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Review
'He's compared with Stephen King because his tales have a touch of the supernatural - but crime writer John Connolly is a star in his own right. The Irishman has more than proved himself and the new Charlie Parker novel The Burning Soul is another cracking read.' (Sun )
'Connolly ties the plot strands together with consummate skill . . . a gripping whodunnit . . . genuinely chilling . . . Connolly delivers what his readers have come to expect: a few belly laughs, some shivers down the spine and a compelling mystery . . . few writers can compete with him.' (The Sunday Times )
'Vintage JC.' (Express )
'In THE BURNING SOUL, John Connolly has delivered a cracking good tale that seamlessly blends suspense, mystery and just the lightest touch of his signature supernatural ambience. As always, Connolly writes beautifully. He brings the backwoods of Maine alive, and the main and secondary characters are all acutely observed' (Irish Independent )
'A highly accomplished writer' (Irish Times )
'An intelligent, plausible thriller, both harrowing and memorable.' (Kirkus Reviews )
'Connolly ties the plot strands together with consummate skill . . . a gripping whodunnit . . . genuinely chilling . . . Connolly delivers what his readers have come to expect: a few belly laughs, some shivers down the spine and a compelling mystery . . . few writers can compete with him.' (The Sunday Times )
'Vintage JC.' (Express )
'In THE BURNING SOUL, John Connolly has delivered a cracking good tale that seamlessly blends suspense, mystery and just the lightest touch of his signature supernatural ambience. As always, Connolly writes beautifully. He brings the backwoods of Maine alive, and the main and secondary characters are all acutely observed' (Irish Independent )
'A highly accomplished writer' (Irish Times )
'An intelligent, plausible thriller, both harrowing and memorable.' (Kirkus Reviews )
Review
'He's compared with Stephen King because his tales have a touch of the supernatural - but crime writer John Connolly is a star in his own right. The Irishman has more than proved himself and the new Charlie Parker novel The Burning Soul is another cracking read.' -- Sun 'Connolly ties the plot strands together with consummate skill ... a gripping whodunnit ... genuinely chilling ... Connolly delivers what his readers have come to expect: a few belly laughs, some shivers down the spine and a compelling mystery ... few writers can compete with him.' -- The Sunday Times 20110925 'Vintage JC.' -- Express 20110930 'In THE BURNING SOUL, John Connolly has delivered a cracking good tale that seamlessly blends suspense, mystery and just the lightest touch of his signature supernatural ambience. As always, Connolly writes beautifully. He brings the backwoods of Maine alive, and the main and secondary characters are all acutely observed' -- Irish Independent 20110903 'A highly accomplished writer' -- Irish Times 20110903 'An intelligent, plausible thriller, both harrowing and memorable.' -- Kirkus Reviews 20110815
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've loved the Parker books since Every Dead Thing (the first). I've read most of the non-Parker books and love Connolly's writing and style. This is the first time I've ever read one of his books and not felt drawn in by the story. I agree with the reviewer who said this is Connolly just ticking over. It just felt like he has his imagination on hold for now. Don't get me wrong, its a decent and certainly not a 'bad' story, just not up to his usual high standards. It starts off well enough but I felt alot of it was needless padding and it could even have been a better shorter novella.
Connolly famously tries not to make his books too formulaic and said at one of his signing events that in Burning Soul he tried to write a suspense thriller that suggested violence rather than explicitly describing it. I can see what he means by reading it and sometimes it works well but frequently its just boring. He seems to have stripped many of the elements he is famous for right back and sadly we are left with a novel which could have been great but just never got going for me. The Fulci's appearance is so brief as to be pointless and Angel and Louis's cameo felt contrived, as if Connelly felt he should have them there to keep the readers happy but it felt like they'd been forced into the story. The ending as well feels rushed for me, almost like Connolly ran out of steam and had to tie up loose ends and put jigsaw pieces together too quickly. There was only one thing that surprised me at the end, most I found quite predictable.
Don't get me wrong, its not a bad book and definitely worth a read but I wouldn't recommend it if this is your first Connolly. There are some beautiful pieces of writing but overall it felt like just writing a 'lesser' story to 'fill a gap'. From what I hear, the next Parker book will go into the Parker history again so am hoping its a return to form. I am sensing a slight weariness in Parker and am wondering how many more books can be sustained. If the normally high standard of Connelly writing can be continued I hope there are many to come.
Connolly famously tries not to make his books too formulaic and said at one of his signing events that in Burning Soul he tried to write a suspense thriller that suggested violence rather than explicitly describing it. I can see what he means by reading it and sometimes it works well but frequently its just boring. He seems to have stripped many of the elements he is famous for right back and sadly we are left with a novel which could have been great but just never got going for me. The Fulci's appearance is so brief as to be pointless and Angel and Louis's cameo felt contrived, as if Connelly felt he should have them there to keep the readers happy but it felt like they'd been forced into the story. The ending as well feels rushed for me, almost like Connolly ran out of steam and had to tie up loose ends and put jigsaw pieces together too quickly. There was only one thing that surprised me at the end, most I found quite predictable.
Don't get me wrong, its not a bad book and definitely worth a read but I wouldn't recommend it if this is your first Connolly. There are some beautiful pieces of writing but overall it felt like just writing a 'lesser' story to 'fill a gap'. From what I hear, the next Parker book will go into the Parker history again so am hoping its a return to form. I am sensing a slight weariness in Parker and am wondering how many more books can be sustained. If the normally high standard of Connelly writing can be continued I hope there are many to come.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Receiving a new Charlie Parker novel is always a treat. Having followed the series since its inception I can honestly say I have never been let down (the only disappointment is when you finnish...I always want more!).
I'm sure other reviews will summarise the plot. Needless to say its great...with a nice twist at the end, which although I eventually saw it coming was still deftly handled. Also worthy or merit (as always with a John Connolly novel) are the excellent well drawn characters - not just the leads, but also the supporting players - each with their own passions and rich backstories.
For me though it's the quality of the writing that is worthy of merit. Increasingly I am drawn to liken Connolly's style to James Lee Burke (and not just due to the interraction of supernatural elements in the core story. The prose echoes JLB's lyrical style and in my opinion elevates Connollys writing way beyond that of most of his contempories.
Crucially, Connolly keeps the plot moving though (and the character developing) which sometimes I feel JLB loses sight of. There's also some humour in the dialogue which helps more fully realise the key characters and the relationships between them. Whilst it's great writing, rest assured that the story will pull you in and the plot will roll along like a runaway train (my weekend just disappeared reading this - so much so i missed the John connolly booksigning in York on Sunday!).
Even if you are new to the series, there's a tremendous amount of enjoyment to be taken from this book. Take my advice and give John Connolly and Charlie Parker a go!
Tom
PS Only minor comment (not even a criticism more a wish for Parker's next outing)... can we see Parker kick some serious arse next time out. I'm not a huge fan of excessive violence in books but one of the main draws to this character and a reason why he works so wellw ithin the framework of these stories is that he is a badass and has that reputation. Whilst he eventually sorts out the bad guys right at the end of the book it would have been good to see him bumping a few heads in the course of his investigation!
I'm sure other reviews will summarise the plot. Needless to say its great...with a nice twist at the end, which although I eventually saw it coming was still deftly handled. Also worthy or merit (as always with a John Connolly novel) are the excellent well drawn characters - not just the leads, but also the supporting players - each with their own passions and rich backstories.
For me though it's the quality of the writing that is worthy of merit. Increasingly I am drawn to liken Connolly's style to James Lee Burke (and not just due to the interraction of supernatural elements in the core story. The prose echoes JLB's lyrical style and in my opinion elevates Connollys writing way beyond that of most of his contempories.
Crucially, Connolly keeps the plot moving though (and the character developing) which sometimes I feel JLB loses sight of. There's also some humour in the dialogue which helps more fully realise the key characters and the relationships between them. Whilst it's great writing, rest assured that the story will pull you in and the plot will roll along like a runaway train (my weekend just disappeared reading this - so much so i missed the John connolly booksigning in York on Sunday!).
Even if you are new to the series, there's a tremendous amount of enjoyment to be taken from this book. Take my advice and give John Connolly and Charlie Parker a go!
Tom
PS Only minor comment (not even a criticism more a wish for Parker's next outing)... can we see Parker kick some serious arse next time out. I'm not a huge fan of excessive violence in books but one of the main draws to this character and a reason why he works so wellw ithin the framework of these stories is that he is a badass and has that reputation. Whilst he eventually sorts out the bad guys right at the end of the book it would have been good to see him bumping a few heads in the course of his investigation!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I love all the Charlie Parker novels and have really enjoyed Connolly's writing style, plots and characterisation. This was totally different. Boring plot and unpleasant characters that I hardly cared about. Barely a mention of old favourites like Angel, Louis and the Fulcis; Charlie himself was sadly lacking too. In the past I have particularly enjoyed the darker side of connolly's novels, with supernatural undertones and some truly fascinating villains. These were just a bunch of cheap gangsters. I feel really let down, especially as I pre-ordered the hardback!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Burning Soul
this latest John Connolly takes on a different pace than recent books and is slower and more of a 'who done it'. Read more
Published 9 days ago by teesval
Troubled psyches
The hero in this novel is Charlie Parker, the author's favorite. Parker, who works more or less as a private investigator, is hired to help an ex convict to prove he is innocent as... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lakis Fourouklas
Improvement
This is an improvement on some of Connolly's novels as there is less superman activities, this means less time for Parker's buddies, who though they bring colour to his novels they... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. Michael Moore
A long wait for disapointment
I feel this book and the one before it have lost their way.
I am an avid reader of the Parker books and the others John writes, even to go so far
as visiting Sedlec... Read more
I am an avid reader of the Parker books and the others John writes, even to go so far
as visiting Sedlec... Read more
Published 3 months ago by chrisdrandall@bigfoot.com
Little Town Blues
John Connolly's Charlie Parker Thrillers usually combine an element of the supernatural with basic detective work. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ted Feit
DAMMIT...DAMN, DAMN, DAMN............
......I already hate myself for this.
I just gave a Charlie Parker story three stars.
Bugger, I'm going to change it to a five.
S**t, no I won't. Read more
I just gave a Charlie Parker story three stars.
Bugger, I'm going to change it to a five.
S**t, no I won't. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Beau Nidle
Good, but not great
With a few tweaks, and if by another author, this would have been a good stand alone novel. It was a reasonable story, if not a bit predictable, but definitely not vintage John... Read more
Published 4 months ago by S. BELL
The Burning Soul
I have read all of John's novels and enjoyed all of them. I am a big fan of the Charlie Parker Series however, I've always admired the his stand alone novel "Bad Men" which is full... Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Piper
The Burning Soul Does Not Ignite.
Sadly, not one of John Connolly's best. Four stars was all I could bring myself to award. Well written and always very readable but also quite predictable. Read more
Published 5 months ago by John M. Lovatt
Burning Soul by John Connelly
This was a typical Charlie Parker tale that held the attention from page 1 until the finish. Highly recommend it.
Published 5 months ago by kate
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