Book Review : A Song Of Shadows by John Connolly, Recovering from his near death experience Charlie Parker tries to relax and recuperate in Boreas Maine

 A Song of Shadows is beautifully written.  It meanders gracefully between the horrors of the past and the horrors of the present and still has time for the odd snippets of laugh out loud humour delivered by some of Connolly's larger than life characters eg The Fulci brothers or his guardian Angels, Loius and Angel






A Song of Shadows sees Charlie Parker at one of his lowest

points ever, but still he can't help but fight against evil in the world.  Boreas is a small town made up mainly of German post WWII immigrants so when a visiting Jew supposedly commits suicide, his Jewish neighbour appears frightened and the senseless killing of a family distracts the police from the dead Jew, Charlie is rattled

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out of his recuperative stupour and sets in motion an investigation which seems to link to The War Commission's recent arrests of two Nazi war criminals.  With his interest piqued it isn't long before a complex web of stories converge leaving Charlie endangered yet determined to end this evil once and for all.

This complex story is brilliantly plotted.  It is sensitive yet brutal,  an empathetic yet honest exploration of the complexities of the human 'condition' complete with all it's frailties.
The supernatural vibrates through every page from Parker's own sensitivity, to his dead daughter's protection and visitations and his living daughter Sam's psychic abilities.  The supernatural adds a fresh dimension to the usual

Private Investigator novel and , I think, makes the heavy presence of Evil much more tangible.  With a few well placed  pen strokes Connelly creates characters that embed themselves in your brain.  His attention to the small details and actions of his characters give them that authentic feel that many writer's must envy.
A Song of Shadows is up there with the best of Connolly's Charlie Parker novels and I would recommend it to anyone with a pulse.  it is a truly riveting read
John Connolly's Amazon Page http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Connolly/e/B000APOEIY/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1428578565&sr=8-2-ent

Release Date : 9th April 2015 HB £14.99, Kindle £5.03