Surprised by the way the plot developed. ( )

I did something last night that I haven't done in a long time on a work night - stayed up until I finished my book even though I knew I would hate life in the morning on the way to work. In fact, I pretty much read this book all day once I took care of the unimportant stuff like pancakes, groceries, & procrastinating doing the laundry. This isn't a surprise, though. John Connolly's books are just that good.

This is the latest in his Charlie Parker series wherein Charlie learns some truths about his father's suicide & his own parentage. As always, Charlie is violence haunted & cursed, fumbling in the darkness for something that remains as unknown to himself as it is to his readers. This was a wonderful book with the tight plotting, great characterization, & beautiful writing that you expect from a Connolly book.

I especially appreciate how well he fleshes out even minor characters, like the Fulci brothers. Angel & Louis, his two closest friends, make a brief appearance here - I find I miss them terribly & hope they'll be back in the next book.

People frequently comment on the paranormal happenings in these books & I always have to pause & think about that ("Are there paranormal things in this book?"). The pause is because Connolly makes these happenings a normal part of life - the only person other than Neil Gaiman who manages that as well as he does. These are also among the only books that have given me nightmares as an adult (in company with Alan Moore's Watchmen - good company, indeed).

Connolly also happens to put words together beautifully. There are parts of Dark Hollow that are so achingly beautiful you want to cry from reading them.

If you haven't read these books, what are you waiting for? Get going! ( )

This is a Charley Parker novel, wonderfully crafted, drew me right in. The premise got a little weak in the middle of the book, creating an "oh, come on" sort of feeling. Soon after, however, the story took over again, and I found myself drawn back into the book till the end.

Recommended, this is part of series, but the book stands on its own as well. ( )

I was introduced to John Connolly when I stumbled across The Book of Lost Things and became immersed in his fairy tale world set at the start of World War II, a coming of age story that I just can't stop recommending.

I was surprised to learn that Connolly has been writing the Charlie Parker crime series for years (how did I miss this?). The Lovers is the first one I've read and the eighth in the series. Though the book refers to previous events it can be read on its own, but I will definitely be going back to the first in the series and reading them in order.

Charlie Parker has a lot of ghosts in his life, the loss of his first wife and child in a brutal murder, his unresolved relationship with his current girlfriend and their two year old child, and his antagonistic relationship with the local police. In this book it is Parker's past and the unresolved questions of his father's suicide, as well as the events that surround it, that force him to track down his demons and those of Hell itself. Like Neil Gaimen, the characters created by Connolly are so carefully crafted that the supernatural is plausible. Perfect for all these stormy summer nights to read into the wee hours. ( )

It is time...yes my friends, time to rise, time to stand up and say proudly...."I like horror". Yes there will be those who mock, those who will cast you out. They will attack you with their vampire romance but you must be strong. To test your faith, I have a task for you. Go to your nearest bookshop, enter the crime section (no-one said it would be easy) and find John Connolly's books. Then you must move them, one by one and carefully place them in the horror section (if you can find it) and if anyone moves them back you must persist and return them to the horror section once again. Should you be challenged in your task, by a well meaning staff member perhaps, say only these words.."it's a horror novel".

You see, without wishing to cause civil unrest in your local Borders (although come to think of it, that might be fun) there is a serious point to be made here. John Connolly is one of my favourite authors and the reason I like him so much is that he injects his crime novels with a fair old dose of supernatural adrenalin. His writing has an edge, a darkness, it's on the borderlands but with The Lovers Connolly has crossed over to the darkside. The supernatural elements don't remain in the background here they are at the forefront, indeed without the spectre of the occult this book could not exist.

Charlie Parker is John Connolly's hero, a troubled, even broken man, his history is one filled with blood, death and loss. The previous books have detailed some of this history but have left several large boulders unturned. The Lovers fills in a few of these blanks and in particular the mystery surrounding the death of Parker's father. Why a seemingly mild mannered family man and respected police officer shot two, apparently innocent young people and then took his own life. I can't go into any detail without spoiling the book for you, suffice to say the answer explains much of the supernatural elements that have lurked in the pages of the previous books.

A word of caution though, if you are new to Charlie Parker then please start at the beginning and work your way to this book. Start at Every Dead Thing and read them chronologically, yes you could probably read them out of sequence but if you do you won't get the full sense of mystery, the subtle hints at something deeper. Without that history this book would be much weaker as it is though it is an immense achievement, tying up several loose ends in dramatic and unexpected fashion whilst at the same time unravelling a few other areas of mystery which will no doubt lead us deeper down the supernatural rabbit hole (I can't wait).

So highly recommended this is the book which finally gets to the soul of Charlie Parker and does it with style, inventiveness, vivid characterisation and beautiful prose. In my mind Connolly keeps getting better with each book and seems to be getting the rewards he deserves in terms of sales (currently No4 in Tesco Book charts just ahead of Michael Jackson: Life Of A legend!). So, on second thoughts, maybe we shouldn't upset the applecart, leave the public to appreciate the nuances and skill of a great horror writer, even if they do think they are reading a crime novel. ( )