Always: a battle of good vs evil with collateral damage on both sides, the loss of good people, characters that you come to love despite their decidedly criminal backgrounds, a creep factor that chills down to the bone, and usually some unexpected, but much appreciated humor.
Deep in the Maine woods, the body of a young woman who had recently given birth is discovered. She has been buried for several years, but no infant body is found. A star of David carved into a tree grabs the attention of lawyer Moxie Castin, who then convinces Charlie Parker to follow the investigation, and if the baby survived, to find it.
The police are investigating, trying to identify the young woman, Charlie Parker is also searching, but there is someone else also looking for the young woman. Someone not simply bad, but repellently evil.
Short chapters move back and forth between characters, the main plot, and secondary plots. The roles of Louis and Angel are more limited in this one, but Louis is responsible for an inciting incident that plays into the larger plot later.
"And in a house by the woods, a toy telephone begins to ring and a young boy is about to receive a call from a dead woman." --from book description
Read in March. Review scheduled for May 29
NetGalley/Atria Books
Crime/Mystery/Supernatural. June 12, 2018. Print length: 496 pages.
I have meant to try books by this author for a really long time. I keep getting distracted by others. I do like a mystery with tinge of horror, so I should try one soon. Could these be read out of order or should a reader go back to the beginning?
ReplyDeleteI didn't start with first book in the series, but went back and over the last few years have caught up on a lot of them. I think they all function pretty well as stand-alones, but there are familiar characters that intertwine the various books and a story arc that receives a little attention in each book. Warning, though, there is a lot of violence and the supernatural elements are truly evil.
DeleteSpooky. (Especially that quote!) I haven't ever tried any of these books, but it sounds like I should. Do you have a favorite? Or are they all pretty good?
ReplyDeleteI started with The Wolf in Winter which was intense and creepy and got me interested in all of the chararacters. I think it is still my favorite.
DeleteGood to know. Thanks! :)
DeleteI am not much of a horror fan either but I have heard good things about Connelly's The Book of Lost Things which might be YA and is a standalone I think? Have you read that?
ReplyDeleteI read The Book of Lost Things in 2007 and loved it! I reviewed it here, but the Charlie Parker series is a completely different ball game.
DeleteI did not expect a John Connolly book to be about the supernatural!
ReplyDelete