Reviews

The Killing Kind, Volume 3: A Charlie Parker Thriller by John Connolly

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octavietullier's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

___puddin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

noonjinx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Very good. I think this one is on a par with the first in the series. The writing is dark and intense; full of foreboding. It’s a pleasure to read and Connolly somehow manages to walk just the right side of the line between poetic and pompous…

“The door closed gently behind him, its sound in the empty synagogue like a breath exhaled from the mouth of God.”

Having said that, occasionally some of the characters talk in the same poetic voice as the author, especially when they’re giving Parker background information, and that doesn’t quite work for me.

The supernatural element is up a tiny notch in this one (Parker’s glimpses of ghosts now include brief interactions) but it works well and it’s still not the main focus of the books. The characters are great and most of them act the way I believe they would (though why Rachel stays with Parker given the queue of deranged killers he keeps leading to her is beyond me). The pacing is perfect, balancing Parker’s dark introspection with mounting creepiness and bursts of violence.

The highlight of this book is definitely the villain. Mr Pudd is one of the creepiest characters I’ve ever read.

Content Warnings

emperorxzee's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

bxermom's review against another edition

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4.0

really like the character Charlie Parker

organchordsandlightning's review against another edition

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4.0

This book feels the first in the series that doesn't have growing pains - all the characters are pretty well established, we know the general world that we're in, and we're ready to see a guy who kills people with spiders.

The best parts of this book (minus the tension-filled actions parts, of course) are the little moments of humanity with the characters. It's really nice to see Angel, Louis, Rachel, and Parker all together, just having lunch or going to Starbucks. It really makes the life-or-death parts of the book that much more impactful - it hurts more to see Angel getting hurt when he's the same guy with the obnoxious red boots.

I also like that this book is pretty gritty without being cynical. Parker can be roughly morally dubious, but he still wants what's best for anyone and will go out of his way to protect people he thinks are being mistreated. There's still some optimistic outlook even with a series that has such a high body count. On the flip side, it's also nice where the villains have a strong impact on the story. I might just be reading too much Preston/Child, but there's a grim sort of certain horror with Connolly's villains - if you leave someone out of your sight, they will die. If a villain catches someone, they will die unless they serve a very, very specific purpose.

There are still some parts about the Killing Kind that make it difficult to get through - the plot can be kind of circuitous at times, and there's not a whole lot explained in Grace's thesis that isn't ultimately revealed later anyway. Also, I feel like there's still a struggle about actually giving Angel something to do (which is actually pointed out as a potential reason he gets kidnapped later), but ultimately, loved the book and am looking forward to the next.