A review by constantreader471
A Time of Torment by John Connolly

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."