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The Reapers: A Thriller
The Reapers: A Thriller
The Reapers: A Thriller
Audiobook11 hours

The Reapers: A Thriller

Written by John Connolly

Narrated by George Guidall

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

Darkly brilliant and intuitive private detective Charlie Parker returns in the next thrilling installment of the New York Times bestselling series by John Connolly about an elite group of killers.

The Reapers are the elite of killers, the best at their trade, and Louis, confidante of troubled private detective Charlie Parker, is one of their number. Now the sins of his past are about to be visited upon him, for someone is hunting Louis, targeting his home, his businesses, and his partner, Angel. The instrument of his revenge is Bliss, the killer of killers, the most feared of assasins, and a man with a personal vendetta against Louis.

But when Louis and Angel decide to strike back, they disappear, and their friends are forced to band together to find them. They are led by Parker, a killer himself, a reaper in waiting...

The harvest is about to begin.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 8, 2011
ISBN9781442342811
The Reapers: A Thriller
Author

John Connolly

John Connolly was born in Dublin in 1968. He worked as a bartender, local government official and journalist before publishing his first novel, Every Dead Thing, in 1999. He is the winner of a number of literary prizes for his work, including the Edgar, Shamus and Anthony awards, and a CWA Dagger.

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Reviews for The Reapers

Rating: 3.9604431145569623 out of 5 stars
4/5

316 ratings29 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very good mystery. Good plot. Very good audio reader. I recommend highly
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Not one of his best, I found this very slow moving, even by Banks' standard & not enough plot twists or crazy characters to fill the gaps. Not awful but definitely not gripping either.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A first foray into the world of Iain Banks for me and, whilst the story gripped and the language sparkled, by the end I was just a little disappointed. It seemed to me that the novel couldn't decide whether it was a family saga, a murder mystery or a tartan clad bildungsroman, and while all these elements were enjoyable and well written, they never quite gelled into a completely satisfying novel. I think I would have enjoyed hearing less from Prentice and more from Kenneth, exploding Granny McHoan, Fergus and Uncle Rory. And for a novel that toys interestingly with the line between fiction and reality I was expecting more ambiguity by the end as opposed to the rather conventional conclusion that Banks delivers. I'd also gripe that the female characters remained vague and a touch lifeless and that the plot rests on an excessively massive coincidence.But I'm moaning too much about a book which kept me entertained and made me think for all of its 400 odd pages.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent book. It's a wonderful blend of serious drama, comedy (some dark, some not), and just life in general. Scotland and Scottish-ness pours out of this book, and I loved every moment of reading it. Pity there's not a sequel to it! Writing-wise, I really enjoyed Banks' fluid use of time and perspective. Jumping backwards and forward in time, coupled with the changes in perspective, kept things fresh, and made me appreciate Prentice's (the main character) voice even more.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is just amazing. I love the writing style and the storyline is so very interesting! I found so many wonderful quotes in this story that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    At first the synopsis on the book's inside flap had me me worrying that this book would be Angel-and-Louis-less, but to my delight, they were the ones carrying the show for 90% of the book. Charlie Parker is a side-character here, mostly referred to as "The Detective" (even though we learn that he has lost his private detective's license). Despite focusing on my favorite characters in the series, though, this book lacks some of the excellent writing that Connolly usually delivers.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An excellent piece of story telling, with good strong characters and a plot that draws you in until you're wholly engaged.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Generally speaking, I am not fond of books that have no plot. So, while written well and convincing, this book is just an ongoing report on people's lives, less 'radical' than James Kelman, another Scottish writer, but neither of them able to capture my interest.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Prentice McHoan returns home to his exploding grandmother's funeral and trudges through his family history to figure out what happened to his disappeared Uncle Rory, which woman he should love, and whether God exists - all the ponderings helpfully aided by healthy doses of malt whisky and weed. It's a sprawling saga this, with a multitude of threads being presented seemingly haphazardly until they slowly get tied together and the whole pattern eventually reveals itself. Told from multiple characters' point of view and jumping back and forth in time, the voice of this family saga/love story/mystery doesn't waver and, although it gives it a coherent story arc, it makes for an occasionally monotonous read, but not one that's tempting to abandon - Prentice and his family are human enough with all their flaws and foibles to keep the reader interested. It has some passages that are absolutely riveting and beautifully written with quite a few poignant and heartfelt discussions, as well as some passages that display a seriously dark sense of humor. Although this will not become one of my favorite reads (besides a few genius passages), I became enamored enough with Banks' style and morbid sense of humor that I will have to seek out more of his non-Sci-Fi writing.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Written with zest, a story of family relationships, crystallizing social attitudes in late 20th Century Scotland.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This novel is multi-facted: a mystery, a panoramic history of Scotland, at times a side-splitting comedy, yet also a touching love story. Essentially the book centres on life on the West coast of Scotland and shows how one can never whooly shed one's past, however ardently one might strive to reinvent oneself.Perhaps this masterpiece came rather too early in Banks's career as he have never come close to emulating the all-round splendour of this book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    When this book is on form, it is stupendous. But there were several very long sequences (notably those involving children) which were too cute by half, and as a result, highly unconvincing. Worse, very few of these sequences actually had any bearing on the plot itself, and the two which did, could have been delivered in BRIEF, flashbacks, from the POV of an adult. Writing from a child's POV is a very tricky business to pull off without being completely patronising, and to me, the Crow Road suffers badly from this. But some of the stuff which is told from an older POV are truly outstanding, and I would have happily given those 10 stars in places if I could have.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great characters and inspired dialogue and the usual intriguing plot.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Possibly my favourite book of all time. Don't think I will ever get tired of it, and in Ashley he has created one of my favourite female characters too. No mean feat.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I did not find this book to be particularly compelling, and found myself wondering what it was about it that resulted in it being placed on the 1001 books to read before you die list. It was a so-so story about a quirky Scottish family.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Just finished this and absolutely loved it. The only other Banks novel I'd read was The Wasp Factory, so to be honest I had no idea what to expect from The Crow Road but after one reading it's now in my top 10 books. A superb effort.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read a lot of books, I like fantasy, romance and some non-fictionI work as a librarian, I'm an avid knitter. I collect Dragons, fountain pens, notebooks and filofaxes. And Yarn, lots and lots of yarn.Assassins ahoy1:52 pm 18 October 2017 The Reapers - John Connollyperipherally a Charlie Parker story, this is more about Louis and Angel; mostly about Louis and his past and what happens when that catches up with them both. A wealthy recluse sends Louis and Angel on a mission to a town where things aren't as they seem and where they find themselves in serious danger. Charlie Parker has to come to their rescue but things are quite perilous and survival won't be easy. This will make and break relationships. Not so much of the supernatural but a lot of assassins and killers being brutal to each other. I liked Willie, the mechanic and his story drew me in (as I'm sure the author intended). There was a great piece: "When the three men had gone, Brooker sat silently at his kitchen table while his wife rolled dough behind him, and tried to ignore the waves of disapproval that were breaking upon his back." (p. 336 in my edition) I liked the imagery. There were some very gory parts to this... not for the squeamish, the relish some of the characters had for killing was chilling.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a great read. Finally we find out a bit more about Louis and Angels backstory. The book really belongs to them but Parker is there for them at the end. In a way the story is a sad one as you get to see the fallout of Louis’s, Angels and Parker’s actions on those who come in contact with them. Friend and foe alike.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When I started reading this book, after a few pages I wanted to give it up. It was simply not the kind of a book I would enjoy. However, there was something in the Connolly's writing that kept me reading one more page and then another and suddenly I was hooked. I do admit that even after I finished it I had my doubts about the story. I didn't like the brutality, so many people killed in such an easy fashion. But I loved the author's style. He is simply a great narrative who knows how to describe his characters. I particularly liked how he spent so much time describing minor characters who only a few sentences later ended up dead. And there was this brilliant subtle humour which made the otherwise brutal story seem human. At the end I actually trully enjoyed reading this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It is beautifully written as always. There is no supernatural this time around, simply high-octane suspense. The narrative presents many characters, all of them interesting, all of them crucial to the plot. I love the way that John Connolly presents every character as if he was the lead of the story. Within a few pages, we know the back story of every major and secondary characters, which in turns makes us feel a part of the story. It's not simply a kill in the end when someone dies. Some might feel as though these descriptions are too much, filler, but they serve their purpose. Every character becomes known to us which, in turns, makes their eventual doom more striking. Although the book is short (especially compared to Connolly's other books) this is one of his best. It was great to learn Angel and Louis's past and to see them take the lead for once. The sections of the novel that gives us Louis's past are written in a very cinematic way. But the real pleasure was the last 50 pages or so. The finale is so intense, so well plotted that it will leave you feeling breathless.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have read a few John Connolly, in the Charlie Parker series, I liked that this one dwelved into the past of Lewis, and that Charlie Parker only had a side role. It was interesting to see how he had become who he is and also how he might ran his business. A very entertaining book, a fast read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I doubt that Connolly ever had the idea that he would do an entire book dedicated to Louis and Angel. That being said, I had hoped early on that this book would eventually exist.

    In The Reapers, long time associates of Charlie Parker, Louis and Angel, get their own novel. Louis and Angel have recently fallen into the cross hairs of a rival long thought dead. A former colleague of Louis, Bliss, has returned to seek his vengeance against those who brutally disfigured him, leaving him for dead years ago. However, Louis and Angel are unaware of his resurgence, accepting a job from a wealthy criminal recluse who asks them to take out his longtime rival. The pair goes missing during said job and it's up to their friends, led by Parker to find them.

    This novel is refreshing in so many ways from the previous Parker installments. Gone is the first person narrative, gone are the supernatural aspects and for the most part, gone is Charlie Parker himself. Having already explored a lot of Angel's history in the earlier books, Connolly dives deep into Louis' upbringing and the circumstances that led him down his path in life. Told through flashbacks, Connolly shapes Louis through his first kill and his subsequent recruitment of a man known as Gabriel. This man becomes Louis' father figure, molding him into a "Reaper"; a hit man.

    I really enjoyed the back story on Louis, I felt like it's long overdue and without a doubt, he's grown to become my favorite character in the Parker series. He's written with such passion; Connolly paints him as a consistent professional but with a dry sense of humor that is just awesome. The novel also goes into detail the lengths that Louis and Angel take to maintain their lifestyle. Louis does a lot of his business through shell companies and pre-paid, disposable cell phones, trying not to deal with anyone directly unless absolutely necessary, even paying homeless people to pay bills and acquire new phones with pre-paid calling cards. It's pretty slick.

    Parker's role was perfect, leading a rag tag group of allies to aid Louis and Angel upon their disappearance. I'm growing to love Parker's hired goons, the Fulci brothers. Their associate, Jackie Garner (hired by the Fulci brothers to take care of their business affairs), had one of the better moments in the series leaving me laughing out loud.

    I'm so glad Connolly decided to give Louis and Angel their own entry in the long running Parker series. I'm hoping that he one day decides to give them another kick at the can. I'll try not to be greedy though - I'll take as many Parker books that Connolly will throw at me.

    Cross posted @ Every Read Thing
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was different to my normal reads, but I found the change more pleasant than usual. The book is well written with a brutally cold edge to the descriptions that chill to the bone. A perfect, cold thrill.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    a brilliant read
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I have read other books writing by John Connolly including ones in the Charlie Parker series and found this one lacking. This book took the supporting cast and put them smack dab at the center of the story. The twist of putting Louis and Angel in the lead grabbed my attention at first but this didn’t last. The story started slow, flowed in the middle and the end was anticlimactic and expected. I felt the flashbacks to Louis’s past which were intended to develop the character actually slowed the story down and I actually started skimming over some of them. When Charlie Parked (and motley crew) were introduced into the story it felt forced and unnatural. This book was not one of my favorites but I will give John Connolly and Charlie Parker another chance. I have not figured out how to give half stars yet so I guess this would be 2 out of 5 for me.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I had forgotten how much depth there is in this series. Except it kind of petered out in the end. I enjoyed the alliance the Louis and Angel maintained with the mechanics Willie and Arno, and of course the Fulci brothers are great fun. In the end, however, it is just petty killers going after each other. None of the moral seriousness that characterizes the first part of the book, with its discussion of Sundown Towns, informs the ending.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In "The Reapers," John Connolly has given his readers some background on the history of Charlie Parker's humorous, homosexual sidekicks.Someone is after Louis because of something he saw when he was just a teenageer.Louis had a tragic childhood where his mother was murdered and then the killer returned to do more harm to other family members. Some of the evil that was done to Louis was due to racial hatred and this changed Louis from a shy boy into a cold blooded killer.The person hunting Louis is a man named Bliss. Bliss is known as a killer of killers, hence, a reaper. In his hunt for Louis, he targets not only Louis himself, but Louis' friend Angel, Louis' home and his business.In a departure that demonstrates John Connolly's versatility, it isn't Charlie Parker who is the central protagonist but his friend Louis. In fact, Parker makes only a tangential appearance in the later part of the story.There are no heroes in this dark story. The central characters are all men who have gotten to where they are through killings or having someone kill for them. The only decent character is a man named Willie who is the lone honorable man with a significant role in the story.The plot, as always with Connolly, is highly original and the characters of Louis and Angel are two of the more unique characters in literature today. The level of suspense was not as refined as the other Charlie Parker novels but overall the story was entertaining.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    THE REAPERS takes the reader into the shadowy world of a set of professional killers called Reapers. Louis and his partner Angel are Reapers, drawn into a trap. Excellent writing,plenty of action, a great book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I must go back and read Connolly's earler works after experiencing The Reapers. It was a briliant idea to center the novel around what had been his protagonist's supporting cast: Louis and Angel. A tremendous read. An enthusiastic 4.5 satrs.