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Every Dead Thing

Author: John Connolly
Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

53 reviews
Sales Rank: 53010

Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.3

ISBN: 0340728981
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780340728987
ASIN: 0340728981

Publication Date: October 10, 1999
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Also Available In:

•	Hardcover - Every Dead Thing

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
Homicide cop Charlie "Bird" Parker was drunk when the killer known as the Travelling Man dissected his wife and his daughter. Parker's guilt and obsession with revenge have taken him well beyond the law, causing him to beat a pimp to death and accept the friendship of a notable hitman. Yet his old colleagues know that any one of them might have gone down the same path, in the same circumstances, and they and FBI man Woolrich still find him and his obsessions useful. Leaving mayhem and destruction in his wake, Parker finds every private investigation he takes leading him back to his family's killer--is this an obsession, or is he treading a maze of murder built just for him? And can the obsessed Parker accept the love of a bright woman pathologist without wrecking her life as well? Small Virginia towns with guilty secrets, the drugs deals that unite smart New York society with the madness of a decadent Mafia dynasty, the very different gang wars of New Orleans and the mysteries of the Louisiana swampland--this is an intelligent book packed with puzzles, characters and brilliantly visualised locations that most thriller-writers would have spun out for a series. --Roz Kaveney

Customer Reviews: Read 48 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

A gruesome but gripping read! July 11, 2008
John Connolly is a new author to me but one that I am adding to my reading list. After reading the first in the Charlie 'Bird' Parker series I am impressed enough to seek out the rest.

I really don't know what took me so long to pick up on this author (EDT was copyrighted in 1999) but now that I have survived the first novel there's nothing to stop me.

You get the feeling of being slightly overwhelmed at first by the number of characters being introduced into the tale, but this becomes easier as the book continues. All the characters have their own tale in which they make part of the whole, slotting in quite neatly. Once they have had their moment, they do tend to only be mentioned periodically depending on the link in the general storyline. The novel seems to be a mix of tales that bind together to form a background canvas, so it's not a straight forward 'he said, she said' read. I had to read slightly slower than usual to make sure that I got all the threads in my head and didn't miss any small clues.

Connolly seems to have researched the area of New Orleans (as was) but I couldn't help but make comparisions about the NO of then, 1999, and how it could have changed now in the present day. My geography of the area is non-existant and I had to rely on Connolly's descriptions entirely. These were comprehensive without becoming boring and laboured.

What also seemed complete and very descriptive were the mutilation of the characters in the novel! Gruesome, but totally believable. Again I would have said very well researched, cleverly executed (excuse the pun) but not for the faint hearted or easily disturbed.

5 out of 5 stars

A Graceful And Dark Debut (Spoiler Free) July 9, 2008
I discovered John Connolly's first novel whilst on work experiance in my local library 6 years ago, but didn't buy it until I stumbled across it in a small, independent book store in Gloucester, going for 1. I then subsequenty lost it (after lending it to countless friends), and found it again recently. The second time reading it proved as enjoyable as the last, and here's why.

John Connolly loves what he does. You can tell by the sheer depth of research undertook proir to writing, his understanding of genre conventions; knowing which ones to bend, which ones to break, and which are sacred. The characters are (to him) real people (I actually e-mailed him once asking whether a film was in the pipeline, and he said that he wouldn't option any of the Charlie Parker saga, as the characters are too close to his friends and family for him to feel comefortable in doing so), and you can't help but feel that at the end that you know them personally.

Some people do find the detail and depth that the prose goes into in places, such as the page and a half detailing the differences between male and female skeletal structures, and the way street names are used as though we all have, in our possession, a road map of the USA, but I find that it all helps lend the story some authenticity. By burying aspects of the often chilling imagery in cold, medical textbook references, the sequences become real, as though the events are being diarised, not fictionalised.

And I cannot complete the review without mention of Angel and Louis. The characters in this first novel are given only a supporting role,and provide some of the much needed comic relief, as well as some fantastic action sequences. You cannot help but feel when in the presence of these characters, the lead, Charlie Parker, is untouchable.

Overall, this is very well paced, exciting and enjoyable thriller, one that hints of great things to come, and will quickly find itself in a special place on your book shelf.

4 out of 5 stars

Bird has me hooked! April 29, 2008
My mother has been raving about John Connolly for some time now. I read Bad Men about two years ago, and liked it, but it was not part of the series in which Charlie Parker is involved, so I was not obliged to read any more. Then, in an odd occurrence which took place in the back of my mother's Volvo, I was drawn in to the world of Charlie 'Bird' Parker.

For Christmas, I bought my mother one of John Connolly's latest offerings: The Book of Lost Things. In typical family tradition, the book remained in my house for a few months before I got around to giving it to her. I took it with me on a shopping trip one Sunday so that I could leave it in the car for her when she dropped me at my house later that day.

Just before she got to my house, I happened to flick through the book and read the dedication. It turned out that the book was dedicated to someone I had known in a previous life, and to cut a long story short, through contact with John Connolly through his website, I regained contact with her.

Anyway, enough of the namedropping. I decided to read the first in the series of Charlie Parker books, and finished this first one this morning on the flight back from Pisa. I am hooked.

I will say that the book takes a while to really get going and also the sheer volume of characters and police-related acronyms makes it hard going at first, but once the story kicks in, there is simply no turning back. The attention to detail is great and everything is described enough to make you set the scene in your head perfectly. The setting for a great deal of the story, New Orleans and the surrounding area, feels so fitting for the nature of the tale. Fans of Poppy Z Brite will certainly appreciate this book - it occurred to me while reading this book that there are various similarities in both authors' penchant for the swamps and graphically described killings.

I cannot wait to start on the next novel in the set and see where Bird takes me next time.

3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing but potential February 14, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Good characters and two good plots but number of killings is ridiculous. Parker is a good character with great potential. Dialogue is sharp and will definitely give the next book a chance. Not quiet Harry Bosch (my all time literary cop hero) but we'll see how Parker develops.

2 out of 5 stars

Not an easy read! February 13, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

'Every Dead Thing' is the debut crime thriller novel from John Connolly. It begins when the life of New York Cop Charlie Parker is ripped from him when he comes home to the murdered bodies of his wife and young daughter. A few months later, Parker, who's now a private investigator, sets out on a new investigation to find a missing woman who's sister was murdered by a serial killer who preyed on child ren thirty years ago. As well as this, the murdered of Parker's family, dubbed The Travelling Man, gets in contact with Parker and splits his world in two all over again.

Not having read anything from Connolly before I didn't really know what to expect here, but after reading all of the positive reviews on Amazon, as well as some other book seller websites, I couldn't help but feel disappointed by this book. First of all the ridiculously high number of characters in this book makes it extremely difficult to follow as you are introduced to several new characters every couple of pages, making it hard to keep track of the names of the characters and knowing who they are when they are mentioned again. Next is the amount of crossovers in storylines throughout the book which is also quite confusing and is also becomes quite ridiculous as seemingly unrelated incidents are linked, making it fairly unbelievable. The twist at the end was also fairly predictable and I'd guessed what was going to happen correctly about halfway through the book, not giving me much of a surprise when it actually happened.

On the plus side, Connolly's writing method is very descriptive and did give me the impression that he'd done his research on certain things before writing the final version of the book. The main character, Charlie Parker is quite likeable and I did sympathise with him at various points throught the story and I look forward to reading his character in other novels.

Overall 'Every Dead Thing' is a pretty tough read that isn't all that rewarding once you get to the end. I've purchased the next in the series, so I'm hoping that Connolly's other books are better and less confusing to read than this, as this was pretty hard work!