Author:John Connolly
A new instalment in the long running Charlie Parker series finds the private investigator drawn into a tale of four children abducted from Mexico, who it initially appears are the offspring of the brutal head of a drugs cartel. However, it transpires all his family are safe and well, so just whose children are they and why is he so determined to recover them at any cost, eliminating anyone who gets in the way. Meanwhile, a former soldier, the boyfriend of a long standing acquaintance of Parker’s, suddenly disappears, leaving behind only a mobile phone that contains just one text message, ‘run’. The investigation into why he’s fled leads Parker, along with his associates Angel and Louis, into a dangerous world where he faces the drug lord’s ruthless agents and their accomplice, a mysterious woman. At the same time, strange foreboding events are occurring in the nether world inhabited by Parker’s daughter, which seem to portend some sinister developments in the near future. This is a very good addition to this series of novels, with Connolly keeping the action and suspense moving along at a brisk pace, carefully building the suspense while throwing in a good measure of his dry humour laced with laconic wit along the way. If you’re a longstanding follower of these tales, then you’ll certainly enjoy this welcome new addition to the series.
Length of Read:Long
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Earlier novels in the series, thrillers with a supernatural twist.
One thing you’ve learned
If you’re new to these stories, then I’d suggest working your way through them from the beginning – although this one can be read as a standalone novel, I think it works far better if you know the main characters backgrounds and past histories.
I always look forward to these. I felt the previous one, The Instruments of Darkness, was treading water a bit so hopefully this will advance the overall story arc which hasn’t moved much since The Collector was prominent for a few books.
Just my opinion but the first book is almost two stories but does set the scene very well for the coming twenty something books! I hope I live long enough to read the conclusion. The author says he knows how it ends, just not when.