The “consistently high-quality” (Booklist) Charlie Parker series continues with a white-knuckled new thriller from New York Times bestselling author John Connolly.

Wyatt Riggins, the boyfriend of rising Maine artist Zetta Nadeau, has gone missing, leaving behind a cell phone containing a single-word message: RUN. Private investigator Charlie Parker is hired to find out why Riggins has fled, and from whom.

Parker discovers that Riggins, an ex-soldier, has been involved in the abduction of four children from Mexico: three girls and a boy, all belonging to the cartel boss Blas Urrea—except Urrea’s family is safe and well in Mexico, which means the abductees cannot be his children. Yet whoever they are, Urrea wants them back, and has dispatched his agents to secure them, even if it means butchering everyone who stands in their way.

One of those agents is Eugene Seeley, a clever, ruthless solver of other men’s problems. The other is an unknown woman.

Every child has a mother. Now Charlie Parker will face one unlike any other, and learn the terrifying truth about the Children of Eve.

Published
May 6, 2025

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Charlie Parker

The series

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The Charlie Parker series is a haunting journey into the shadows, where the line between the living and the dead often blurs. At its heart is Charlie Parker, a troubled private investigator whose personal tragedy shapes his relentless pursuit of justice in a world steeped in darkness. Connolly's blending of crime, supernatural elements, and psychological suspense creates a unique atmosphere that lingers long after the page is turned.

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Each installment in this series builds upon Parker’s complex character—driven by loss, haunted by ghosts both literal and metaphorical, and relentlessly seeking redemption in a world that constantly threatens to consume him. As he uncovers grisly crimes and confronts unspeakable evils, Parker finds himself in a constant battle between what is real and what lies beyond the veil of the living.

The series is notable for its deeply atmospheric storytelling, where New York’s gritty streets meet the eerie unknown, and ordinary crimes spiral into extraordinary, often supernatural mysteries. Connolly’s knack for blending hardboiled detective fiction with the mystical makes every book in the series a thrilling ride into psychological horror.

As the series evolves, Parker’s relationships with allies and enemies grow ever more complex, offering readers a constant push-pull between the search for truth and the chaos of his own fractured mind. Through it all, Connolly examines themes of grief, redemption, and the human condition, all while delivering some of the most pulse-pounding, thought-provoking mysteries in modern crime fiction.

For those who crave a detective story with both the grit of noir and the mystery of the supernatural, Charlie Parker offers a chilling, unforgettable experience—one where every answer only leads to more questions, and no one can escape the darkness that lurks just beneath the surface.

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