The Reapers: A Charlie Parker Thriller: 7 - Tapa dura

'An absolute slam-bang finale. Tremendous stuff, as Connolly's novels always are.' -- Mark Timlin, Independent on Sunday 'As ever with Connolly, the macabre narrative is couched in prose that is often allusive and poetic ... Refreshingly, Connolly has always resisted repeating himself, and the plot trajectory is strikingly innovative. The Reapers affords unusually bracing doses of Stygian delights.' -- Barry Forshaw, Independent 'The Reapers is an excellent addition to Connolly's already high calibre collection of work to feature this team who seem, on the surface at least, so different from one another and yet manage to gel so well. I challenge anyone to be able to put this book down. I am sure you will be as gripped as the fast moving story as I was, and I have no doubt this is one of the best crime novels you are likely to read this year!' -- Chris Simmons, Crimesquad.com 'It's a must-read for fans of Connolly, offering a rare insight into the background of the slightly dark and dangerous duo who have featured in this series, where death and demons go hand-in-hand.' -- Evening Telegraph 'This painstaking recreation of realistic settings sets the former journalist's works of fiction apart from many of his contemporaries.' -- Evening Herald 'Readers will be delighted with the return of Connolly's greatest creation, Charlie Parker.' -- Cork Evening Echo 'He's refining his art to such an extent that each new outing pushes even further at the boundaries of genre writing. 'A rich, dark Gothic writing style that exudes menace on almost every page. 'This is a book to immerse yourself in for the pure enjoyment of appreciating a writer as artist. 'THE REAPERS is a rich, complex and demanding read, interspersed with unexpected moments of bone-dry humour. It is easily Connolly's best yet -- and the moment I'd finished it, I wanted to go back and start it all over again.' -- wwww.Revewingtheevidence.com 20080601 'John Connolly remains one of the most distinctive writers of the day, ploughing a furrow quite unlike that of any of his contemporaries. THE REAPERS is a prime example of how Connolly refuses to repeat himself, always adding new wrinkles and innovations. As ever with Connolly, there are dual pleasures at work for the reader here: the powerful and pungent atmosphere against which the macabre narrative is played out, and the machine-tooled plotting which has long been Connolly's stock in trade. So far, there are no signs that John Connolly is becoming bored with his protagonist Charlie Parker, and on the strength of THE REAPERS, that's very good news indeed for readers.' -- Barry Forshaw for AMAZON 20080601

They are the Reapers, the elite among killers. Men so terrifying that their names are mentioned only in whispers. The assassin Louis is one of them. But now Louis, and his partner, Angel, are themselves targets. And there is no shortage of suspects. A wealthy recluse sends them north to a town that no longer exists on a map. A town ruled by a man with very personal reasons for wanting Louis's blood spilt. There they find themselves trapped, isolated, and at the mercy of a killer feared above all others: the assassin of assassins, Bliss. Thanks to former detective Charlie Parker, help is on its way. But can Angel and Louis stay alive long enough for it to reach them?