Based in Portland, Charlie Parker, a retired police detective turned private investigator, is given a new case by FBI Agent Edgar Ross–with whom he has a prearranged agreement stemming from an earlier book in the series.
For his latest job, Ross wants Parker and his team to find Jaycob Eklund. Like Charlie, Eklund is also a private investigator, who has mysteriously gone missing while investigating a series of crimes connected to paranormal events. More specifically, Eklund was hired by the FBI to look into multiple crimes that were each somehow connected to various haunting or ghostly appearances.
Parker checks off the first two boxes on his to-do list by securing the services of Louis and Angel, both of whom are highly trained and fiercely loyal to Charlie. Together, Parker and his team learn of a very secret, cult-like organization who call themselves The Brethren.
Having been severely thinned out over the years, The Brethren–who seem to be connected to all the historical events Eklund was tracking–will stop at nothing to keep their very existence a secret. To do that, members spread out to hunt down anyone who threatens to expose them, and then they kill them. Parker, who is pretty iffy on Ross and certainly doesn’t trust him, was never told by the FBI man why, exactly, he wants Eklund found–or why he had him running cases for him in the first place. Like everyone, Ross’ motives are questioned, adding uncertainty and another mysterious element to the plot.
Eventually, Parker finds that The Brethren’s history is far worse than he initially realized. Confident that Eklund had also come to the same conclusion, Charlie follows the missing investigator’s footsteps, uncovering a shocking truth about the group he’s up against–who have thrived in the shadows for generations.
Aside from The Brethren, Parker and his buddies go up against other powerful antagonists, each proving to be more than just a bump in the road. To match the deep bench of bad guys, Connolly brings back several fan-favorite characters, altogether creating a fast-moving plot that’s both eerie and thrilling.
Nobody mixes crime and paranormal activities better than Connolly, who has built up a vast universe and a diverse cast of characters over the course of fifteen novels. While the plots of his books do seem to keep getting increasingly less realistic, they’re also more fun–and Connolly knows what it takes to keep his readers flipping pages at a furious clip.
Book Details
Author: John Connolly
Series: Charlie Parker #15
Pages: 464 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1501171895
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Release Date: July 4, 2017
Book Spy Rating: 7/10
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