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.