Every Dead Thing

By: John Connolly

Narrated by: Jeff Harding

Tortured and brilliant private detective Charlie Parker stars in this thriller by New York Times bestselling author John Connolly.

Former NYPD detective Charlie "Bird" Parker is on the verge of madness. Tortured by the unsolved slayings of his wife and young daughter, he is a man consumed by guilt, regret, and the desire for revenge. When his former partner asks him to track down a missing girl, Parker finds himself drawn into a world beyond his imagining: a world where thirty-year-old killings remain shrouded in fear and lies, a world where the ghosts of the dead torment the living, a world haunted by the murderer responsible for the deaths in his family—a serial killer who uses the human body to create works of art and takes faces as his prize. But the search awakens buried instincts in Parker: instincts for survival, for compassion, for love, and, ultimately, for killing.

Aided by a beautiful young psychologist and a pair of bickering career criminals, Parker becomes the bait in a trap set in the humid bayous of Louisiana, a trap that threatens the lives of everyone in its reach. Driven by visions of the dead and the voice of an old black psychic who met a terrible end, Parker must seek a final, brutal confrontation with a murderer who has moved beyond all notions of humanity, who has set out to create a hell on earth: the serial killer known only as the Traveling Man.

In the tradition of classic American detective fiction, Every Dead Thing is a tense, richly plotted thriller, filled with memorable characters and gripping action. It is also a profoundly moving novel, concerned with the nature of loyalty, love, and forgiveness. Lyrical and terrifying, it is an ambitious debut, triumphantly realized.

Clever Twists and Turns Story&Narration is Good

I'm not sure why some are critical of the narrator. He is as good as most. Anyway, after hearing the first in this series, I plan on going through them all. I love finding a new writer/character to follow.

Whispersync Really Works!

This is actually my first time re-reading Connolly's Charlie Parker series consecutively. When the latest book was delayed in arriving, I decided to stop putting off the pleasure of reading them all over again, further delaying the delight of reading the latest novel in the series. But, for this first book in the series, I quickly realized that I had loaned out my copy and decided on an impulse to purchase the audio and Kindle versions and try out the Whispersync.

Not only was as I as impressed as ever with Connolly's writing, but I enjoyed switching seamlessly between the two versions. The performer's voice does not quite match up with what I had envisioned, but after some time, I grew accustomed to his cadence and for the most part, it wasn't too distracting (though Louis and Angel's voices made me wince the first few times...). Connolly's rich writing translates well to an audio version though and I love re-discovering this first appearance of the characters. I had forgotten how much I had initially liked Rachel in particular. And I had completely forgotten how much of this one takes place in New Orleans! When I first read this series, I had not ever been there, and now that I have, I think I enjoyed this one even more the second time around!

And while the identity of the Traveling Man was not a surprise to me (his identity was pretty memorable), I genuinely enjoyed re-reading (and listening!) to this one! Connolly consistently maintains the suspense quite well and weaves a surprisingly complex plot with enough legs to grow this series into its current length (and well beyond, I hope!). It is a tightly written book that I think a lesser writer would have turned into a trilogy with just this plot. What a treat to enjoy again!

Extremely dark; vividly violent

This was a lengthy, complex story based on a premise of ubiquitous, gruesome violence that had me desensitized to “shocking” deaths by about mid-story. I can’t say that I was surprised by the plot twist near the end, when we learned the identity of the evil mastermind. But, the narration was flawless, as each character was realistically brought to life by Jeff Harding.

pronunciation

NOLA has a very particular way to pronounce streets and areas. The performer must not have done any research because he pronounced almost all of them incorrectly. His character voices were great though.

Really Enjoyed It

I found the story compelling. As I neared the conclusion, I just had to keep listening, couldn’t turn it off. I didn’t love the narrator, but he did an adequate job. I only wish he had done his research more thoroughly. A book that spends a lot of time in New Orleans, I’d expect the correct pronunciation of Matairie, Pontchartrain, and beignets. It was annoying each time he said them incorrectly. He even had trouble with Nissan. Oh well, the story was great and I intend to try the next one.