The Burning Soul: A Gripping Psychological Thriller Novel - Perfect for Late-Night Reading & Book Club Discussions

It’s another home run for John Connolly in his Charlie Parker series, the Burning Soul. As always, Charlie moves between reality and the supernatural effortlessly. This novel was not as dark as others, but still hinted at the paranormal/spirituality found in most of Connolly’s work.Connolly knows how to weave a tale that will keep you spell bound until the end. His main protagonist, Charlie Parker, is a flawed PI, that always gets the job done, even if he has to call in his support team of Louis and Angel and the Fulchi brothers. My only regret was that we didn’t see much of Louis and Angel in this storyline and so their intrinsic good-natured bickering was sorely missed as they provide great comic relief in what is usually a murky tale filled with dark specters.Connolly is one of the best writers in this genre and he knows how to use words in ways that would likely be found in great literature instead of suspense novels. His writing is truly mesmerizing and his storylines are always unique. You will never feel as though he writes formulaically like a lot of suspense writers lapse into as they churn out their assembly line books.While the Burning Soul is not my favorite of Connolly’s creations, it is still full of fleshed out characters, plot twists that you’ll never see coming, and a close inspection of the underbelly of human nature. Some will not like the crudeness of what Mr. Connolly creates and it will offend those with delicate sensibilities, but hang on thrill seekers—you will not be disappointed.One complaint—there were too many characters in this novel that had small roles but some seemed to blossom into someone meaningful in the end. For example: it took me a while to figure out who and why Walsh appeared in the end as a man on a mission when he really doesn’t have a role throughout the storyline beyond his name and title.If you don’t mind a little paranormal/supernatural in an otherwise excellently crafted thriller, then you will love John Connolly. Highly recommended.