The Reapers

A Charlie Parker Mystery

By: John Connolly

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Charlie Parker Returns in a tale of settling blood debts - past, present, and future.

As a small boy, Louis witnesses an unspeakable crime that takes the life of a member of his small, Southern community. He grows up, moves on, but is forever changed by the cruel and brutal nature of the act. It lights a fire deep within him that burns white and cold.

Now, years later, the sins of his life are reaching into his present, bringing with them the buried secrets and half-forgotten acts of his past. Someone is hunting him, targeting his home, his businesses, and his partner, Angel. The instrument of revenge is Bliss, a killer of killers, the most feared of assassins. Bliss is a Reaper, a lethal tool to be applied toward the ultimate end, but he is also a man with a personal vendetta. Hardened by their pasts, Louis and Angel decide to strike back. But when they mysteriously disappear, their friends are forced to band together to find them. They are led by private detective Charlie Parker, a killer himself, a Reaper in waiting.

Connolly creates a world where everyone is corrupt, murderers go unpunished, but betrayals are always avenged. The Reapers is sure to terrify and transfix.

More mayhem? Listen to another Charlie Parker mystery.

©2008 John Connolly (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Connolly has crafted one of the most darkly intriguing books this reviewer has encountered in more than three decades of reading crime fiction.... To call this a page-turner is to damn it with faint praise. Veteran crime fans will want to savor every note-perfect word. " ( Booklist)

One of my favorites…

The Reapers is one of my favorite in the Charlie Parker series. Bravo Mr. Connolly! And I much prefer listening to George Guidall than the others that narrate the other Charlie Parker books.

Poor Willy

Better than dying of old decrepit age in a nursing home. My 4rth time listening.

Hard to get into

This story has been very difficult to get into and keep the timeline straight as it is constantly going to flashbacks requiring the listener to back up and try to reorient. I do find my mind drifting more than usual requiring me, again, to back up and refocus. It is very slow and very difficult to make one even care much about the characters. I have liked other John Connolly stories but this one isn't his best.

So so story hard to follow

Would you try another book from John Connolly and/or George Guidall?

Would try another to see if easier to follow

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Ending left a lot of loose ends

Would you listen to another book narrated by George Guidall?

The narrator did an okay job

Could you see The Reapers being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

As a movie it would be hard to follow what was going on

Don’t miss this one!

One of the best entries in the great Charlie Parker series. Terrific book for a summer’s reading list.

Great!

Enjoyed the story, narration and the inside look into Louis and Angel's relationship. Good character development is really where the author shines.

I love John Connolly

I love John Connolly's books---and I am especially fond of Louis and Angel. That's why this audio book was a disappointment. The story is great but the narration falls flat. In several places(especially in the second half) it sounds like it was dubbed over by someone trying to sound like Mr. Guidall. The reader has a fine voice but had some trouble staying in voice for Louis (mostly ok though) but never really got a handle on Angel's voice. At times he sounded like Detective Colombo trying to do a Cheech Marin imitation. I liked how he voiced Parker and his Willie Brew and Varno were great.

Good read but difficult to follow at times

This was a good read but there was so much going on that it was difficult to follow at times. From the beginning to the end, I was a little bit lost on the characters and what they were doing and how they fit into the story.

Great story, AWFUL NARRATION

Charlie Parker has a small role in this book. It is a great story about Louis and Angel. The Narration however is horrible.

Interesting, but not especially gripping

My first John Connelly, probably not my last. I would have liked a little more meat to the story and a little more development of characters, but overall a good listen.

A little bleak, but that is just personal preference as I like my audible books to be a little more hopeful in the end no matter how dark the subject. May be a better book to read than listen as sometimes a reader distracts me from what I envision in this type of story.