The White Road (original: 2002; edição: 2002)

Loved it! This book really sets the stage for me for this series. At this point the supernatural parts become much louder in my head. The link back to other cases here’s great too. We have a changed Angel (I can see why) and Charlie realizing that sometimes certain people just don’t deserve to live. I was at the seat of my pants during the ending, but it surprised me and makes me wonder what is next for Charlie and Rachel.

“The White Road” has Charlie being asked by an old friend to help him with a case involving a black boy being accused of the rape and murder of his white girlfriend. We find out that this case also links two families (one white and one black) that have had dark encounters with each other for centuries.

The Reverend is back in this one hell bent on making Charlie pay for the deaths of his two children. A new player is on the board and one wonders how this person can cause harm to Charlie.

Angel is forever changed by what happened to him in the last book. He and Louis seem to be finding their footing, but still love each other.

Charlie is preparing for the birth of his unborn child with Rachel, but still being called to that honeycomb world. The things he sees and feels definitely sit with you.

The writing per usual is pitch perfect. The flow works. I was on the edge of my seat towards the end. Once everything is revealed I went wow.

One know wonders what’s up next for Charlie. ( )

Yet again John Connolly has written a fantastic story. At times it felt a little over crowded with the different cases going on at the same time, but in the end that are brought to a good conclusion. I’m enjoying Parker’s, Rachel,s, Louis and Angel backstories being fleshed out. And Parker’s developing “sixth sense” is intriguing. ( )

In this book of the series Charlie Parker travelling to South Carolina to help his friend to defend a black boy accused with murdering his white girlfriend. But of course nothing and nobody is like it seems to be and we’ll meet again the evil ‘father’ from the last book as well.... ( )

Former NYPD Detective Charlie Parker has relocated in Maine, where he's now living with criminal psychologist Rachel Wolfe, the woman he loves and who is expecting their child. When an old friend from Charleston, South Carolina, asks for Parker's help on a racially charged murder case, Parker reluctantly heads south. Of course, this isn't the South that draws tourists from around the globe, but a violent, racist and malevolent place near the Congaree swamp. We also get to see and learn more about Parker's guardian angels, gay killers Angel and Louis. They are interesting and humorous and we start to learn a lot more of their history, making them richer characters.

Charlie is still haunted by dreams of his former life. There is a supernatural element in these books but not one that strains the reader's credulity. The characters and themes of this series are quite violent and I wouldn't recommend it to a fan of cozy mysteries. In a series that normally can be read out of order, The White Road is a sequel to The Killing Kind, involving the same characters and a continuation of the story. I would not recommend reading it out of order.

Every year I pick out one of my favorite long running series and revisit it in the audio version. I'm definitely going to put this series into contention for 2017, starting with Every Bad Thing. ( )

In South Carolina, a young black man faces the death penalty for the rape and murder of Marianne Larousse, daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the state. It's a case that nobody wants to touch, deeply rooted in old evil -- and old evil is Charlie Parker's specialty. It was easier to figure out the mystery behind this one. And there was a definitively supernatural element to this one... more so than the ones before. Generally, I liked it. ( )