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A review by organchordsandlightning
The Killing Kind by John Connolly
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.
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.