Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, chilling read
Review: I'll be looking for the next books from this author. I'd put him in the ranks with Michael Connelly, Sandford, and Harris (the earlier books). Connolly has some really beautiful writing in this book, a literary savor that gives dimension to a gruesome tale. Rich, atmospheric style and setting. Well drawn characters. Only 4 stars because I thought a tighter plot, with fewer characters, would have been more effective. The book could have used somewhat tighter writing in general (we don't need to visit the town house of the villain who has moved to the country plantation, however atmospheric). That's on it's own terms. Compared to the genre in general, it's a 5.
Rating: 
Summary: Strong debut, not for the faint of stomach!
Review: Interesting, gruesome, violent story about Charlie "Bird" Parker, a New York cop who's life is destroyed by a creepy serial killer called the Traveling Man. I found the story to be very interesting, with a good plot and good characters. Some of the prose, however, was too dense for my taste. The description (in places) slowed the pace down and detracted from the tension. Thrillers need to move fairly steadily in order to keep the reader tightly-wound and this book slipped in a few spots.I do recommend it, though, to anyone who can stomach the violence! There are definitely some gruesome parts. (Such things don't bother me, but I realize that some are more sensitive.) A solid debut for a first novel (from an Irishman writing about the American South no less!). --David Montgomery, Mystery Ink
Rating: 
Summary: Utterly Stunning
Review: When former New York cop "Bird" Parker's wife and child are hideously murdered, Bird's life is turned upside down in every way. Suddenly sober and no longer a cop, Bird is taking a few unlicensed PI cases when he is hired to locate a missing woman. As one clue leads straight to another, Bird is firmly convinced that the case of the missing woman is linked to the killing of his family. And so the hunt is on. The action moves from New York City to a small, insular town in Virginia, to New Orleans and the dank and murky swamps of south Louisiana. The psychic visions imparted to Bird by an elderly blind woman living in bayou country are only the beginning of this stunningly chilling novel. As more people die and old bodies surface, the evidence is unmistakable that they all died at the same hands and that Bird, with the assistance of local police, the FBI, and assorted miscreants of his own choosing, is on the trail of a horrific serial killer. The characters are wonderfully 3-dimensional, the imagery is simply stunning, and the suspense is unrelenting as Bird is forced to not only try and remain alive by out-maneuvering the killer but to confront the dichotomy of his own nature. The conclusion of this dark and disturbing novel is, in a word, breathtaking. It is true that the violent nature of the story is graphically depicted, but it is crucial to the story and thus not gratuitous. It is the nature of the genre. I am astonished that this is Mr. Connolly's first novel and anticipate with great relish the gift of his next.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally good
Review: This book hits the ground running and the pace never lets up. I loved the 2 story in one idea, i found it original and a gripping read. His second book DARK HOLLOW is just as good, and i am about to start his third THE KILLING KIND . All featuing Bird, Louis, and Angel .
Rating: 
Summary: Gratuitous gore, choppy abridgement - bad combination
Review: Maybe it is better on the printed page, but the abridged tape of this Shamus First Novel winner left me cold. Maybe the editors chose to leave all of the gorey, grusome aspects of the book in the abridgement and deleted the "normal" stuff. In all events, my husband (a former policeman/army officer) didn't seem to mind the gore and maybe you won't either. It reminded me a great deal of some of the recent Cornwell efforts in terms of the kinky, bloody aspects. Still, we both found the taped abridgement to be choppy and confusing. One can only hope that the paper version lacks these problems.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent, exciting, great read
Review: As soon as I finished this book, I logged onto to Amazon to see when his next book was coming out. Connolly has created great characters, a fascinating story, and in some amazing way takes his time telling it and at the same time makes it a page turner. It is intelligent, and assumes it's readers are also (very refreshing). Okay, so there are some gruesome moments, but really nothing worse than in Thomas Harris or Stephen King. (Also a much better book than Harris' last). It really keeps you guessing until the end. I thought I had it figured out, but then I started doubting it, and was never sure. LOVE THAT! So, because I'm brilliant, you should take my advice and read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic First
Review: I don't understand anyone NOT liking this book. I slept with the lights on for 3 nights while reading it. Although it is true that it is very gory, it is no more gory than any Thomas Harris novel. This is a real page-turner with complicated characters and twisting storylines. If you like Harris, you'll like Connolly because the Traveling Man is every bit as horrifying as Hannibal Lector! Don't take anyone's word for it, just read it and decide for yourself. You may scare yourself silly!
Rating:
Summary: Connolly sets the standard for the future.
Review: I heard about this book from a friend who told me to get it at all costs, I'm glad he did. John Connolly makes me proud to be Irish. This is simply the best Serial Killer novel I have ever read. Connolly not only chills us with his dark and gruesome imagination, but with details and memorable characters that are absolutely essential to the storyline. He shocks us by using children as the victims of the first Serial Killers. He magnificently blends two stories using no less than three Serial Killers, each one proving to be more gruesome than the first. The story shows the main character as a man who has just lost his wife and child, coming to grips with their deaths by using his influence and contacts to avenge them, while fighting his need to have a drink. It involves other characters such as, a gay assassin you do not want to get on the bad side of, his lover, a professional burglar, Crime bosses who just love killing and a romantic interest in the shape of a criminal psychiatrist. This book has everything you could want and more, it may be a little bit graphic but detail is what makes a book standout and that's what this book does. Connolly sets the standard for future writers of the macabre, it's going to take alot to outdo this book. I can smell the film already.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible!
Review: John Connoly's Every Dead Thing is a huge dissappointment to mystery books everywhere! I got so bored with this book, I couldn't wait to finish it and put it on my "horrible" book shelf. If you want to read a good book, I suggest you read Bloodline by Jill Jones. Bloodline has love, romance, mystery, terror, and twists all the way through the end of the book. DON'T READ THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: There are very few sensational detective novels. This almost makes it -- interesting idea, intriguing location, well-written and well-plotted. A little awkward in parts but Connolly has superb characters and is a great storyteller. A fine book.
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