Review: The Reapers (Charlie Parker #7)

4 stars. I know what to expect now from a Charlie Parker book - what to look forward to, and what to prepare for. Still, after seven of these, I'm as drawn to this world as I am tired of its drawbacks. Despite the draggy middle, weighted tangents, and the wavering, non-linear journey we have to take to get to the fucking point, I was addicted to The Reapers - I loved the fresh angle, the crunchy characters, and the sense of time and place. It got my heart pounding. 

Louis and Angel take the front seat here. Louis faces a dangerous double threat from his past - the father of one of his victims, and a fellow assassin whose betrayal years ago set off a vicious cycle of revenge and violence. With the help of Detective Parker and the familiar cavalry, Louis and Angel face impossible odds in a bloody confrontation, wrestling with their trauma and unforgivable sins along the way. 

I want to commend Connolly for - for the most part - giving a cushion to those of us with less than perfect memory. There are a lot of character and plot threads in each book, and any time I felt lost or confused here he filled in the gaps sufficiently. Even if he retconned a few things I wouldn't mind, because he keeps me afloat and able to grasp the rules - and the history - of the game. I suppose that's par for the course with a long series. I think it's worth mentioning.

There is, truly, so much good writing here. The dark humor, the intricate way he pieces together the puzzle, the honestly unpredictable elements, and of course, the disturbing nature of his antagonists. It's impressive and compelling and very True Detective-y. I miss the lush way he incorporates the supernatural - hoping for more of that in the future - but this is still a very good time, with a very satisfying ending.

It says something that even after spending all of my holiday gift cards on books (a very long and delightfully torturous process that I treasure once a year), I turned away from all of my new shiny objects and wanted to curl up in Charlie Parker's world instead. And I'm still eager for more.

The Reapers on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads