Published by Atria Books Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, suspense
Format: ARC, eBook
“Vengeance and retribution require a long time; it is the rule.” – Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Burdon County, Arkansas, 1977 – Someone is killing women. But no one wants to admit to it. Charlie Parker, a former police detective, is in town, following a lead, looking for a killer. His wife and daughter have been murdered. He desperately wants to find the person who did this.
“I am a widower. I do not know if there is a name for one that has lost a child. If there is, there should not be. It is unnatural.”
He is sitting in a jail cell, those in town are trying to figure out who he is and why he is in town. Boy will they be surprised. This is a prequel which shows of the beginning of Charlie Parker becoming Charlie Parker. This would work as a stand-alone, but I agree with other reviewers, to fully appreciate this book, you need to go back to the beginning or at least to earlier books. Parker has lost a lot. He is consumed with pain. He is also a hunter; he solves crimes and mysteries aided by Louis and Angel.
“The past defines us. In the end, the past claims us all.”
There is not as much Parker in this book as I would have liked. With him, I always want more. The book is about a town, that does not appear to have a lot going for it, there is crime, there are grudges, deep secrets, corruption, intimidation, greed, and a promise that money will come to the town if they just keep quiet.
This will not be one of my favorite books in the series, but it will not be my least favorite better. This is one of my favorite and initially was not sure if this book was necessary. But as I continued reading, I must admit Connolly is showing us how the Parker I enjoy in other books, became that way. One thing that I feel Connolly excels at is giving us a glimpse into Parker’s pain over losing his wife and daughter. Those passages are heartbreaking and beautiful.
“I want to be with you again. I do not want to live in this world without you. But I have to stay. I will find him, the one who did this, and when I am done with him, I will search for you both. I will leave this place, and I will travel to where you are. Wait for me. Listen for me. I will come.”
I also wanted more of Louis and Angel. But I also liked how they came to help.
“When it comes time, you only have to ask. You call our names, you hear? You call our names.”
The book started strong, lagged a little in the middle for me, then picked up again. As I said, this book is different from the other books in the series and it reads as such. Beautifully written and compelling.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
