Bad Men
A Thriller
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4.5 • 40 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
New York Times bestselling author John Connolly masterfully intertwines mystery, emotion, violence, and the supernatural in this raw and gripping thriller.
He has been told the girl’s last words, and he feels unaccountably afraid. The dead ones. They were dead, but they had lights. Why do the dead need light?
Three hundred years ago, the settlers on the small Maine island of Sanctuary were betrayed to their enemies and slaughtered. Since then, the island has known peace. Until now. A gang of four men are descending on Sanctuary, intent on committing a brutal and relentless massacre. All that stands in their way are rookie police officer Sharon Macie and the strange, troubled officer Joe Dupree. But Joe is no ordinary policeman. He knows the island has been steeped in blood once and that it will never again tolerate the shedding of innocent blood. The band of killers who are set to desecrate Sanctuary will unleash the fury of its ghosts upon themselves and all who stand by them. On Sanctuary, all hell is about to break loose...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The long-dead, gray-skinned wraiths Connolly conjures up in this thriller with a supernatural twist are lighthearted sprites compared to the grotesque humans who maim, rape and kill their way through the gore-clotted story of horror and revenge. Connolly's usual protagonist, Charlie "Bird" Parker (The White Road; Dark Hollow; Every Dead Thing), makes only a brief appearance here, for which he should give heartfelt thanks. Off the coast of Maine, Dutch Island, known to the old-timers as Sanctuary, is cursed by the spirits of those who died in a savage slaughter there in the year 1693. In the present day, imprisoned murderer Edward Moloch dreams of an ancient land where he is a hunter bent on the massacre of his wife and the inhabitants of a small village. Moloch, the worst of the bad men of the title, escapes from prison and leaves a trail of mutilated victims behind as he searches for the wife who several years earlier betrayed him to police to escape his brutality. On Dutch Island, longtime native Joe Dupree, known as Melancholy Joe, is the oversize (7' 2" and 360 pounds) but gentle chief of police. He's developed a fondness for beautiful newcomer Marianne Elliott, and the feeling is mutual. Unfortunately, Marianne is Moloch's ex-wife and Moloch's on his way, leading a small gang of other very bad men. It's a terrifying story, the action brutal, grotesque and unrelentingly violent. Horrified readers will turn the last blood-soaked page wondering if they would have begun the first had they known what was coming. Think Thomas Harris by way of Stephen King: haunting, compelling, but not for the faint of heart. Forecast: Connolly lives in Ireland, but travels frequently in America to research his locations. His earlier novels have done well and built a nice base of fans with strong stomachs who like their thrillers as cold and dark as the grave.
Customer Reviews
OMG
I was hesitant because this was not a Charlie Parker but was absolutely enthralled. The ending was not what I had hoped for and really wanted it to go on and turn into another novel, a sequel. However, it was definitely worth the read and I’m glad I read it.
A bit tedious.
I have read most of Connolly’s work. I have made it through his Charlie Parker series. 15 books and still no sense of resolution.
Bad Men has some really good parts an extremely boring parts. Connolly is very good at creating characters but doesn’t quite round them out. I never really connected with the flat characters. A lot of info and storyline but for what?
Bad Men finally in the final act heats up and has some frightening scenes. Then it abruptly ends. His Charlie Parker novels end the same way. A whole lot of build up for little payoff.