“‘Oh, little one,’ he whispered, as he gently stroked her cheek, the first time he had touched her in fifteen years. ‘What have they done to you? What have they done to us all?’ ”
In his latest dark and chilling Charlie Parker thriller, New York Times bestselling author John Connolly takes us to the border between Maine and Canada. It is there, in the vast and porous Great North Woods, that a dangerous smuggling operation is taking place, run by a group of disenchanted former soldiers, newly returned from Iraq. Illicit goods—drugs, cash, weapons, even people—are changing hands. And something else has changed hands. Something ancient and powerful and evil.
The authorities suspect something is amiss, but what they can’t know is that it is infinitely stranger and more terrifying than anyone can imagine. Anyone, that is, except private detective Charlie Parker, who has his own intimate knowledge of the darkness in men’s hearts. As the smugglers begin to die one after another in apparent suicides, Parker is called in to stop the bloodletting. The soldiers’ actions and the objects they have smuggled have attracted the attention of the reclusive Herod, a man with a taste for the strange. And where Herod goes, so too does the shadowy figure that he calls the Captain. To defeat them, Parker must form an uneasy alliance with a man he fears more than any other, the killer known as the Collector. . . .
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"Connolly's Parker books can sometimes be frustrating, I think the bigger picture here is interesting, but I don't feel a great deal of progress has been made in that particular plot. Hopefully we'll get more focus on The Collector at some point, he is sometimes used as a bit of a deus ex machina, 'Oh, the villain has escaped...' - insert Collector and revenge here."
— Phil (4 out of 5 stars)
“Connolly displays a real knack for fusing the detective and horror genres, providing a rational chain of evidence and deduction for the plot while simultaneously creating a real atmosphere of numinous dread that reminds us that mystery can refer to more than a mundane tale of crime and human justice.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)" WAY different than the other books. Gave me nightmares. Loved it anyway - or maybe because. "
— Bkwyrm, 2/16/2014" Another good read from John Connolly, interesting plot and more of the usual Charlie Parker series characters. Somehow not quite as satisfying as his other books hense 3 stars. "
— Jim, 2/14/2014" A new one from the master of supernatural crime writing. Connolly finds another spin on the setting and produces another rip roaring read! "
— Louise, 2/3/2014" Not as good as others in the Charlie Parker series "
— Jennifer, 1/30/2014" John Connolly is one of the few non-Latin American authors who does magical realism really well. "
— Ronda, 1/29/2014" Love this author! For a supernatural murder mystery, this is as good as it gets. Iraq vets haunted by their evil deeds in ransacking antiquities are pursued by ancient forces. "
— Mom, 1/5/2014" A lot more a criticism of war than a Charlie Parker read, but I dug it. Some scary characters, for sure. Maybe too many other characters. More scary, please! "
— Alison, 12/1/2013" fast paced with more exposition than the last Connolly. Good classic Parker story "
— Coki, 11/3/2013" This new one in the Charlie Parker series takes the reader in a very unexpected direction. Uncomfortable at times but it's fiction. Alot going on with characters coming and going. A bit of "sci-fi" in this, which was a different twist to the mix. "
— Sherri, 10/16/2013" I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't grab me. "
— Hyd_star, 10/8/2013" Strange story. "
— Mark, 9/15/2013" Very interesting . . . combining a good detective story with the occult! I'll read another of his. "
— Clif, 9/13/2013" I just love this series. As creepy as any I have read, but every one is a great read. I wonder how long he can keep up the storyline. "
— Kerry, 8/29/2013" I throughly enjoyed this book, just like the rest of Connollys books. "
— Robert, 5/26/2013" some gripping moments, less of the supernatural of other books of his. "
— Lumalasa, 3/10/2013" His latest novel featuring Charlie Parker, Angel and Louis. Not one of my favorites. To really enjoy Connolly, start with his first novel and read them in order. "
— Denise, 2/26/2013" Well written but not a favourite. "
— Kerry, 7/8/2012" I love his books with the mixture of crime and the supernatural. "
— Iris, 6/22/2012" I don't think I've ever read a John Connolly book that I have'nt really liked. The Whisperers is no exception. Charlie Parker investigates the suicide of a recently returned Iraq war vet. Other men from his unit have also killed themselves and Parker wants to know why. Don't miss it! "
— Maryellen, 6/20/2012" Good read, lots of action. "
— Patricia, 12/12/2011" The book was OKAY. It could have been 1/2 as long and been good. Too much detail and run on. The end was good, but I found the book to be kind of boring. "
— Christine, 6/20/2011" I throughly enjoyed this book, just like the rest of Connollys books. "
— Robert, 5/19/2011" A new one from the master of supernatural crime writing. Connolly finds another spin on the setting and produces another rip roaring read! <br/> "
— Louise, 4/18/2011" Very good. The backstories were informative and the action and suspense was riveting (and often wince-worthily gory). "
— Ann, 3/12/2011" Another cracking Charlie Parker novel. Connelly masterfully makes the supernatural seem real and a normal part of our world, in the context of a thriller which is truly...........thrilling! "
— Rob, 3/5/2011" didn't have any of the back story but didn't feel lost. good narrative - supernatural elements "
— Caroline, 3/2/2011" The same mix of shivery melancholy and great characters as all his other books. "
— Allison, 2/28/2011" Almost stopped reading it because it was scary and caused some nightmares, but I had to finish it. Very good! "
— Vivian, 1/31/2011" A fast read, and an interesting end. Once again, Parker tackles humans and monsters. "
— Ben, 1/31/2011" His latest novel featuring Charlie Parker, Angel and Louis. Not one of my favorites. To really enjoy Connolly, start with his first novel and read them in order. "
— Denise, 1/19/2011" Interesting - not really too sure about fully liking this book. A little on the overly strange side.... "
— Nancy, 1/16/2011" Alright. Great book. So good I had to stop reading it. =)What can I say? You think you are a stud and one little book scares you and you realize that you're a complete WIMP! Good book, though...=) "
— Jeanie, 1/15/2011John Connolly is a New York Times bestselling author known for his detective Charlie Parker mysteries and supernatural and fantasy novels. His twenty-five novels, nonfiction, and short stories have won the Agatha, Barry, Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, as well as being finalists for the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year, H. R. F. Keating Award, and Bram Stoker Award.
Holter Graham, winner of three of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voice of the Year awards, is a stage, television, and screen actor. He has recorded numerous audiobooks and earned multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards. As an actor, his film credits include Fly Away Home, Maximum Overdrive, Hairspray, and The Diversion, a short film which he acted in and produced. On television, he has appeared in Army Wives, Damages, As the World Turns, Rescue Me, Law & Order, and New York Undercover. He received a BA degree from Skidmore College and an MFA from Vermont College.