THE DIRTY SOUTH

The Dirty South by John Connolly
Read by Jeff Harding
Charlie Parker series Book 18
Genre: paranormal crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About The Dirty South:

It is 1999, and someone is slaughtering young women in Burdon County, Arkansas.

But no one in the Dirty South wants to admit it.

In an Arkansas jail cell sits a former NYPD detective, stricken by grief. He is mourning the death of his wife and child, and searching in vain for their killer. Obsessed with avenging his lost family, his life is about to take a shocking turn.

Witness the dawning of a conscience.

Witness the birth of a hunter.

Witness the becoming of Charlie Parker.

Source: Info in the "About The Dirty South" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48724227-the-dirty-south on 17/05/2020.

Buy Link(s):
 

My Thoughts:

Tried to read this book slowly to savour it. I succeeded, partially... it still went too fast for me.

I have been looking forward to reading this book ever since I finished A Book Of Bones. I wanted to know if Parker pursued Quayle further... and how Quayle fared after he received the mercy of the old gods... or did he die after all? Unfortunately, this thread in the story wasn't even mentioned in this book.

I didn't know that Bill Clinton (the 42nd president of the United States) came from Hope, Arkansas... That little tidbit of information is pertinent to me because it showcases the fact that John Connolly is a master spinner of tales where he weaves fact and fiction so seamlessly that his fiction "feels" so real to the readers. His tales connects to the readers. Kudos to the author!!

When this book was launched I saw that this book was advertised as the "becoming" of Charlie Parker or something similarly crucial. I didn't see that anywhere in the book. If Charlie Parker was ever "made", I think that would be in previous books than this. The Dirty South is a good installment of the Charlie Parker series, but not a pivotal work in the series.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (15 hrs & 22 mins)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Charlie Parker Series:

About John Connolly
	John Connolly was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. He 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 he continues to contribute. He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States. This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.
www.johnconnollybooks.com | twitter | facebook | google+ | goodreads | amazon

About Jeff Harding
	Jeff Harding is one of the most active American actors based in Britain. He is regularly seen in film and TV but he maintains interest in fringe theatre. He is particularly active in voice-over and radio. Having competed in rowing for many years, he still lives by the Thames and rows regularly – an appropriate sport for the reader of Ben Hur.
naxos | audible | facebook | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
This book (in all its formats) was purchased with private funds.

A BOOK OF BONES

A Book Of Bones by John Connolly
Read by Jeff Harding
Charlie Parker series Book 17
Genre: paranormal crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About A Book Of Bones:

The new thrilling instalment of John Connolly's popular Charlie Parker series.

He is our best hope.

He is our last hope.

On lonely moor in the northeast of England, the body of a young woman is discovered near the site of a vanished church. In the south, a girl lies buried beneath a Saxon mound. To the southeast, the ruins of a priory hide a human skull.

Each is a sacrifice, a summons.

And something in the darkness has heard the call.

But another is coming: Parker the hunter, the avenger. From the forests of Maine to the deserts of the Mexican border, from the canals of Amsterdam to the streets of London, he will track those who would cast this world into darkness.

Parker fears no evil.

But evil fears him . . .

Source: Info in the About A Book Of Bones was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41131135-a-book-of-bones on 13/04/2019.

Buy Link(s):
 

My Thoughts:

As usual, Jeff Harding's narration is wonderful! The only thing is, he didn't get the Welsh accent right like Kobna Holdbrook-Smith did in The Rivers Of London.

Another thing I like about this book is that I get my dose of Sam!! My favouritest character in the whole bunch!

I went to St. Mary's Church in Fairford to see if there really are certain coloured glass panes there that the book mentioned... yeah, curiosity killed the cat! And yes, there is that infamous paned glass. And here is the picture I took of it. I didn't feel any vibes, devine good nor evil, though. Maybe I'm just too thick or not sensitive enough... However the St. Mary's church with Odda's chapel close to it is not the same church as the St. Mary's church in Fairford. That church is about an hour away, the St. Mary's Deerhurst church. And yes, Odda's Chapel does exist too. Both churches are steeped in history. That is probably why I find this series so wonderful a read because John Connolly seamlessly weaves fact and fiction into a tapestry so real I could live in it! Kudos to the author!! The actual history is boring, I much prefer John Connolly's version. Both St. Mary's church in Deerhurst and the St. Mary's church in Fairford have roof finials which are distinctly not christian, so the author's musings about what those stone carvings are doing in a christian church is quite valid.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (14 hrs & 33 mins)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Charlie Parker Series:
 

About John Connolly
	John Connolly was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. He 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 he continues to contribute. He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States. This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.
www.johnconnollybooks.com | twitter | facebook | google+ | goodreads | amazon

About Jeff Harding
	Jeff Harding is one of the most active American actors based in Britain. He is regularly seen in film and TV but he maintains interest in fringe theatre. He is particularly active in voice-over and radio. Having competed in rowing for many years, he still lives by the Thames and rows regularly – an appropriate sport for the reader of Ben Hur.
naxos | audible | facebook | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
This book was purchased with private funds.