Connolly, John - THE BAD MEN

[LJ Roberts]

THE BAD MEN – G+

Connolly, John – stand alone

Three hundred years ago, the settlers on the small Maine island of Sanctuary were betrayed by one of their own, and slaughtered. Now a band of killers has returned to Sanctuary to seek revenge on a young woman and her son, and the only people who stand in their way are a young rookie officer and the island's resident policeman, the troubled giant known as Melancholy Joe Dupree, guardian of the island's secrets, the repository of its memories. He knows that Sanctuary has been steeped in violence, and that its ghosts will tolerate the shedding of innocent blood no longer.

While Connolly’s books are always dark, there has been a lyric quality to his writing and real appeal in the main character that I have loved, While still very good, this book seemed more horror than mystery and lacked that lyricism. He’s still an excellent writer, but this was, to me, a bit of a disappointment.