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Charlie Hood #6
The Famous and the Dead
The explosive finale in T. Jefferson Parker’s New York Times bestselling Charlie Hood series, which will bring together the destinies of three men caught between light and darkness.
Los Angeles County sheriff ’s deputy Charlie Hood is attached to the ATF, working undercover on the illegal arms trade that flows across the U.S.-Mexican border. The sparkle of the diamond fillings he wears in his left canine distracts his task force targets and is often the first step toward a long stay behind bars.
Meanwhile, Bradley Jones--sheriff ’s deputy, employee of the Baja Cartel, and son of the love of Charlie’s life, the deceased L.A. outlaw Suzanne Jones--is expecting a son of his own. Suzanne was descended from famed Mexican desperado Joaquin Murrieta, whose embalmed head Bradley inherited from her and keeps nestled among piles of cash, proceeds from Bradley’s own life of crime.
Charlie knows Bradley’s secrets, all of them; the question is what he’ll do with the information. But he still has to contend with the devilish Mike Finnegan, who flits in and out of the lives of his friends, knowing things he shouldn’t, seemingly immortal, delighting in the havoc he wreaks.
All three men are about to meet. But all will not survive.....
Los Angeles County sheriff ’s deputy Charlie Hood is attached to the ATF, working undercover on the illegal arms trade that flows across the U.S.-Mexican border. The sparkle of the diamond fillings he wears in his left canine distracts his task force targets and is often the first step toward a long stay behind bars.
Meanwhile, Bradley Jones--sheriff ’s deputy, employee of the Baja Cartel, and son of the love of Charlie’s life, the deceased L.A. outlaw Suzanne Jones--is expecting a son of his own. Suzanne was descended from famed Mexican desperado Joaquin Murrieta, whose embalmed head Bradley inherited from her and keeps nestled among piles of cash, proceeds from Bradley’s own life of crime.
Charlie knows Bradley’s secrets, all of them; the question is what he’ll do with the information. But he still has to contend with the devilish Mike Finnegan, who flits in and out of the lives of his friends, knowing things he shouldn’t, seemingly immortal, delighting in the havoc he wreaks.
All three men are about to meet. But all will not survive.....
371 pages, Hardcover
First published April 18, 2013
56 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
About the author
T. Jefferson Parker
99 books852 followersT. Jefferson Parker is the bestselling author of 26 crime novels, including Edgar Award-winners SILENT JOE and CALIFORNIA GIRL. Parker's next work is coming-of-age thriller, A THOUSAND STEPS, set for January of 2022. He lives with his family in a small town in north San Diego County, and enjoys fishing, hiking and beachcombing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
March 17, 2015
I yield to no one in my admiration of T. Jefferson Parker, and his Edgar Award-winning novel, Silent Joe ranks high on the list of my ten favorite books of all time. I also very much enjoyed the first three books in this series, but the series began to slip off the rails for me with the introduction of the character Mike Finnegan in the third book, Iron River.
It gives nothing away (at least nothing that hasn't been given away in the teases on the book covers) to say that Finnegan seemed to possess mysterious knowledge and powers that bordered on the supernatural. The issue of whether he did or not was left unresolved in that book, but the fourth and fifth books left it clear that Finnegan was, in fact, some sort of supernatural being, and the series protagonist, Charlie Hood became increasingly obsessed with the notion of tracking down Finnegan and somehow bringing him to heel.
Still, there was the faint chance that in this, this sixth and concluding volume of the series, Parker would finally provide some explanation for Finnegan's actions that would seem rational, logical and ultimately human after all. But that was not to be the case. Instead, we have Finnegan, who actually is a devil and who has lived on earth for generations spreading his mischief, in conflict not only with Charlie Hood and other human beings but with at least one angel and a number of other devils as well.
On a more temporal level, Charlie Hood, an L.A. County Sheriff's deputy, is still on loan to the ATF, stationed on the southern border in California, attempting to staunch the flow of guns from the U.S. into Mexico. Three corrupt cops from Missouri show up on the border attempting to sell machine guns and rocket launchers to the highest bidder. Hood goes undercover in an effort to trap the men and learn the source of their weapons.
Meanwhile, Bradley Jones, the corrupt son of the late Suzanne Jones, continues to work as a Sheriff's deputy while at the same time he's still in the employ of a notorious Mexican drug lord named Carlos Herredia. Bradley is also trying to work his way back into the good graces of his pregnant wife Erin, from whom he was estranged in the last book in the series. Meanwhile, the devil, Mike Finnegan, attempts to seduce and further corrupt Bradley and to make as much trouble for Charlie Hood as he possibly can. Charlie will not rest until he has tamed the menace that Finnegan represents.
Parker is a very graceful writer, and I really like the character of Charlie Hood. The story of Hood and other law enforcement officers struggling to stem the flow of weapons along the so-called Iron River is a timely and compelling one, and Charlie's tortured relationship with Bradley Jones is gripping. But I confess that I was totally unable to buy into the occult and supernatural aspects of this story.
I like my crime fiction to be logical and rational, even though at times it may require a significant suspension of disbelief. I can't buy into vampire detectives, dogs and cats solving mysteries and all that sort of thing. And as much as I admire T. Jefferson Parker, I just couldn't follow him down this path. This is still, overall, an excellent series, but to my mind it would have been even better without the introduction of the angels and demons.
It gives nothing away (at least nothing that hasn't been given away in the teases on the book covers) to say that Finnegan seemed to possess mysterious knowledge and powers that bordered on the supernatural. The issue of whether he did or not was left unresolved in that book, but the fourth and fifth books left it clear that Finnegan was, in fact, some sort of supernatural being, and the series protagonist, Charlie Hood became increasingly obsessed with the notion of tracking down Finnegan and somehow bringing him to heel.
Still, there was the faint chance that in this, this sixth and concluding volume of the series, Parker would finally provide some explanation for Finnegan's actions that would seem rational, logical and ultimately human after all. But that was not to be the case. Instead, we have Finnegan, who actually is a devil and who has lived on earth for generations spreading his mischief, in conflict not only with Charlie Hood and other human beings but with at least one angel and a number of other devils as well.
On a more temporal level, Charlie Hood, an L.A. County Sheriff's deputy, is still on loan to the ATF, stationed on the southern border in California, attempting to staunch the flow of guns from the U.S. into Mexico. Three corrupt cops from Missouri show up on the border attempting to sell machine guns and rocket launchers to the highest bidder. Hood goes undercover in an effort to trap the men and learn the source of their weapons.
Meanwhile, Bradley Jones, the corrupt son of the late Suzanne Jones, continues to work as a Sheriff's deputy while at the same time he's still in the employ of a notorious Mexican drug lord named Carlos Herredia. Bradley is also trying to work his way back into the good graces of his pregnant wife Erin, from whom he was estranged in the last book in the series. Meanwhile, the devil, Mike Finnegan, attempts to seduce and further corrupt Bradley and to make as much trouble for Charlie Hood as he possibly can. Charlie will not rest until he has tamed the menace that Finnegan represents.
Parker is a very graceful writer, and I really like the character of Charlie Hood. The story of Hood and other law enforcement officers struggling to stem the flow of weapons along the so-called Iron River is a timely and compelling one, and Charlie's tortured relationship with Bradley Jones is gripping. But I confess that I was totally unable to buy into the occult and supernatural aspects of this story.
I like my crime fiction to be logical and rational, even though at times it may require a significant suspension of disbelief. I can't buy into vampire detectives, dogs and cats solving mysteries and all that sort of thing. And as much as I admire T. Jefferson Parker, I just couldn't follow him down this path. This is still, overall, an excellent series, but to my mind it would have been even better without the introduction of the angels and demons.
August 10, 2013
The Charlie Hood series got weirder and weirder with each book. This one was the strangest. Mike Finnegan and the angel Beatrice finally made me lose my patience with the whole series. The characters didn't draw me in; nor were they believable.
T. Jefferson Parker has written some fine books in the past but I won't read any more if he continues in this same writing style.
May 25, 2013
With a bit of trepidation, I picked up this audio knowing it was to be the 'explosive conclusion' of the series. I have enjoyed the Charlie Hood books from the start, and have eagerly anticipated each new installment.
With the previous five books as a guide, I knew The Famous and the Dead could be no less than explosive. Outlaws, Renegades, Border Lords, the titles foretell the theme of the illegal gun trafficking on the Iron River and the violence that accompanies it; the heat of the southern California and Mexican border towns shimmer as a sun filled backdrop for the life and death human drama with a very real contemporary parallel to current events and politics.
While The Jaguar took us deeper into a jungle of mysterious evil, this final book reveals more of the true misery, greed and betrayal and offers up an explanation as to why some are tempted beyond measure to deal in this intoxicating and dangerous trade. Our imagination must stretch to begin to comprehend the possibilities of the evil Mike Finnegan is capable of ... There are definitely two sides in this tale, it is the line between the sides that is blurred.
A very satisfying ending, though I hate for our time with Charlie Hood to come to an end.
With the previous five books as a guide, I knew The Famous and the Dead could be no less than explosive. Outlaws, Renegades, Border Lords, the titles foretell the theme of the illegal gun trafficking on the Iron River and the violence that accompanies it; the heat of the southern California and Mexican border towns shimmer as a sun filled backdrop for the life and death human drama with a very real contemporary parallel to current events and politics.
While The Jaguar took us deeper into a jungle of mysterious evil, this final book reveals more of the true misery, greed and betrayal and offers up an explanation as to why some are tempted beyond measure to deal in this intoxicating and dangerous trade. Our imagination must stretch to begin to comprehend the possibilities of the evil Mike Finnegan is capable of ... There are definitely two sides in this tale, it is the line between the sides that is blurred.
A very satisfying ending, though I hate for our time with Charlie Hood to come to an end.
May 25, 2015
The final Charlie Hood book-maybe. Very enjoyable from start to finish!
April 20, 2013
This is a great read. This book is a step above many books of this genre. Great conclusion, sadly, to a great series.
December 30, 2017
This one was better than the last and provides a fairly satisfying conclusion to this fantasy saga. Entertaining enough to read in one go.
April 10, 2013
There were times when I wasn't sure that Parker could pull it off and put a bow on this series with a strong finish - due to the supernatural / spiritual element. But I think he pulled it off. Not sure where this series stands with the best work he has done, but it was well written and honest like all of his work. And the subject matter of the Mexican cartels is something that needs to be exposed / discussed / written about.
February 29, 2016
Really? I think the author "jumped the shark" on this one, bringing in some supernatural "angels" and "demons." I remember the first book I read by this author; his story made me determined to visit Laguna Beach. In contrast, this story was just unbelievable and dreary.
April 18, 2013
Good thriller about the war on gun smuggling on the us/Mexico border
August 31, 2018
3.5 stars. This was often a page-turner, and I’ve enjoyed several of his SoCal crime fiction novels, but the supernatural element of the book was...strange.
August 20, 2017
Oh, yawn. Blatantly obvious political agenda, anyone?
This tome - a signed copy, no less - dragged itself into my house, so in a fit of boredom I started reading it. I do have to hand it to the author for maintaining reader interest until I finished it, even if only for an inverted interest - e.g. "can the next plot twist possibly be any dumber than this last one", type thing (the answer to which was invariably "yes"...).
What was sort of interesting though was T. Jefferson's obsession with the "Fast and Furious" debacle, and - particularly - Holder's (and possibly Obama's) direct culpability therein. TJ seems to think if he can fictionalize it all as having been committed by "Rogue" ATF agents and crooked cops, he can make it all go away and salve his own uneasiness about it. (Yeah, TJ, we know you're a flaming liberal already, OK? McYawn.)
What's with all the supernatural stuff though? This is about the third otherwise more or less straight-up detective/cop/private eye novel I've seen, where some sort of sorcery, witchcraft, wizardry, or what-have-you has gotten thrown in. What's going on - are we trying to market the stuff to millenial comic-book readers, or something?
Wuddevver... Good bedtime reading for insomniacs, at least.
This tome - a signed copy, no less - dragged itself into my house, so in a fit of boredom I started reading it. I do have to hand it to the author for maintaining reader interest until I finished it, even if only for an inverted interest - e.g. "can the next plot twist possibly be any dumber than this last one", type thing (the answer to which was invariably "yes"...).
What was sort of interesting though was T. Jefferson's obsession with the "Fast and Furious" debacle, and - particularly - Holder's (and possibly Obama's) direct culpability therein. TJ seems to think if he can fictionalize it all as having been committed by "Rogue" ATF agents and crooked cops, he can make it all go away and salve his own uneasiness about it. (Yeah, TJ, we know you're a flaming liberal already, OK? McYawn.)
What's with all the supernatural stuff though? This is about the third otherwise more or less straight-up detective/cop/private eye novel I've seen, where some sort of sorcery, witchcraft, wizardry, or what-have-you has gotten thrown in. What's going on - are we trying to market the stuff to millenial comic-book readers, or something?
Wuddevver... Good bedtime reading for insomniacs, at least.
August 15, 2018
I loved it! This was my first book by T. Jefferson Parker. I picked it off the shelf at my local library and knew nothing of the author or that this book was the 6th and final book in the series. The occult and supernatural stuff was totally foreign to have in an otherwise straight forward detective novel.
The audio version was awesome and I loved the music occasionally tossed in and sound other effects. My other favorite author for action books is David Baldacci. Lately, I have come across a bunch of audio books that were so poor I couldn't finish them. Now I listening to my second book by this author The Fallen and I'm enjoying the non-action character development and life situations just as I did in this book.
The audio version was awesome and I loved the music occasionally tossed in and sound other effects. My other favorite author for action books is David Baldacci. Lately, I have come across a bunch of audio books that were so poor I couldn't finish them. Now I listening to my second book by this author The Fallen and I'm enjoying the non-action character development and life situations just as I did in this book.
May 5, 2024
I am a HUGE admirer of T. Jefferson Parker's writing and have read the majority of his books. When I started the Charlie Hood series, I thought, "Wow, this is really excellent, I want to read more!!" And so I did, I read the entire series but this was a mistake. I'm not sure what happened with Parker but he went off the deep end about midway, adding a supernatural Mike Finnegan, a giant, a pair of dwarfs, and just for good measure, an angel. What?????? WHY would such an excellent author do this to his faithful readers? When I read the last sentence of the final book of the series, I said to myself, "T. Jefferson Parker is SO much better than this." This was a very disappointing end to what could have been a great mystery series, one with believable characters.
May 28, 2018
Bizarre. Spoiler alert: When I say bizarre, some examples: supernatural giant and two dwarfs, dude who keeps a head on an ancestor in a jar, angel trapped by a demon (posing as human) for 96 years. It starts out innocently enough as an ATF agent dealing with gun running over the U.S. - Mexico border and it throws in, matter-of-factly, the weird embellishments I list and MORE. It is an imaginative story... but may I suggest too imaginative for most readers to buy.
July 4, 2020
The devil in spades !
A scary true to life tale. I am happy with the ending...Hood becoming chief of police. I don't want Mike alive. A silver stake through his heart? It works for vampires !!!!! Is this the end ?
A scary true to life tale. I am happy with the ending...Hood becoming chief of police. I don't want Mike alive. A silver stake through his heart? It works for vampires !!!!! Is this the end ?
July 8, 2017
Good ending for the series enough questions tied up and to feel satisfied and enough storyline to create more books if desired.
March 25, 2018
Interesting twists. Need to go back and find the previous book
April 11, 2018
Started out good then turned to claptrap.
October 24, 2018
More like a 2.5 but I will round up.
December 4, 2018
Now to read the first of this series, that I missed, way back then.
December 13, 2019
One of the very best of the Hood books.
T. Jefferson never disappoints. Lots of action, many twists, always ends with reAder check to see if the next book is out yet
T. Jefferson never disappoints. Lots of action, many twists, always ends with reAder check to see if the next book is out yet
February 20, 2021
I could do without the weird stuff.
January 11, 2022
Kinda disappointed. Don’t like series ending but maybe this one went on too long and was a bit weird. Not his best.
June 30, 2023
Wow, good then, not then was, too much going on, science fiction too? Paranormal just very difficult to follow at times
July 2, 2023
Interesting thriller. It has many twists and turns. I had some difficulty recognizing the many characters in the beginning. Eventually, I figured them out.
November 10, 2024
Interesting take on the battle of good vs. bad.
February 3, 2025
Entertaining. Saying good bye to Charlie Hood after 6 books. The final scene was a little too convient.
August 3, 2025
FUN!!!
This entire series was a lot of fun. Although I think maybe Mr. Parker knows way too much about the transportation of drugs and dollars.LOL
This entire series was a lot of fun. Although I think maybe Mr. Parker knows way too much about the transportation of drugs and dollars.LOL
May 22, 2013
This “Charlie Hood” novel is reputedly the 6th and last in the gritty series, but the plot of THE FAMOUS AND THE DEAD leaves ample opportunity for more.
The trans-border flow of guns into Mexico from southern California, the “Iron River,” flows unabated, although interdicting if not stopping it has been the assignment of Charlie Hood’s ATF task force “Blowdown.” Largely due to crazy U.S. gun laws and even crazier 2nd Amendment-obsessed firearms middlemen, compounded now by interfering Congressional subcommittees, the ATF team’s job is harder and more dangerous than ever. The brutal drug cartels thrive unabated. This is dramatic, interesting material for a story about cops and bad guys. However, the real battle in THE FAMOUS AND THE DEAD is between angels and devils (literally) and for the soul of 22-year LA County Sheriff’s Deputy Bradley Jones.
Mike Finnegan, an apparent devil (who looks like a leprechaun with bad style sense), wants to add Bradley to his portfolio of “partners,” mostly because of his familial connection to a notorious early-19th-century bandido, Joaquin Murrieta, or “El Famoso.” Just like among the rival cartels, Finnegan notes, the devils’ business “can get competitive” (p162). “We’re comparable to two multinational conglomerates” (p81) with operational territories, quotas and biannual conventions, Mike admits. Not only do contending demons--including two dwarves and a polite eight-foot-tall giant, want to hijack a piece of Bradley--a couple of angels named Beatrice and Joan want to save him and his newborn son. Remember: this isn’t a supernatural thriller, it’s a cop story!
Straightforward Charlie-From-Bakersfield stands outside this Manichean mess, dealing with it all as just a hard-working cop. Mike is profoundly irritated that his blandishments have so little attraction for Hood. He asks: “Whatever happened to the take, take, take that marks your human race? What happened to you, Charlie Hood?” (p355). Indifferent to temptation, Charlie is busy enough tracking down some rogue redneck cops and their chimp-like accomplice from rural Missouri, especially when they start offering military shoulder-fired Stinger missiles for sale.
Personally, I would have been happier without another dose of cheap theology and supernormal agents in THE FAMOUS AND THE DEAD. Greedy, immoral Bradley became a bore several titles ago, but new character Mary Kate Boyle (a KFC cashier who wants to do a Steinbeck play while also helping out Charlie and what she calls the “FAT” bureau) brings freshness to this long-running crime series. Come back, Mary Kate!
The trans-border flow of guns into Mexico from southern California, the “Iron River,” flows unabated, although interdicting if not stopping it has been the assignment of Charlie Hood’s ATF task force “Blowdown.” Largely due to crazy U.S. gun laws and even crazier 2nd Amendment-obsessed firearms middlemen, compounded now by interfering Congressional subcommittees, the ATF team’s job is harder and more dangerous than ever. The brutal drug cartels thrive unabated. This is dramatic, interesting material for a story about cops and bad guys. However, the real battle in THE FAMOUS AND THE DEAD is between angels and devils (literally) and for the soul of 22-year LA County Sheriff’s Deputy Bradley Jones.
Mike Finnegan, an apparent devil (who looks like a leprechaun with bad style sense), wants to add Bradley to his portfolio of “partners,” mostly because of his familial connection to a notorious early-19th-century bandido, Joaquin Murrieta, or “El Famoso.” Just like among the rival cartels, Finnegan notes, the devils’ business “can get competitive” (p162). “We’re comparable to two multinational conglomerates” (p81) with operational territories, quotas and biannual conventions, Mike admits. Not only do contending demons--including two dwarves and a polite eight-foot-tall giant, want to hijack a piece of Bradley--a couple of angels named Beatrice and Joan want to save him and his newborn son. Remember: this isn’t a supernatural thriller, it’s a cop story!
Straightforward Charlie-From-Bakersfield stands outside this Manichean mess, dealing with it all as just a hard-working cop. Mike is profoundly irritated that his blandishments have so little attraction for Hood. He asks: “Whatever happened to the take, take, take that marks your human race? What happened to you, Charlie Hood?” (p355). Indifferent to temptation, Charlie is busy enough tracking down some rogue redneck cops and their chimp-like accomplice from rural Missouri, especially when they start offering military shoulder-fired Stinger missiles for sale.
Personally, I would have been happier without another dose of cheap theology and supernormal agents in THE FAMOUS AND THE DEAD. Greedy, immoral Bradley became a bore several titles ago, but new character Mary Kate Boyle (a KFC cashier who wants to do a Steinbeck play while also helping out Charlie and what she calls the “FAT” bureau) brings freshness to this long-running crime series. Come back, Mary Kate!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews