by John Connolly

Hodder, out now

Arkansas, 1997. Not a place to be a stranger. Certainly not one interested in the killings of young girls. But Charlie Parker won’t be deterred…

After the tumultuous events of A Book of Bones, John Connolly has returned to the very beginnings of Charlie Parker’s quest, in a story that’s set not too long before his debut, Every Dead Thing. Connolly has done an impressive piece of retro-engineering with the character – this is quite recognisably Charlie Parker but it isn’t the Parker that we’ve grown to know over the past two decades, who’s been through the wringer and exposed to things that have deepened his understanding of the world and his and our place in it. This is a man raw with loss, who doesn’t always think things through, who instinctively rails against prejudice and injustice. And who sometimes pays the price for that.

Connolly takes you into a part of the United States that at times doesn’t seem to have moved much into the twentieth century, let alone be approaching the twenty-first. It’s a world of corruption where all lives are by no means considered equal, with a feudal system that’s just as implanted as the nobility was in Britain. The descriptions make the place come alive in the reader’s mind, from the diner to the poor communities to those aiming to get richer as a result of a certain Arkansas politician being in the White House.

There’s a strong plot powering the novel, and you’ll find yourself wanting to put everything aside so you can finish it.

Verdict: A brilliantly plotted prequel that would make a great starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about Parker – and a treat for the fans as ever. 10/10

Paul Simpson

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