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Every Dead Thing: A Charlie Parker Thriller (1) Mass Market Paperback – July 1, 2000

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 6,397 ratings

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.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

San Francisco Examiner A stunner...as riveting and chilling as The Silence of the Lambs.

Jeffery Deaver author of
The Devil's Teardrop Stunning...Every Dead Thing ensnares us in its very first pages and speeds us through a harrowing plot to a riveting climax. I'm already impatient for Bird's next appearance.

Publisher's Weekly [A] darkly ingenious debut novel.

The Saturday Times (London) Every Dead Thing is intelligent, deep, and literate, and it is difficult to believe that this is John Connolly's first novel, so confident is the writing...Buy it and be scared.

About the Author

John Connolly is the author of the Charlie Parker series of mystery novels, the supernatural collection Nocturnes, the Samuel Johnson Trilogy for younger readers, and (with Jennifer Ridyard) the Chronicles of the Invaders series. He lives in Dublin, Ireland. For more information, see his website at JohnConnollyBooks.com, or follow him on Twitter @JConnollyBooks.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 067102731X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Books; First Edition (July 1, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 467 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780671027315
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671027315
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 1.1 x 6.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 6,397 ratings

About the author

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John Connolly
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I was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and have, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a "gofer" at Harrods department store in London. I studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which I continue to contribute, although not as often as I would like. I still try to interview a few authors every year, mainly writers whose work I like, although I've occasionally interviewed people for the paper simply because I thought they might be quirky or interesting. All of those interviews have been posted to my website, http://www.johnconnollybooks.com.

I was working as a journalist when I began work on my first novel. Like a lot of journalists, I think I entered the trade because I loved to write, and it was one of the few ways I thought I could be paid to do what I loved. But there is a difference between being a writer and a journalist, and I was certainly a poorer journalist than I am a writer (and I make no great claims for myself in either field.) I got quite frustrated with journalism, which probably gave me the impetus to start work on the novel. That book, Every Dead Thing, took about five years to write and was eventually published in 1999. It introduced the character of Charlie Parker, a former policeman hunting the killer of his wife and daughter. Dark Hollow, the second Parker novel, followed in 2000. The third Parker novel, The Killing Kind, was published in 2001, with The White Road following in 2002. In 2003, I published my fifth novel - and first stand-alone book - Bad Men. In 2004, Nocturnes, a collection of novellas and short stories, was added to the list, and 2005 marked the publication of the fifth Charlie Parker novel, The Black Angel. In 2006, The Book of Lost Things, my first non-mystery novel, was published.

Charlie Parker has since appeared in five additional novels: The Unquiet, The Reapers (where he plays a secondary role to his associates, Louis and Angel), The Lovers, The Whisperers, and The Burning Soul. The eleventh Charlie Parker novel, The Wrath of Angels, will be available in the UK in August 2012 and in the US in January 2013.

The Gates launched the Samuel Johnson series for younger readers in 2009, followed by Hell's Bells (UK)/The Infernals (US) in 2011. A third Samuel Johnson novel should be finished in 2013.

I am also the co-editor, with fellow author Declan Burke, of Books to Die For, an anthology of essays from the world's top crime writers in response to the question, "Which book should all lovers of crime fiction read before they die?" Books to Die For is available in the UK as of August 2012, and will be available in the US in October 2012.

I am based in Dublin but divide my time between my native city and the United States, where each of my novels has been set.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
6,397 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book compelling and interesting. They appreciate the suspenseful plot and imaginative storytelling. The characters are well-developed and engaging. Readers praise the writing style as captivating and skillful. However, some felt the story lacked interest and was uninteresting.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

154 customers mention "Suspense"110 positive44 negative

Customers enjoy the book's suspense and thrills. They find the characters appealing and the plot fascinating with a supernatural twist. The author is described as a master of this specific kind of crime fiction, with excellent settings and imagination. While the mystery is not impossible to figure out, the tension and suspense remain throughout.

"...The book is stunning. It is very visual. The writing is, at times, almost poetic, especially when describing the condition of the murdered people...." Read more

"...Nuanced as few, creating a main character and a tale not rivaled by more than a few of this author's highest peers in the world of Noir." Read more

"...I also found the Louisiana background interesting and interestingly ominous...." Read more

"...A little over-descriptive in some places for sure, and a little heavy on exposition sometimes, but overall, I thought it was well-written...." Read more

149 customers mention "Readability"135 positive14 negative

Customers find the book engaging and entertaining. They describe the story as fascinating, enticing, and well-written. Readers also mention that the book is an introductory novel in the series.

"...It is compelling and eminently readable. I did nothing for two and a half days but read it. I even put off lunch on the second day...." Read more

"...The book was good up until all fuss over olden times and moral make up. I am reading more of Connolly, does he change or improve?..." Read more

"...That being said, I still managed to enjoy the book, albeit with many an eye-roll and a chortle...." Read more

"...Overall, a good read, and the best thriller I've read in a while." Read more

129 customers mention "Story quality"98 positive31 negative

Customers find the story engaging and well-written. They praise the author's storytelling abilities and lyrical writing style. The plot is complex but keeps readers hooked with its clever storytelling. Overall, customers describe the book as an interesting read that keeps them guessing until the end.

"...The book is stunning. It is very visual. The writing is, at times, almost poetic, especially when describing the condition of the murdered people...." Read more

"...This love story is well written but the differences between Wolfe and Parker are also being developed, as well as the nonsense coming from the study..." Read more

"Almost organic in its own, this novel blends a thousand interspersed stories into its body...." Read more

"...I'm surprised by those who have said the writing was bad -- I thought the writing was quite good...." Read more

81 customers mention "Character development"58 positive23 negative

Customers find the characters interesting and well-developed. They appreciate the character paintings and relationships between them. The main character Birdman is liked for his observations and realness.

"...Nuanced as few, creating a main character and a tale not rivaled by more than a few of this author's highest peers in the world of Noir." Read more

"...Although the ideas for some of the (many, many) characters are interesting, their motivations remain shadowy and are only superficially dealt with...." Read more

"...As a warning, it is somewhat violent. Yet the characters are fully formed. I love Connolly's writing. It is beautiful and lyrical...." Read more

"...the high cards over Parker, and his lack of success due to the weak character, she can not stnd all the killing, being forced to kill to save Parker...." Read more

21 customers mention "Writing style"21 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the author's writing style. They find it masterful, philosophical, and well-researched. The author has a unique voice and does extensive research for his books.

"...new novelist, he shows up out of nowhere as a fully developed, lavishly gifted writer...." Read more

"...I believe that he is a spellbinding writer and has distinguished himself as a unique voice...." Read more

"...Yet the characters are fully formed. I love Connolly's writing. It is beautiful and lyrical...." Read more

"...A sign of a truly great writer." Read more

87 customers mention "Gore content"34 positive53 negative

Customers have differing views on the gore content. Some find it shocking and disturbing, with evocative descriptions of crimes. Others feel the violence is excessive and the number of killings excessive.

"...the superstitious element I found ludicrous, but the over-the-top number of gory killings and frankly hilarious gang shoot-outs...." Read more

"...Likewise, the amazingly violent, gory, disgusting, depressing, sickening, and frightening crimes depicted in this story repel the reader, but they..." Read more

"...As many others have noted, this book is not for the faint of heart. There is plenty of gore, explained in great detail...." Read more

"...Read quickly and quirkoily. Enjoyed the page turner pace and the underlying suggestion of supernatural underpinnings, maybe?..." Read more

31 customers mention "Pacing"17 positive14 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it fast-paced and engaging, saying they can't stop reading once they start. Others feel the book slows down at times and takes a while to get going. They also mention difficulty keeping track of all the characters and deciphering the timeline.

"...While there is some darkness in TBOLT, it's a total departure from Every Dead Thing. But I digress...." Read more

"...I had some trouble deciphering the timeline; I think part of it may been a formatting issue in the Kindle version...." Read more

"This is the third time I have read EVERY DEAD THING and I enjoyed it as much, possibly more, than I did on the previous two occasions...." Read more

"...All this detail we didn't need and only serves to slow down the book - facts that have absolutely nothing to do with the book, but just serve to..." Read more

26 customers mention "Interest"4 positive22 negative

Customers find the book boring, frustrating, and uninteresting. They mention that the violence is unnecessary and depressing. Some readers also say the book is confusing and hard to finish.

"...Really? In combination, I found the book a frustrating read...." Read more

"...Likewise, the amazingly violent, gory, disgusting, depressing, sickening, and frightening crimes depicted in this story repel the reader, but they..." Read more

"...It was confusing. Then the first story ended and it picked up with another story...." Read more

"...and giving TONS and TONS of information that made no sense and was so boring. The two big plot points could have been done in 50 pages. UGH" Read more

A little bit of Ireland in New England
5 out of 5 stars
A little bit of Ireland in New England
Excellent book, John Connolly is a great writer, and the story was very compelling. Truly a page turner.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2016
    Lots and Lots of Dead Things
    By Bob Gelms

    In the last issue I wrote about the 14th and latest Charlie Parker thriller by the great Irish writer John Connolly. I mentioned that if you hadn’t read any previous Charlie Parker books this one was a hum-dinger, but it would be well worth your time to go back to the first book in the series and give it a try.

    Every Dead Thing is the first Charlie Parker thriller and there are a few things that amazed me. I should say that I read it when it first came out about 16 years ago and read it again a few weeks ago. The re-read confirmed all of the elements that impressed me when I read it the first time.

    The book is stunning. It is very visual. The writing is, at times, almost poetic, especially when describing the condition of the murdered people. Mr. Connolly burst on the scene with this, his first novel, while he made his daily living as a writer for the Irish Times in Dublin, Ireland. Unusual for a new novelist, he shows up out of nowhere as a fully developed, lavishly gifted writer. In the same vein, all his characters, most notably Charley Parker, jump off the page as living breathing people. Sometimes I got the feeling I knew somebody like them. The book is so vivid and well written that I forgot very little in the 16 years that passed between my first and second read.

    Parker tracks down two serial killers. They are the most heinous killers I’ve ever read about. I will tell you that if you made it through any of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter books you should be able to get through Every Dead Thing, even on a full stomach. It is compelling and eminently readable. I did nothing for two and a half days but read it. I even put off lunch on the second day.

    Just prior to the opening, Parker and his wife have a bad argument. He’s already half in the bag so he leaves and walks to the neighborhood tavern where he really ties one on. The drinking was getting to be a problem even at work. He’s a detectivefor the New York City Police Department. He weaves his way back home and there he discovers the thing that nightmares are made of. His wife and daughter have been brutally murdered by what, on first blush, looks to be a deranged, twisted psycho killer.

    Parker continues with the booze and starts to have mental problems brought on by guilt driven remorse. He finally loses his job and becomes sort of a private detective without a license. One of his police buddies throws him some work. It’s a missing persons case. He takes the job thinking he could use some cash to go after his family’s killer and gets clean knowing he will need all of his finely tuned faculties to catch the guy.

    The missing person is Catherine Demeter. It is in the simple act of looking for her that he uncovers some very disturbing evidence which puts Parker on the hunt for a serial killer. His investigation takes him south to Virginia and ultimately to Louisiana where he gets a tip from an old woman who “sees” things. She hints about Demeter and then tells Parker that the man who killed his family has a name. He calls himself the Traveling Man and he is close by.

    Parker wraps up the first case and it makes headlines all over the country. He heads to the swampland of the Bayou to look for the Traveling Man. Mutilated bodies start showing up and Parker knows that the Traveling Man knows he is looking for him. That’s when Parker calls in the cavalry.

    These two friends are sometimes on the wrong side of the law. Parker has helped them out of a few jams so they are returning the favor. Louis and Angel are two gay guys who happen to be partners. They live on adrenaline. They can become very lethal when needed. They are almost fearless. They are killers. They are a hit and show up in subsequent Parker thrillers.

    This part of the novel is electric with live current on every page. Echo’s of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett will softly come to mind. Parker reaches into his soul and sees that he too can become a killer for revenge protected somewhat by the law. Is Charlie Parker entirely a good guy? You’ll have to answer that for yourself. Every Dead Thing is one of the finest novels I have read in the last 16 years. Don’t miss it.
    32 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2012
    I found this book to be several books rolled into one, First the emphasis was on all the action taking place in New York City. This is book one, with Charlie, "Bird" Parker tightly bound in the search for the killer of his wife and daughter with several side plots going on as well, such as the search for a missing woman, the search for other murders exhibiting similar modus operandi to Parker's family, and as a third book the tying together of everything else after the first two have reached a certain element of conclusion, although not conclusion itself, that will be the end of the book. The end of book one occurs at chapter thirty-one and Parker's departure for New Orleans. The break was clean, Paker becomes unconscious and we start the next chapter with Parker restored to consciousness and on a plane. Connolly gives us a brief summary to bring us up to date and almost wipe the slate clean of what has gone before. We are on a new search and the death of his family has sunk to an easy neglect.
    We are being introduced to Louisiana and its customs. A new book, almost a new story. New people have taken over the starring roles and we want to find them or find out about them,what has happened to them. We are also introduced to the gangs around New Orleans, somewhat of how they operate and what they traffic in and the racial divide. It is almost completely divorced from book one, the ties being the connection between the characters, living and dead, and how Parker struggles to establish himself with them, a short run but essential to the story, at the same time kept short to prevent having otherwise to write perhaps more than a thousand pages. It is in here that Parker and Rachel Wolfe begin to close in on each other. This love story is well written but the differences between Wolfe and Parker are also being developed, as well as the nonsense coming from the study of the killer of Parker's family and both its precursors and the study of medieval art which also displays drawings of eviscerated as well as flayed people posed as Parker's wife and daughter had been. Is this meaningful. Is it meaningful to the characters in the book? How and why? Or is it left to the reader?
    We are near the end now. We are in the final book three. I thought it was all a bunch of dirty words now, forget this "meaningful" discourse over medieval anatomy, and get into Parker's finding of his opponent, the almost obligatory sequence of events, with the villain obtaining the high cards over Parker, and his lack of success due to the weak character, she can not stnd all the killing, being forced to kill to save Parker. How many other books end this same way? It is a poor ending to suffer with all the other books with the same type ending. The book was good up until all fuss over olden times and moral make up. I am reading more of Connolly, does he change or improve? I hope to let you know.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2024
    Almost organic in its own, this novel blends a thousand interspersed stories into its body. Nuanced as few, creating a main character and a tale not rivaled by more than a few of this author's highest peers in the world of Noir.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2016
    I was a little disappointed with this book, as I had heard great things about this series and was hoping to discover a new favourite. I find it hard to unearth new crime writers whose style and characterisation is as good as that of authors like PD James. The narrator is your typical traumatised and maverick ex-cop with dark family history etc. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't the superstitious element I found ludicrous, but the over-the-top number of gory killings and frankly hilarious gang shoot-outs. Although the ideas for some of the (many, many) characters are interesting, their motivations remain shadowy and are only superficially dealt with. In the end, so many characters end up dying and being flayed that it becomes easy to spot the raving lunatic. That being said, I still managed to enjoy the book, albeit with many an eye-roll and a chortle. I also found the Louisiana background interesting and interestingly ominous.

    All in all, my personal preference is for less bloody books with more in-depth characterisation. If you are into psychopaths with vague and unexplained pseudo-existential motivations for their killing sprees, then this book is for you. It is eminently suitable as an airplane book, but I don't think I will be reading more of Connolly's work.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2024
    The book is just like brand new!

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Patricia Robinson
    5.0 out of 5 stars a lesson for life
    Reviewed in Canada on June 8, 2024
    This is a difficult book to read in that it has so much violence and pain. But it is real! Life is very difficult it tells me! And don’t let down your guard. We know right from wrong instinctively so try to do what is right and good.
    The author is a poet!
  • JLTRAVA
    5.0 out of 5 stars Every dead thing
    Reviewed in Mexico on June 4, 2024
    Tenía rato que no leía una novela tan sangrienta. Los crímenes que relata son inenarrables. Sin embargo, resulta muy interesante y emocionante. Yo creo que lo que sucede es una consecuencia de lo que comenta: “We’re practically livin’ on top of each other but we’re further away from each other spiritually, socially, morally, than we’ve ever been before.”
    Impresionante…!!!!!
  • Excellent service from Amazon, yet to charge and fit the lights, some decorative work first.
    5.0 out of 5 stars The start of a long incredible reading journey.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2024
    Have read this book many times, this I.s a gift for me son at Christmas.
  • Maarü
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, great delivery
    Reviewed in France on May 26, 2021
    Great book, was delivered to me in under a week ( I'm in France and it came from Britain)
    I bought the brooched edition, nothing to complain about
    John connnoly's first book is a very strange one, both structure wise and theme wise but it is a very good introduction the the Charlie Parker series
    Both a mystery and an horror/supernatural book
  • Rick Allan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
    Reviewed in Australia on December 27, 2024
    I have all of John Connolly's books.
    'nuff said?