The Black Angel (Charlie Parker Series #5)

Awesome

This was the first book I read. It was so awesome. I had to make myself put the book down to go to sleep at night. I would recommend this book to anyone. this is a book i will reread.

Not his best work

I have read John Connolly Charlie Parker series 1 through 5. Up to this point I have had pretty good luck with his writing, save a couple of parts in #4 (The White Road) where it really dragged. I was expecting for John to get back to his characters individual originality. Charlie, Angel, Louis and other key character backgrounds have been given in enough detail in the past 4 books that we should be able to step right into the adventure. The Black Angel is filled with historical fiction to the point of my skipping about 50 pages in part 3. Don't get me wrong, the writing is exceptional and Johns ability to intermingle historical with his fictional writing is great, but if I wanted a history, I would read history.

Really great book

This is one of those stories that grabbed my attention and kept it. If you love books of mystery, you will love it.

Was so interested in the characters and the plot I had to go and get the previous Charlie Parker series to understand more about the characters. Don't get me wrong, this is a stand alone novel but just wanted to get as many details about the characters, leading up to this point. Just loved to see a story where a mother will go through all kinds of experiences, not all good, for her child.

Thanks John!!

A reviewer

I just finished reading this book by John Connolly and I have to say that this story moves all over the place. Let me tell you that I read a lot, I mean a lot fokes, and I found out that this story in places is a bit difficult to follow, because the auther is jumping around a lot in his story line. I think he had a good story in mind when he was writing it, but I'm telling you kind readers that this book needed a little more editing. If I was the editor of this book I would be saying to Connolly 'John YOU SEEM TO HAVE A GOOD IDEA FOR A STORY HERE BUT YOU SEEM TO BE IN QUICKSAND THE LAST HALF OF THE BOOK'. So as you can see readers my opinion is that the auther had a good idea for a story here, but got to loose with his story. He seems to have tried to bring all the story lines togeather in the end to make the story flow, but as far as I'm concerned he did not pull it off

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sorry John...this one stunk

I am a HUGE fan of this author, and when I read his earlier works White Road, Bad Men, Killing Kind and the others, I couldnt WAIT until this came out...and was SO dissapointed. It seems like he tried way to hard to put together a story from the Dark Ages to present day and jumped back and forth way too often with way to many supplemental characters trying to make it work. His earlier works were simplistic and sharp and focused. This now has me hoping he hasn't started turning into a James Patterson...a guy writing just to satisfy his publishing house.

This One's Out There

I have read and enjoyed all the Charlie Parker novels. In past novels Connolly walks the line on the fantasy/believeability factor. In this newer effort, he's really out there. The series makes the leap into fantasy as far as I'm concerned, and that's not a good thing.

snoozing

I'm on page 216 (paperback) and so far this book is boring. Seems fairly good in the beginning. My first J. Connolly book and probably the last. On and on about what its like to be a pimp in the Bronx. Like no-one knows what a pimp is. And Plot?! what happened to it. Now I'm into some boring lecture about east europe and churches. Mr. Connolly need to know how to blend history and suspense togther. I feel like I'm in some awful history class. What am I missing? Again page 216 and what has actually 'happened' could have been writeen in about 30.......waste of money

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

the black angel, thrown out of heaven's gate..

the story is soo cool.. i wasn't able to put down this book.. it's that kind of book that'll make you want to finish it in one seating.. a page-turner that is.. dark and full of suspense.. apocrypha is soo true.. john connolly was able to turn every page into a part of charlie parker's mind.. full of mysteries, dead-ends and a possible discovery of his existence..

It doesnt get any better.

A dark, dark fascinating and riveting novel.........Has my vote for the best thriller of the year...........Mr. Connolly, can you top this one? Can hardly wait for the next book.

Amazing...

This book is amazing, It hooks you right away, and will take you down with it, while you sit up late at night reading trying to get more out of it's wonderful story. IT has my vote of 5 stars. It was a great book and everyone who has a good taste in books should read it.

Literary thriller

Titles can be revealing. How could, for instance, THE WIZARD OF OZ be anything but a children¿s fantasy? A CHORUS LINE needs no further explanation. And THE BLACK ANGEL? It is, as you might guess, an immersion in a dark world of fallen angels, violence, and greed, where life after life ends with an absence of mourning, where the innocent suffer, and where the best men can do may not be good enough. Private detective Charlie Parker knows he may fail in his search for a missing young woman. Despite the pleas of his lover to stay home with their infant daughter, Parker heads to the grittiest streets New York offers and finds death everywhere he turns. The once-simple search escalates into a battle between good and a horrifying evil--about which Parker seems to know a little too much. The unrelenting darkness of THE BLACK ANGEL (moments of levity can be counted on your fingers) makes it a questionable choice for late night reading, particularly if a gusting wind is tap-tap-tapping branches against the window. Connolly takes the reader on a fast ride, each chapter sinking you deeper into his altogether believable--though not overly pleasant--fictional world. Stylistic, introspective, and occasionally narrative-heavy, this isn¿t your typical thriller. Written in a lyrical tone reminiscent of James Lee Burke, THE BLACK ANGEL is a creature formed by a master of the craft.

Another terrific Parker tale

Charlie ¿Bird¿ Parker thought he overcame the brutal murders of his wife and daughter by quitting as a NYPD detective, returning to his home of Portland, Maine and especially since he forged a new relationship with psychologist Rachel. They share a home and have a newborn boy Sam. Still Charlie senses the ghosts of his deceased spouse and daughter linger nearby......................... The Woman arrived by bus to pound the streets of Portland, Maine searching for her missing daughter Alice with no success. Feeling desperate, the Woman crashes Sam¿s christening seeking her nephew, Louis, who failed to watch over Alice as he promised her........................ Charlie and Louis accompanied by the latter¿s boyfriend Angel begin inquiries to find Alice. However, they quickly learn that Alice, a heroin using prostitute, was part of a gang that stole a fragment of a sixteenth century Christian map that if all the pieces are put together would mark the spot in Eastern Europe where a fallen angel was allegedly hidden. A simple missing person¿s case turns internationally dangerous as various groups want to possess the angel; each expects Charlie to work for them or else be dispatched to his next life sooner............................ Charlie really soars in this exciting tale in which his fans and his two cohorts traveling with him to find a missing woman and instead end up in the Czech Republic seeking the BLACK ANGEL. The support cast is as usual way out enhancing Charlie¿s investigation by interfering, recruiting, or misinforming him. On the personal side, Rachel and Sam have left him as the blood and gore that seems to be a magnet for the beleaguered hero overwhelms the doc. This is another terrific Parker tale that readers will appreciate............... Harriet Klausner

Another Winner from John Connolly

In The Black Angel, Charlie Parker has tried to settle down with Rachel and their new baby girl, Sam and stay away from more dangerous cases. However, due to Charlie¿s nature this is proving very difficult and he cannot say no when his friend, Louis needs help in locating his missing niece. The niece, Alice, is a drug addicted prostitute who had moved to New York and Louis had tried to keep an eye out for but she refused his help. Now the guilt of her disappearance is wearing heavily on him. As they begin to investigate the disappearance of Alice, they soon find themselves immersed in the investigation of a group know as the ¿The Believers¿ and collectors of Biblical apocrypha and other assorted items that you would not find in normal collections of art. Her disappearance is linked to a church of bones in Eastern Europe and the disappearance and on going search for a silver statue known as The Black Angel. The Black Angel is said to be the twin of another fallen angel and was immersed in Silver while changing form from human to otherworldly during a fight with a monk and subsequently hidden from the forces of evil that would release him. The Black Angel is steeped in myth. No one knows whether it truly exists or merely a legend or if it is actually real and alive. It is a priceless piece that is quite sought after by many collectors who are willing to kill for it. As usual, John Connolly has outdone himself in The Black Angel. He weaves together a fascinating tale bringing together the past and the present in ways no other author is able to do. This is a book one just does not want to put down and yet you just do not want the story to end either. Once again, Charlie must put at risk having a normal personal life in order to fight battles with evil forces that he cannot seem to walk away from. Louis and Angel are right there with him, as usual, to help when the bad guys out number him. I absolutely loved this book, as I have all of John¿s previous works, and I would highly recommend this novel as it is a fast paced thriller that you have no idea where the next chapter is going to take you.

A Tough But Rewarding Read

Trying to review The Black Angel presents an interesting dilemma. On the positive side, John Connolly is a very talented writer and his use of the Book of Enoch as a background text for a book set in these apocalyptic times is nothing short of a brilliant idea. I was impressed with the theological and philosophical issues so much that I wish he had developed them further. On the negative, the dark tone and violence may make you feel like someone trying to wade through Angela's Ashes while suffering from a severe case of postpartum depression. It is an ordeal. Ordeal or not, the book is a compelling thriller with a fascinating plot line and interesting less-evil against very-evil characters. The hero, Charlie Parker, and his associates Louie and the Angel have obviously been through some hard times together. So have Brightwood and the fallen angels. Charlie is tormented by visions of a lost family and has difficulty relating in his current relationship. Louie is searching for a lost relative. Brightwood et al are in the final stages of a search that will eventually result in the freeing of his leader and a takeover of earth. To do so they must reassemble a map that has been hidden in various places at some time in the 14th Century. Each side is willing to kill to accomplish their goals. It is just this easy violence that I found most disturbing throughout the story. Even the final confrontation seems detached. It also seemed rushed. At the same time I was more than willing to buy into the background story set in Czechoslavakia during the 14th Century and World War II. And as a dealer in collectibles I enjoyed the auction scenes. In short, five positives and one negative add up to a 4 star performance in my book.

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