THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS

The Woman In the Woods by John Connolly
Read by Jeff Harding
Charlie Parker series Book 16
Genre: paranormal crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About The Woman In the Woods:

The new thrilling installment of John Connolly's popular Charlie Parker series.

Charlie Parker aids the police when a buried, semi-mummified body of a woman is discovered. She apparently died of childbirth. Parker has to find out who she was and what happened to the child.

Source: Info in the About The Woman In the Woods was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35628855-the-woman-in-the-woods on 09/04/2018.

Buy Link(s):
 

My Thoughts:

This series has always had a paranormal bent, however, I believe that this book might be the turning point from a "tendency to have paranormal bend", to really paranormal crime fiction. I'm not complaining though, I like where its going... however, some of the die-hard crime fiction geeks might not appreciate it...

Another thing that I am happy about this book, is that I get to see more of Angel and Louise! I just wished that there was a little bit more of Sam as well.

Incidentally, or perhaps not so incidentally, the book touched on a subject which is in-line with current events and perhaps, an issue which resonates in a lot of us. Parker opining that "bigotry and hatred appeared newly empowered"... Watching the news, that seems awfully true now a days... it gives a reader an eerie sense of surreality.

This book is another good instalment in the Charlie Parker series. John Connolly is his usual fabulous self. Wonderful story telling quality! Good story... An enjoyable read. Being a long time fan, it is worth the wait. However, it just doesn't seem to feel like as good as the first few books in this series for some reason. It might just be me becoming jaded... or it is just one of those fluctuations like any other series have... either way it did not warrant a 5, but it does not feel like a 4 or under either. If you add up all the parts, it'll get a five, but when it comes to a book, the whole is not always the sum of its parts. Thus this book gets a 4.5.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (14 hrs & 33 mins)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Charlie Parker Series:
                           

About John Connolly
	John Connolly was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. He studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which he continues to contribute. He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States. This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.
www.johnconnollybooks.com | twitter | facebook | google+ | goodreads | amazon

About Jeff Harding
	Jeff Harding is one of the most active American actors based in Britain. He is regularly seen in film and TV but he maintains interest in fringe theatre. He is particularly active in voice-over and radio. Having competed in rowing for many years, he still lives by the Thames and rows regularly – an appropriate sport for the reader of Ben Hur.
naxos | audible | facebook | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
This book was purchased with private funds.

LAKE SILENCE

Lake Silence by Anne Bishop
Book 6 of The Others series
Read by Alexandra Harris
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook, & audiobook

About Lake Silence:

In this thrilling and suspenseful fantasy, set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, Vicki DeVine and her lodger, the shapeshifter Aggie Crowe, stumble onto a dead body . . . and find themselves enmeshed in danger and dark secrets.

Human laws do not apply in the territory controlled by the Others — vampires, shapeshifters, and paranormal beings even more deadly. And this is a fact that humans should never, ever forget . . .

After her divorce, Vicki DeVine took over a rustic resort near Lake Silence, in a human town that is not human controlled. Towns like Vicki’s have no distance from the Others, the dominant predators that rule most of the land and all of the water throughout the world. And when a place has no boundaries, you never really know what’s out there watching you.

Vicki was hoping to find a new career and a new life. But when her lodger, Aggie Crowe — one of the shapeshifting Others — discovers a dead body, Vicki finds trouble instead. The detectives want to pin the man’s death on her, despite the evidence that nothing human could have killed the victim. As Vicki and her friends search for answers, things get dangerous — and it’ll take everything they have to stay alive.

Source: Info in the About Lake Silence was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35463752-lake-silence on 13/08/2017.

My Thoughts:

When I read the synopsis for this book as soon as it was released, I was dismayed to know that this might now be a tangent storyline in the world of The Others and Meg & Simon might now be sidelined, if seen at all, again. It made me depressed.

In this book we meet a whole new set of characters from that of the previous books in this series. And yes, we hear about Meg and the Lakeside Courtyard in the sidelines, however, the masterful story telling quality which is a trademark of this series is still there. So even though I went into this book dreading a little, I was not disappointed. In fact, I am now looking forward to reading more about Vicki and Aggie and Chief Grimshaw in subsequent books. Although the formula of the book is the same to that of the previous books, group of bad guys against our good guys... la di bla di bla... to the point of feeling repeatitive, it is still a good read. Despite the books taking on a "same old, same old" theme, the way the story is told beats that "same old, same old" feel.

By now, I am used to listening to Alexandra Harris, however, I still need the ebook otherwise parts of the book won't make sense with her reading.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 5
World building = 5
Cover art = 5
Pace = 5
Plot = 5
Narration = 3.5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Others Series:

         

The Author
	Anne Bishop lives in upstate New York where she enjoys gardening, music, and writing dark, romantic stories. She is the author of fourteen novels, including the award-winning Black Jewels Trilogy. Her most recent novel, Twilight’s Dawn, made the New York Times bestseller list. She is currently working on a new series, which is an urban dark fantasy with a bit of a twist. Crawford Award (2000)
www.annebishop.com | goodreads | amazon

FTC Disclosure:
This book, in all its formats, were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.