The Lovers by John Connolly

I don't usually pick out thrillers from the bestseller list, but this time I did:  just finished The Lovers by John Connolly, writer of a thriller series starring a private eye named Charlie Parker.

This book is the latest installment, but is also a complete book all on its own.   I haven't read the earlier books...but that didn't present a problem at all. 

And I liked it!  I thought it was a subtle mixture of Law & Order meets True Blood meets the DaVinci Code.  This page turner will definitely give you wierd (but not too scary) dreams if you read it before falling asleep at night.  Which I did for 4 nights in a row.  Freaky, haunting dreams all week...

I recommend this book if you're looking for good nightly escapism that will keep you enthralled for a week and keep the TV off and the reality shows out of your life - if only temporarily!

WANT MORE DETAIL?  READ THESE REVIEWS - I CONCUR WITH BOTH!

Here's a newspaper review:  http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-lovers-by-john-connolly-1757393.html

and here's a regular reader review (via Amazon): 


5.0 out of 5 stars Trust Me--Do Not Pass On This One!!, June 14, 2009
"The Lovers" is Connolly's latest installment of his Charlie Parker series. For those loyal readers who have wondered about Charlie's background and how it might relate and animate his life as a private investigator, paranormal sleuth, and magnet for supernatural enigmas, many answers and a few more questions appear and are examined in this very focused effort.
"The Lovers" is a very personal examination of Parker's background as he begins seeking the answers to festering questions about his past. It is different from past installments as most of Parker's recurring characters and support network are reduced to cameos (much as he was in "The Reapers") and it is left to Charlie to carry the storyline and action through his persistent and unrelenting investigation that seeks the truth to his father's suicide after apparently killing a young couple who were not armed.

Old wounds are reopened and new wounds are discovered--many of which ultimately explain some recurring elements in the Parker series and others which open new story lines. There may be very few signature characters in the thriller genre that are as complex, as powerful, yet as vulnerable as Charlie Parker. This reader is never disappointed in the complexity and the credibilty of Connolly's plotting, detailed storylines, and breathless pacing.

The author is a master of establishing mood and motivation through the psychological maneuverings of his characters and his readers. Connolly's work is at once atmospheric, moody, dark and disturbing--yet compelling and hard to put down. His prose is sometimes so lyrical and so defining that I find myself rereading a sentence or paragraph just to marvel at his styling. He can establish mood, a sense of disquiet, peril, or supernatural unease with a few well turned phrases. And his ability to build suspense and an impending sense of doom that is almost palpable to the reader is extraordinary. I highly recommend this series to those attracted to intense, pyschologically intricate, suspense thrillers.