrast to all of the darkness Charlie faced when working on his newest case.
"Tall, handsome black male and his white boy sittin' outside eatin' ice cream in the fuckin' winter? I think someone must have noticed us by now."
This has to be one of my favourite scenes in the book. Angel and Louis continue to be my favourite characters in the whole series, honestly.
I’m definitely looking forward to reading Killing Kind!
I found it just as gripping, and just as tense as the first novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I loved how the new case Charlie was working on ended up being linked to his family's past, and even though keeping track of names of all of the characters involved was a bit difficult at first, once I got into the flow of the story everything became much easier to distinguish.
Reading about Charlie missing his friendship with Walter Cole was heartbreaking, but at the same time I was judging Charlie, as well as Lorna, for their past relationship and I was shaking my head at them every time they met. This book managed to inspire a lot of emotions in me, which I always appreciate.
My favourite part of this novel, however, was Charlie's friendship with Louis and Angel. Moving in with Charlie when they heard he was in trouble, Angel talking to Charlie about his past, Louis and Charlie talking after Charlie's nightmare, Louis placing his overcoat over Charlie's shoulders; I found all of these small moments precious and such a nice contrast to all of the darkness Charlie faced when working on his newest case.
"Tall, handsome black male and his white boy sittin' outside eatin' ice cream in the fuckin' winter? I think someone must have noticed us by now."
This has to be one of my favourite scenes in the book. Angel and Louis continue to be my favourite characters in the whole series, honestly.
I’m definitely looking forward to reading Killing Kind!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content
Minor: Miscarriage, Rape, Torture