A RIVER RED WITH BLOOD

5 stars out of 5

There’s always a touch of the netherworld in this series, but this time, it’s more of a smack in the face. Who are Charlie Parker and his friends Louis and Angel? How are they able to see and speak with his dead daughter Jennifer, and what is she trying to tell them?

I won’t say I’m any closer to the answers to these questions after reading this, the 23^rd book in the series, but I sure did have a great time traveling through it. The story begins when Charlie, a private investigator, is asked by the attorney for Ward Vose, who’s in jail, to look into the death of Ward’s son Scott Theriault. The body of the young man, who’d been put by his parents in a school for incorrigible youth, was found near Maine’s Kennebec River. His death was determined to be an accident that happened when he ran away from the school (not for the first time). His father, though, is convinced the boy was murdered and wants Charlie to prove it. Concurrently, 19-year old Mallory Norton went missing – and by some accounts, she and Scott may have been an “item.”

A second storyline kicks in as a small group of grown men gather every three years to participate in what they call the Game – a sort of cat-and-mouse affair with serious consequences for person chosen to be the rodent. But the Game has strict rules, and it appears at least one member of the group has stepped out of line – a transgression that must be dealt with.

Of course, early on I suspected there may be some kind of connection between the young man and woman and the Game players, but if so, what is it? And over the course of the book, I learn whether or not that’s true. And no, I can’t share the details; that’s for other readers to learn just as I did. I will say it’s quite an adventure – one that, like previous books, ends with almost as many questions as answers. Overall, it’s another winner in my book – and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing another wild ride by way of a pre-release copy. Well done once again!

A River Red With Blood by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, June 2026); 416 pp.

THE CHILDREN OF EVE

4 stars out of 5

Perhaps what struck me the most about this, the 22nd in the author's Charlie Parker series, is that Charlie clearly isn't a spring chicken anymore. His old injuries still give him fits, and the new ones fit him too close to for comfort.

I'll also say of all the Parker books I've read so far (seven since I started my book blog), this is only the second one to which I'm not giving a 5-star rating. It's hard to explain why, exactly, except that it seemed a little "jumpy" and hard to follow and the subject matter just didn't "grab" me like the others. Still, it's Charlie - and his wonderful friends Louis and Angel, who simply can't appear in the pages often enough to suit me - so I certainly recommend it to others.

It begins as quirky artist Zetta Nadeau asks Charlie to find her missing boyfriend Wyatt Riggins, who took off in a flash. Left behind was his cell phone, on which he'd received a one-word message: Run. Through not a small amount of investigation, Charlie learns that Riggins was somehow involved in the kidnapping of four children that belonged to Mexican cartel leader Blas Urrea. It's not hard to understand why he'd do anything to get them back, except for the fact that his children are alive and well and still with him in Mexico. So who are the missing kids, and why is Urrea so determined to do whatever it takes to get them back?

The questions dogs Charlie throughout the story, but at least one of the obstacles between Charlie and the children is a dangerous man named Eugene Seeley, who's been hired by Urrea to do the dirty work to find and rescue them. And, it appears he's hooked up with an even more evil cohort - an unidentified woman. 

Along the way - as is a common occurrence in other books - Charlie stays "in touch" with his dead daughter Jennifer, and his live daughter Sam, who also "sees" Jennifer from time to time, plays a role as well. In fact, aside from the race to find the missing children, something more sinister is afoot; someone, or some thing, has been trying to find Jennifer and Charlie. Who, or what, is it, what's the reason for the search, and will it be successful? Hmmm, I'll never tell. From this point on, all I'll say is thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read a pre-release copy of this book. Another good one!

The Children of Eve by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, May 2025); 464 pp.)

THE INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS

5 stars out of 5

One thing is certain when you're dealing with private investigator Charlie Parker - there'll be some other-worldly "stuff" in it. This is the 21st book in the series - I've read several others - and this one certainly doesn't spoil the pattern.

When Colleen Clark's son Henry goes missing, as is customary, the parents are early-on suspects. When evidence appears to not only confirm that the young boy is dead, Colleen - who by her own admission suffered from post-partum depression - is arrested for his murder. That her husband, and just about every former friend and neighbor, are convinced of her guilt as well doesn't help her case.

But Charlie's long-time friend and attorney, Moxie Castin, will; he'll serve as her attorney. And of course, he enlists Charlie's help. At the outset, both are suspicious of the husband, who even without the evidence seemed convinced that his wife did the dirty deed. 

Even with the evidence, though, a body certainly would bolster the case on one side or the other. Enter into the picture a remote cabin deep in the woods of Maine that seems to harbor those aforementioned other-worldly secrets and that isn't far from a cult-like settlement of Fascists. In the midst of the investigation comes Sabine Drew, a psychic who claims to have heard Henry's plaintive cries from somewhere nearby. No one believes her, of course, except possibly Charlie - who knows firsthand what it's like to be in touch with those who've gone on (somewhere) before. 

As he investigation progresses, another of Charlie's old enemies, Bobby Ocean, pops up, opening up the necessity of bringing in Charlie's bodacious friends and bodyguards, Angel and Louis (love these guys). That, in turn, brought up what perhaps is the best-ever description of a thug-style bodyguard, who "probably barely emerged from the womb before the obstretrician offered him twenty bucks to watch the surgery door."

There's plenty more murder and mayhem from this point to the end, and I loved every minute of it. Many thanks once again to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to binge on a pre-release copy of this latest installment of a favorite series.

The Instruments of Darkness by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, May 2024); 508 pp.

THE NAMELESS ONES

5 stars out of 5

I swear that every time I read a book in the Charlie Parker series - this is the 19th - my jaw drops open early on and doesn't close till I get to the end. The writing is almost mesmerizing - not an easy accomplishment given the complexity of the plots - the detail is mind-boggling and every sentence is precisely crafted. This one, like the others, absolutely blew me away.

It's not like the others, though, in a way some readers may not appreciate: Charlie himself is almost nonexistent, except for a couple of brief phone conversations and equally brief in-person encounters. Front and center this time are Charlie's gay-couple friends Louis and Angel (mostly the former, an accomplished assassin) - actually fine with me because I love both characters. Accompanied and on occasion assisted by Angel, Louis is out for vengeance; in Amsterdam, the patriarch of a family of four - a man who was a close confidante of Louis, have been tortured and killed (the other three in the family, a young man and two women, for no apparent reason other than to make a statement). The two main killers are brothers and Serbian war criminals who hope to return to their native soil.

Louis, of course, has other ideas, but executing them (pun intended) proves more than a little challenging. In fact, he's gunning for five Serbian criminals; little does he know there's a sixth out there gunning for him. There's a lengthy cast of characters, all with names unfamiliar to me from countries even less familiar, but it all begins to make sense in fairly short order. There's even a supernatural element involving two young girls - a one who consorts with the brothers and seems to be in a sort of dead-but-still-living state similar to Charlie's late daughter Jennifer, who also makes a few appearances. 

I was on the edge of my seat with every finger crossed except the one swiping the pages of my Kindle throughout as Louis plans his assassination strategies - often working with people he's forced to trust even though it's a pretty sure bet they're untrustworthy. One of the planned encounters resulted in one of my favorite lines from the book, coming as Louis waited for one of his targets in a hotel lobby: "He found a bench, removed a book from his pocket and commenced not reading it."

In addition to the otherworldly elements, I will note that there's an abundance of grisly murders (for the benefit of those who aren't much into blood and guts stuff). The ending, while satisfying, leaves the door open to some intrigue I predict will show up in the next book. I'm up for it - bring it on!

The Nameless Ones by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books (October 2021); 428 pp.

THE DIRTY SOUTH

 5 stars out of 5

I love this series - this is the 18th entry - but it's not just because the stories are exciting or that series headliner, former NYPD Detective Charlie Parker, is such an intriguing character. It's also because the author's writing is both eloquent and elegant and an all-around joy to read. That does, I admit, make for one issue; the books are impossible to skim through and finish in my usual couple of days. Simply put, there's just too much to be missed by doing that.

This one takes a different approach; it begins with Charlie getting a phone call out of the blue from someone in his decades-ago past - one he wasn't expecting to hear from ever again. At that point - without identifying the caller - the story shifts to that long-ago time when an in-his-30s Charlie quit his job and set off to find the man who slaughtered his wife and young daughter. One of his stops is in a backwoods Arkansas town that eschews outsiders; when Charlie makes a couple of inquiries that rouse suspicions of local law enforcement, they throw him in jail until, hopefully, he'll explain who he really is and why he was nosing around.

But then, a young girl turns up murdered - not that long after another girl was found murdered in similar fashion. Town and county officials - including a powerful family - managed to keep the first incident quiet in the fear that an outside developer with big plans for community investment might get skittish enough to take their money elsewhere. Coming so soon after the other murder, though, the most recent case makes a cover-up more difficult, and a couple of locals who were not happy about the way the first murder was handled (or, more accurately, mishandled) are dead set on solving this one no matter where or on whom the chips may fall.

When Charlie's identity and background becomes known, the local police chief not only springs him from jail but decides - reluctantly - to enlist his help. While Charlie is eager to move on, he - also reluctantly - agrees to stick around for a bit. That puts him at direct odds with the aforementioned powerful family and, not surprisingly, on the hit list of at least one very dangerous man. And that, in turn, means Charlie must turn to a couple of loyal friends who are familiar to those who have been following his adventures for at least several preceding books.

The interaction among all the characters - and the reasons thereof - add interest and intrigue to the story, and the ending brings a few surprises. All told, it's a glimpse into the story of how the Charlie Parker we've come to know came to be. Well done - again!

The Dirty South by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, November 2020); 448 pp.

A BOOK OF BONES

4 stars out of 5

Up front and personal opinion: This is a tough book to read - even for series fans like me. First, it's long (just shy of 700 pages); second, it draws from past books so heavily that, unless you've read and remembered all those that preceded it, you're likely to be at least a little bit lost. Although this one picks up on loose ends from 2018's series entry "The Woman in the Woods" (which, fortunately, I've read) and private detective Charlie Parker's search for a very nasty character named Quayle and potentially even nastier female partner Pallida Mors, it extends backward to other books which, unfortunately, I have not.

To be sure, I had trouble following the story early on, actually considering calling it quits at a couple of points. But honestly, great writing won out; the author is so skillful that even if I didn't always "get" where some of the extensive historical background came from, I was able to enjoy the story in the moment even if many of those moments took place a very long time in the past. The series does touch heavily on otherworldly things; Charlie himself has experienced death three times, always (so far) returning to the land of the living but with an even greater understanding of the dark supernatural that exists to threaten the hearts of man. And therein lies another issue for me: for the most part, Charlie's presence here is notable by his absence. Other familiar characters like his close friends Louis and Angel play major roles, but it's Charlie who most fascinates me - and I just didn't get enough of him here. 

Still, the intricacy of the story here is nothing short of amazing - much as I always say after finishing a Stephen King novel, I simply cannot imagine a mind capable of concocting such complex and intriguing plots. As this one begins, Parker is continuing his quest for Quayle, who in turn is questing for pages that are missing from an ancient "atlas" that allegedly has supernatural powers; it can, for instance, alter itself at will. Bringing all the pages together, it seems, could alter the course of history - and definitely not the the better.

Murders also are the order of the day, most related to locations of ancient religious cults. Figuring out if, and how, they all tie together won't be an easy task, but failure to do so could condemn the world to unimaginable evil. Needless to say, I'm not about to explain more other than it's a wild ride to the finish. Many thanks once again to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

A Book of Bones by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, October 2019); 683 pp.

THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS

5 stars out of 5


Oh, how I look forward to reading books in this series - this is the 16th, I believe, so I've had lots of practice. Even though my mystery/thriller tastes don't cross the line into the paranormal, I've made an exception for private detective Charlie Parker, who somehow managed to die three times and return to the land of the living. But that experience didn't leave him unscathed; inexplicably, he remains "connected" to that very dark place in which he narrowly escaped making his forever home. He plies his trade just like any other human, but he's acutely aware of the evil that lurks in the hearts of [non]men.

This one begins as Charlie, an FBI consultant, meets with old friend Louis, whose life partner Angel is recovering from surgery to remove a tumor. As they are leaving, Louis - not known for an accepting attitude - spots a truck tricked out in all manner of fancy including a couple of decals Louis considers offensive. One thing leads to another, and let's just say Louis and the truck's owner will never be friends.

Concurrently, a very bad man named Quayle and his even badder girlfriend are on the hunt, looking for a pregnant woman named Karis Lamb. Clearly, they won't stop till they find her - and woe is anyone they run into who can give them any leads (or not). As the story progresses, a storm in Maine topples a tree in the woods, unearthing the remains of a woman who appears to have given birth before she died. Parker is called in to help with the case, but her identity can't be ascertained, there are no clues as to what happened to the infant and Parker has no awareness of Quayle and his quest (much less why he's so determined to find the woman).

Eventually, though, everything begins to come together - meaning that Quayle now knows Parker and Louis may be major roadblocks in his path. Here and there, Parker's dead daughter Jennifer makes an appearance (occasionally speaking to her father as well, since she's tuned into what happened to and what's happening now with the woman in the woods). Needless to say, getting to the end means wading through some gruesome murders; and to get the full enjoyment out of the book, I'll caution readers to keep an open mind about "other-worldly" matters. As with other books in the series, the ending is mostly satisfying, but a few loose ends will, I assume, be picked up in the next installment.

Of course, I'll be waiting; meantime, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read an advance copy of this one. Thoroughly enjoyable!

The Woman in the Woods by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, June 2018); 496 pp.

GAME OF GHOSTS

5 stars out of 5

By and large, paranormal, supernatural "stuff" just isn't my thing (with nods to the late Rod Serling's Twilight Zone and nobody-does-it-better Stephen King). But there's just something about P.I. Charlie Parker - the lead character here who actually died three times and now has a special connection to (or at least understanding of) otherworldly beings - that I just can't resist. And like the previous installments I've read, this one certainly didn't disappoint.

The appearance of characters from past books like Parker's faithful sidekicks Angel and Louis, his estranged wife Rachel and their daughter Samantha (the latter of whom shares her father's paranormal insights plus has a few notable ones of her own) makes this one extra-special for faithful readers, but there's more than enough background provided for newbies to follow along quite nicely. That said, I'm glad I read a few from the past, but that's just because they're all so doggoned enjoyable.

This one begins in Portland, Maine, on Feb. 1 and the onslaught of winter. Parker, still battered and torn from his many previous injuries, gets called in by the FBI's Edgar Ross, for whom Parker somewhat reluctantly works off and on. For an unexplained reason, Ross wants to find a missing private detective named Jaycob Eklund, who works with the FBI in a fashion similar to Parker. Eklund, it seems, has been sniffing around a series of homicides and disappearances, all of which took place amid hauntings of some kind. 

The trail leads Parker in and out of a shadowy world that includes a secret group known as The Brethren and their "enforcer," a criminal empire led by a woman called Mother and poignant exchanges between Parker's close friends Angel and Louis. In the midst of all this, Parker must deal with Rachel's insistence on keeping their young daughter safe at all costs - even if that means away from her loving father whose life is mostly spent in a danger zone not known by "regular" human beings. The ending is satisfying and complete, although a few threads are left that no doubt will be woven into the next book. Can't wait!

A Game of Ghosts by John Connolly (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, July 2017); 465 pp.