Big disappointment after the first three books. This felt pedestrian and rushed. ( )

Still dark but this book seemed rushed to conclude compared to the others. I didn’t understand the need to bring Faulkner back from the previous book into this one for me this element was more of a distraction than anything, if anything it should have been resolved at the beginning of the book not the end. Also it was a little to stereotyped for my tastes. Still a good book. ( )

En Carolina del Sur, un joven negro se enfrenta a la pena de muerte acusado de haber violado y asesinado a Marianne Larousse, hija de uno de los hombres más ricos del estado. El caso, que nadie quiere investigar, es el tipo de misterio que se ha convertido en la especialidad del detective Parker. Éste ignora que está a punto de sumergirse en un escenario teñido de sangre en el que se mezclan el espectro asesino de una mujer, un coche negro que espera a un pasajero que nunca llega, y la complicidad tanto de amigos como de enemigos en los sucesos que rodean la muerte de Marianne. Paralelamente, en la celda de una prisión, el prdicador Faulkner trama una venganza contra Parker, para ello utilizará a los mismos hombres a los que el detective está siguiendo, y a una extraña criatura que guarda todos sus secretos en la orilla del río.

I have to start this off with a word of caution. To truly enjoy this absolutely amazing series, you have to start at the beginning. Starting anywhere other than Book 1---All The Dead Things and reading each book in order---should be punishable by public flogging. Would you recommend watching the Star Wars Trilogy in reverse order? Didn’t think so. This series is thought out in the big picture and each book builds on and relates back to the ones that precede it. It would be a crime to read them out of order.

I am only on episode 4 in this series and am deliberately spacing out the books to prolong the enjoyment. I am glad that I came to this series late because I have quite a few volumes before I have to wait for Mr. Connolly to write new installments.

The White Road is a place. Well, maybe a location is a better word. A metaphysical highway leading to….not sure yet, that is probably a few books ahead. The White Road is traveled by the dead, some of the living with special talents, and others that were never alive, or at least never fully human. The supernatural elements that were only hinted at in Every Dead Thing and Dark Hollow and started to gather in the wings in The Killing Kind are making their presence known as we begin to travel down the White Road.

What sets this already amazing weird detective series apart from all others is Connolly’s skill. The man can write circles around 99% of the writers today. Alternating between poetic dark mysticism and savage crime fiction this series is spellbinding in the true sense. Every time I open one of these books I pretty much am no good to anyone for the couple of days it takes to read the story. You are under its spell and will think about it pretty much every minute until you finish. These are realistic detective stories with a dark undercurrent that whispers of demonic origins.

Add to this Connolly’s characters. A cast of villains that are so over the top, so savage and hateful, so downright creepy, that you feel their presence as you read. Each book brings a set of flawed characters that you will root for or despise, but never forget. And then there are Charlie Parker, Louis and Angel. Louis, a semi-retired assassin so deadly that the mob has decided to leave him alone because it is just too dangerous to try to kill him and risk pissing him off; Louis’ significant other Angel, a non-apologetic thief who will follow Parker to the end of the earth and beyond because, as he says, some debts can never be paid. Louis and Angel are the muscle, and at times the laugh out loud humor, behind Parker’s brains and passion for justice as he travels down the White Road, seeking out the Dark Angels who bring horror and devastation to the world and, hopefully, not losing all that he loves in the process.
( )

Loved it! This book really sets the stage for me for this series. At this point the supernatural parts become much louder in my head. The link back to other cases here’s great too. We have a changed Angel (I can see why) and Charlie realizing that sometimes certain people just don’t deserve to live. I was at the seat of my pants during the ending, but it surprised me and makes me wonder what is next for Charlie and Rachel.

“The White Road” has Charlie being asked by an old friend to help him with a case involving a black boy being accused of the rape and murder of his white girlfriend. We find out that this case also links two families (one white and one black) that have had dark encounters with each other for centuries.

The Reverend is back in this one hell bent on making Charlie pay for the deaths of his two children. A new player is on the board and one wonders how this person can cause harm to Charlie.

Angel is forever changed by what happened to him in the last book. He and Louis seem to be finding their footing, but still love each other.

Charlie is preparing for the birth of his unborn child with Rachel, but still being called to that honeycomb world. The things he sees and feels definitely sit with you.

The writing per usual is pitch perfect. The flow works. I was on the edge of my seat towards the end. Once everything is revealed I went wow.

One know wonders what’s up next for Charlie. ( )