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The Reapers (Abridged): A Thriller Audiobook
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(3.00) - 2,257 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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.
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"This is a book in John Connolly's Charlie Parker series, but ostensibly it is really the story of Louis, Parker's enigmatic friend and colleague. When he was a young man, Louis witnessed a horrible race related hate crime, and then committed a crime of his own by avenging the death of his mother. Louis' mixture of intelligence and ruthlessness brings him to the attention to a man named named Gabriel who ran an elite group of contract killers called The Reapers. During his years as a contract killer, Louis ran amok from a fellow Reaper called Bliss, and the heart of the story is the attempt by Bliss to avenge himself against Louis. Louis had long since left the world of contract killing, settling into marginally more legal activities with his lover Angel. But when Gabriel re-enters his life prompting one last mission, Louis and Angel are caught in a deadly web of deceit and lies. This was a very well written novel, filling in the back story in one of the most interesting side characters of the series. Following Louis from a young man to a killer and then retirement takes a whole new slant on the series. Also you get into some of the other character's minds and learn what they think of Parker and his adventures. Parker does appear in person at the end of the novel, but Connolly keeps him in the third person, like a well known person reflected in a distant mirror. This isn't the place to start with this excellent series, because the narrative depends on quite a bit of back story from the previous novels. But this marks an excellent diversion in the series, changing the point of view and perspective and momentarily dropping the supernatural tinge that permeates the Parker centered novels to excellent effect."
— Tim (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Never less than graceful and assured, [Connolly’s] writing is often lyrical, but in his portrait of the Fulci brothers, he employs humor and panache that recalls Trevanian at his snarkiest. 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 -
“Powerful, disturbing prose…New fans will be searching Connolly’s backlist to find out more.”
— Omaha World-Herald -
“The past comes back with a vengeance in bestseller Connolly’s unsettling eighth novel to feature ex-NYPD detective turned disgraced PI Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker…rich prose and compelling plot.”
— Publishers Weekly
The Reapers Listener Reviews
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" in this second in the charlie parker series, his two "friends" on the other side of the law, are sent to a small maine town, where they end up being hunted by n old enemy. we find out a lot about their respective pasts, and why they have ended up where they are in life. as with all of connolly's novels, this one is graphic and violent. not for the squeanish. "
— Paula, 2/8/2014 -
" a bit wordy, to many characters. "
— Charlie, 1/10/2014 -
" not much Parker action but lots about Louis' past. less spiritual than some of the others. good action, good pace "
— Coki, 1/8/2014 -
" A good thriller. Not so much Charlie Parker in this book which mainly follows Louis and Angel. We get a lot of back story on Louis in this book and it is good to see where he came from. "
— Steve, 1/1/2014 -
" As always, John Connolly's way of writing tops everything else. I just love the way he weaves his stories together. The Reapers was no exception to his previous books (i.e. marvellous!). It was interesting to follow Angel and Louis for a change, and to have Parker appear in another fashion. Smart move not letting Parker tell the story. Although, I must admit I miss his dark point of view at times. But this was certainly a great book! "
— Karolina, 12/26/2013 -
" Beginning was slow which made it difficult to get into the story. Now I am enjoying the story. "
— Nathan, 11/28/2013 -
" I love the way Connolly writes, but this had a few too many useless killings for my liking. I guess the title should have given me a clue. "
— Kay, 11/21/2013 -
" As always, John Connolly's writing is impeccable. His other books easily rate five stars; this one was less only because it was almost solely about Louis and Angel, and I don't find them nearly as interesting as Parker. "
— Alisa, 10/27/2013 -
" The mind of the criminal is explored and exploited in this one. One of Connolly's strong points is his ability to inject humor in situations where you would least expect to find it. "
— Andy, 9/10/2013 -
" Disappointing. The supernatural element contained in previous books in the series was downplayed and the plot seemed like filler; as if JC couldn't think of a good Parker story to write so decide to kill time by exploring Louis backstory. "
— Rajit, 8/26/2013 -
" I just finished this one and I loved it! You get more perspective into Angel & Louis than ever before, a little less Charlie Parker. But a very good novel. Lots of violence, but if you can handle that, then highly recommended. "
— Sherry, 8/24/2013 -
" I had a really hard time with the first few chapters but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. Fair warning: it's very violent. Lots of guns, bad guys and blood. "
— Christianne, 4/17/2013 -
" Hard to keep my attention. "
— Tina, 4/16/2013 -
" The more books I read by John Connolly, the more I like him. Good stories with deep characters and lots of suspense. "
— Kelly, 10/26/2012 -
" I learned a lot more about Louis - another great book! "
— Patricia, 7/24/2012 -
" This was my firt John Connolly book. I really enjoyed the story and it provided a thrill to the end. I will look for more from this author "
— Joyce, 2/17/2012 -
" insight into louis and angel. how louis came about. not to much charlie parker "
— Hrn1947, 2/8/2012 -
" I always loved reading these, can't wait to see what the characters are up to next "
— Belinda, 5/15/2011 -
" Beginning was slow which made it difficult to get into the story. Now I am enjoying the story. "
— Nathan, 3/20/2011 -
" totally did not enjoy reading it, it did not get my attention in the first chapter. :( "
— Bridgette, 2/13/2011 -
" This was a pretty good book, but I was very impressed with the writing. Connolly has a way with words that makes me, as an author, feel somewhat inadequate. His prose is incredible. "
— John, 6/20/2010 -
" Actually, I did not finish this one. It's strange, unengaging, not worth the effort. "
— Pieta, 3/7/2010
About John Connolly
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Effing Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Princess Diana, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson, and received an Edgar Award, nine Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
About Jay O. Sanders
Jay O. Sanders began his acting career off-Broadway in Shakespearean roles then went on to appear in numerous films and television series, including Revolutionary Road, The Day after Tomorrow, and Kiss the Girls, based on the novel by James Patterson. He has narrated more than fifty audio books over the years, including the bestselling My Losing Season by Pat Conroy and Dean Koontz’s Dragon Tears and Mr. Murder. He also won six AudioFile Earphones Awards.