Every Dead Thing

Every Dead Thing
By John Connolly
Simon & Schuster, 1999. 395 pgs. Mystery

Charlie “Bird” Parker, an NYPD detective, whose wife and child were horribly tortured, mutilated, and murdered by an elusive serial killer known by some as “the Traveling man”. Within a year of this Parker emerges from alcoholism, guilt and despair to undertake work as a private investigator. This will pass the time and pay the bills while he continues to hope that he’ll someday get some further leads on “The Traveling Man”.

There are two plotlines here: The first involves the disappearance of Catherine Demeter, the Mafia, and a 30-year old mystery in a small Virginia involving tortured children. The other involves “The Traveling Man”, an obese psychic, and two families seeking to control the New Orleans underground.

“Bird” is a great character. Tough, smart, and a little lucky. A little humor mixed with a considerable amount of Gore.

SML