Another gripping read from the master of supernatural crime. Dark and bleak, yet there are glimmers of light and hope throughout the book. John Connolly remains one of my 'must read' authors.

John Connelly never disappoints. I picked this up intending to read for half an hour, ended up finishing the book without even realising that I hadn't even had a break! Brilliant!

This is already the 17th book in the series, and unfortunately I haven't read much of the previous books. This book however reads nicely as a standalone and can be proudly added in the series. Recommended for anyone for loves a good mystery read.

Difficult to review Book 17 in a series, even one as brilliant as Connolly's Parker series. As usual, there is a mixture of police procedural and low-level horror, with some revelations about the larger story that Connolly has been building up over the last sixteen books. Parker was not as present as he could have been, but when he was present, his impact was felt!

Number sixteen in the series each tense chilling well written characters.This is a series not to miss once drawn in I could not put down.#netgalley#hodderstoughton

Honestly, John Connoly is incapable of writing a bad book. It's not a book to pick up if you're not already familiar with the Charlie Parker series, but if you are, it's a perfect addition to an exceptional series. It's dark, chilling, emotive, and complex. That this series still manages to be this good after 17 instalments is nothing short of amazing.

This is a very lengthy, intricate, involved story which needs patience and perseverance to read through to the end. Charlie Parker is at his best in these situations.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, which I have enjoyed reading
Recommended.

I love Charlie Parker having read and reread all the books several times. This is the latest instalment looking at the murders of young women in the UK linked to religious sites. Parker with his sidekicks Angel and Louis arrive to investigate, all of them are also seeking revenge from the lawyer called Quayle. I loved the historical background of the books and the fact the author describes places you can go and visit.
The previous novels are fabulous, so is this one and I can’t wait for the next instalment.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#ABookOfBones #NetGalley

Thanks Netgalley, the Publisher and of course the wonderful Charlie Parker. Another fantastic read from a great author. I would advise that you read the Charlie Books in order though to understand the character.

While it potentially might not be the most sensible idea to join a series when it is at BOOK 17, that's what I have done with the Charlie Parker series and boy am I glad I did! This tells the story of Parker and his continuing investigation into the Fractured Atlas and the denizens who are trying to end the world. Firstly, despite the fact that this is a 700 page book, I absolutely flew through it because the prose is so compelling and the plot is top notch. I loved the supernatural elements at work here and the overall tone of the novel is eerie and unsettling throughout, which I thought was pitch perfect. There are some fabulous characters on display here and the relationships are well drawn and authentic. This is bloody and brutal and I absolutely loved every minute of it. I will now immediately be going back to the first book in the series and eating it all up.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

My first Charlie Parker novel (yes, I know - but no time to go back and read the previous 16...) and I really enjoyed it. The previous plot lines are all referred to (without getting too 'explainy') but the storyline for this book rattled along pretty rapidly. Plenty of murder, occult mysteries and mayhem to be getting on with and lots of wisecracking characters to engage with.

Oh, boy things got a little intense for a while there. This may just be the best Parker book yet, but I’ve said that about all of them at one time or another. A Book of Bones has a bigger scope than other books in the series with Parker and his cohorts travelling far and afield in their quest for vengeance and also to stop some really bad shit from happening. The events in this book are linked to several books in the series and the threads between them all come to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. I did give a little round of applause when things come to an end. I cried a lot as well. I was left wondering what the hell Parker, Angel and Louis are going to do now. Then a final revelation about someone Parker considers an ally left the way open for another four or five books. Yay! By the way, the revelation did not surprise me in the slightest as I’ve suspected as much for several books now. I cannot wait to read the next one.

Firstly, before I write my review, an admission.

I am a fan of the aforementioned Charlie Parker novels and of John Connolly, the man who brings the private detective to life in his writing. Despite my whole-hearted love and appreciation of the series, I hope to be honest in my review. Although, forgive me, if it is, perhaps, flavoured!

Secondly, some facts.

It is twenty years since the first Charlie Parker book hit the shelves in 1999 and “A Book of Bones” is now the seventeenth in the series. And, with the hardcover edition coming in at over 700 pages in length, it is the longest of them to date. Mr Connolly himself has stated that the word count stands at an impressive 205,000. Give or take a few words.

Additionally, the book weighs in at a shade under two-and-a-half pounds on the scales - or, 1039 grammes if you prefer metric - and is around two-and-a-quarter inches in thickness (metric, that equates to 60mm). I know this because my tape measure lays beside my laptop and I have just been in the kitchen to weigh one of my copies.

(One of my copies? I hear you ask. Well, the review copy was given to me but, as a fan of Mr C’s work, I simply had to buy my own copy. Support the artists you love and all that.)

I won’t do all the maths (math?) and work out a cost per page or per word but it suffices to say that, with the experience and skill acquired through twenty years as a professional novelist, Mr C has delivered excellent value for money with “A Book of Bones”. The twenty quid you hand over to your chosen bookseller may be the best return you get on your money this year.

So, to the plot. And, it is an epic one. I will attempt to reveal no spoilers!

The ancient lawyer, Quayle, aided by his terrifying companion, Pallida Mors, is closing in on his centuries-old hunt for the missing pages of The Fractured Atlas - a book of inconceivable evil which has the power to alter reality and bring absolute terror into being. Parker is determined to hunt Quayle down before the Atlas is made complete and prevent his enemy from changing the world forever.

The body of a young woman is discovered on the moors in the northeast of England. Other bodies are soon found in other parts of the country, in places once used for the burial and sacrifice of innocents.

It is to England that Parker travels as his hunt for his opponent from the previous book, “The Woman in the Woods”, continues. Parker follows the two evil-doers, via Mexico and Amsterdam, to their lair in London.

Age and injuries have taken their toll on Parker and his allies, Angel and Louis. They are all older and slower than before and their enemies are powerful and many. Furthermore, Parker is on unfamiliar ground in England - ground that is tainted by blood and pain, earth that has long been soiled by torture and by sacrifice. But, Quayle knows that Parker is coming. More than that, Quayle wants him to come.

I won’t reveal any more of the plot, except to say that this on one heck of a read!

What did I think?

Quite simply, “A Book of Bones” is an impressive achievement. Not just for the facts that I playfully referred to earlier but, more, for its sheer scale and depth and for the way in which Mr C continues to skillfully weave his “Honeycombed World” and which continues to delight the reader, keeping us breathtakingly turning each new page.

Whilst this is a long book, it never feels like an overly long or laboured read. Interspersed throughout the book, on subtly different coloured pages and printed in a different typeface, are short tales and histories that allow the reader a chance to pause and take a breather if needed. These little vignettes can be skipped by if one wishes to remain steadfastly on the main Parker plot but they add extra flavour to the novel, providing depth and nuance to the overarching story behind Parker’s honeycomb world.

At a recent date on his current promotional tour (Kendal, April 27 2019), Mr C stated that he could quite easily serve up a formulaic book with each new title. And, as readers and fans, we would eagerly buy them. But, Mr C chooses to expand his craft with every new book he writes, stretching himself and adding to his skill set. This determination to improve on, what is already a pretty darn good read, means that we readers get the new Parker book we long for, filled with all our favourite ingredients, but that each new story comes with a freshness and a little added zest that we didn’t know we wanted but which we adore when we get it.

In “A Book of Bones’, Mr C makes greater use of dialogue than previously. This again provides space within the narrative, making the book a compelling and highly enjoyable read that belies its hefty size.

The writing is crisp and taut and the plot is perfectly paced and devilishly cunning. Mr C knows just how to keep you off-guard and on your toes. There is one chapter in particular that had me reeling with its very last line; for me, it was one of those, “*insert own favoured expletive*, I never saw that coming” moments.

In reading this book, I got a sense of Parker’s unfamiliarity at being in an alien country. Mr Connolly has successfully conveyed his hero’s unease without relenting on what it is that we read a Parker book for. The book carries all the hallmarks that we look for in a Charlie Parker novel; terrifying and macabre opponents; intriguing plotline; interesting new characters that are fully fleshed, believable and convincing; dialogue that propels the story; snappy conversations and comedic turns from Angel and Louis - two of crime fictions most likable bad (good?) guys!

Truly, who wouldn’t love for Angel and Louis to move in next door? Sure, you’d have to change your locks and improve security, as well as ensure you did nothing at all to annoy your new neighbours, but wouldn’t they be the coolest neighbours to have?

For anyone yet to read a Charlie Parker novel, I’d say this, pick one up - choose any book from the series (“The Killing Kind”, book three, was my first initiation into the series) - and just dive right on in. Whilst, as with most series, you get the most enjoyment from starting at the beginning and following the journey, you can start anywhere. Each book in the series, and “A Book of Bones” is no different, can be enjoyed as a “stand-alone”, as sufficient explanation is given to previous events and characters that you never feel adrift or unsure of your place.

So, now that I have finished this terrific book, what next? Well, on Saturday, I discovered that the next Parker novel will be called “The Dirty South”. Now that I know the title of the eighteenth book in the series I just need to be patient until next April.

That’s gonna be difficult!

Thirdly, and lastly, what three words would I use to describe “A Book of Bones”?

Enjoyable. Tantalising. Immense.

The Charlie Parker books just keep getting better. Having said that, this book is difficult to review without spoilers. It is a very intense story with plenty of action, creepy and filled with new characters. A real mix of crime, the supernatural and mystery which fans will love. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. Reviews on Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook.

Another wonderful Charlie Parker story but this time set mainly in England rather than Maine. Very dark and atmospheric a tale of ancient and current murders, at times disturbing with graphic scenes but with the aid of long term sidekicks Louis and Angel plus some new guests all comes to a resounding climax. The use of English locations that exist is ,cleverly, a main part of the narrative . A long but satisfying read one can only look forward to more!

One of the many treats at this year’s Noireland was a video from John Connolly introducing Adrian Dunbar who was in Belfast to give a late night reading from Connolly’s works. It was, of course, packed and we sat with rapt attention, because John Connolly’s words are like little pieces of magic knitted together.
Which brings me to A Book of Bones. To get the most from this substantial book, it really helps if you have read the series, for the kernel of this book was germinated 20 years ago with Every Dead Thing and this book brings together a number of threads that have been floating through the series. Though background is given, it really does help if you know this series and its characters, because this is an important moment in the narrative arc of this series.
In an immensely satisfying read, Connolly takes us straight to the point where he left off in Woman in the Woods, i.e. with Parker in hot pursuit of the wonderfully named Pallida Mors and her companion, Quayle, the sleazy lawyer who themselves are chasing The Fractured Atlas.
Parker’s hunting evil is coming to a head, events seem to be heading towards an apocalyptic conclusion. The Fractured Atlas is a book of unspeakable evil, with the power to alter the world we know. It is so dangerous that its pages have been scattered to keep it from doing irreparable damage, but over hundreds of years, hunters have searched for them with disastrous results.
When we first encounter him, Parker is working a case which could literally be at the mouth of hell - in a New Texas dumping ground. He is about to testify at trial when he hears from Ross, his FBI source that Mors’ body, wounded in the last book by Louis, has been found in Arizona. He travels there only to find that the body has been wrongly identified and so he calls on his long standing friends and avengers of evil, Louis and his partner, Angel to help him track down this fiendish pair.
Their journey will take them to Amsterdam and eventually into the UK, where two new characters to this series, Gackowska and Hynes are investigating the murder of young woman, Romana Moon, on a Northumberland moor. Her’s is the latest of a series of seemingly sacrificial killings taking place at ancient burial sites.
Here Connolly pulls off a writerly masterstroke. The UK Cops are pretty much the protagonists of a straightforward police procedural. Their dialogue, behaviour and everything about them is so very different to the kind of supernatural ethos of Charlie and his compatriots. Yet these two investigations sit side by side as the reader effortlessly is switched from one scene to the next, moving from the banter of two cops into the tortured realm in which Parker, Angel and Louis reside.
This is pure genius and though it shouldn’t work, it really does. Pulling his threads tighter, Connolly takes us on a journey that traces lightly past crimes and investigations, showing us where the threads join up and creating a rich, whole tapestry that both informs and sheds light on past mysteries.
As we learn that Quayle has slowly been collecting the pages and restoring the book, it looks like this is what has been behind much of the evil that Parker has encountered, permitting evil to bleed through the pages from the dark world into this one.
As we build up to the crescendo, Connolly peels back the layers to show us the genesis of the evil in our society. From the rise of misogyny to terrorism and extremism, we see not only the supernatural overtones that have always been present to a greater or lesser extent in this series, but see that set in a real-world context.
Our hope must be that in a world where Parker, Angel and Louis are showing their scars and their battles have taken their toll, that they will still have the strength to combat evil and keep us all safe in the battles that lie ahead.
Verdict: This is a must for fans of Connolly and Charlie Parker. Beautifully plotted, wonderfully layered and totally immersive

This gargantuan beast of a book concludes a story arc which began some six volumes ago in The Wolf In Winter. Far from being bare bones, A Book Of Bones is an extended, immersive and intense reading experience which delightfully disrupts commercial publishing conventions. For one thing, this is a 700 page epic – a size which is likely to discourage casual readers. For another, the story is deeply interwoven into the ongoing narrative of the Charlie Parker saga, so substantial segments of it would be mostly mystifying to newcomers.

But for aficionados of the series this is boxset heaven; grab that duvet, order the pizza, and silence all devices. Author John Connolly has been telling this story for two decades and here he rewards his most dedicated readers by concluding several significant character narratives. The good guys – Charlie himself, the lethal Louis, and an Angel feeling far too mortal – take on the personification of ancient evil, the sinister, seemingly-immortal Quayle and Mors, his barely-tamed butcher.

At stake? Only the end of the world.

Alongside this story, Connolly has cleverly constructed an entire British police procedural, populated with convincingly realised characters. He’s blended what could so easily have been an entire, standalone novel – a series of weird killings with religious implications, being investigated by an orthodox crime squad – into the core of Charlie’s continuing quest. The action moves from the USA to the tangled backstreets of old London, the wild, windswept Northumberland moors, and to grimly accurate, decaying ex-council estates in estuary England. We meet dedicated, ambitious detectives, lowlife thieves and blaggers, struggling survivors: victims, killers and investigators.

But that’s not all – there are extended interludes from historical manuscripts which finally fill the gaps in the saga of the Fragmented Atlas. A secret European society which guards the past and surveils suspicious individuals. More insights into the strange relationship between Charlie and his dead daughter, and a revealing glimpse into Louis’ personal history. No wonder this book is a whopper.

Yet none of it is unnecessary. There’s plenty of what appear to be deviation but it’s all an investment, one which pays off handsomely at the end. And because John Connolly is such a good storyteller, you tend to forget that he’s also an excellent writer. His free-flowing prose and the relentless pull of the plot means that that pages fly by without you necessarily noticing the little gems of literary craft scattered about proceedings. Take time to enjoy, for example, his description of the hidden house, overshadowed by modern skyscrapers of glass and steel. And when it really matters, the writing is pithy, punchy and entirely to the point.

As with Neil Gaiman’s long-running mythic series, I can see that many readers of conventional short-form crime novels won’t enjoy the gothic overtones and apparently rambling meanderings that form the twisted skeleton of this story. If you’re a cut to the chase kinda guy, then this isn’t for you.

For us fans of long-form storytelling who relish delayed gratification, this is just the Charlie Parker book we’ve been waiting for.

9/10

Twenty years of Charlie Parker. Can you believe it? Me neither, although in truth that's because I came to the series a lot later than most, not having become acquainted with our favourite Private Investigator until July 2015. I've made up for lost time since though, reading all sixteen books, now seventeen, in record time. It's been a really hard slog these past four years - hard in as much as I had to wait a whole year between new stories as I devoured the first thirteen books over a period of 6 months, getting me all set to keep time with the series from A Time of Torment onward. They are addictive, all consuming, and A Book of Bones is every bit as much so as its predecessors.

Pretty much all of the books in the series are long ,and you certainly get your monies worth of entertainment, but at seven hundred pages, this is a beast of a book. And yet it doesn't feel like it, not in the slightest. I didn't devote myself entirely to reading the book, I broke it down over the weekend, and with thirteen segments it is a book which lends itself towards that quite nicely. But when I starter reading I found I was lost in the pages, caught up once more in Charlie Parker's world. I gave my mornings to the sunshine - a rare occurrence for a long Bank Holiday weekend in the UK and so one I couldn't allow to pass me by entirely - but my afternoons and evenings were lost in shadows, immersed in the dark and dangerous world that our hero inhabits.

A Book Of Bones is somewhat of a conclusion - an ending. By that I mean that it draws to a close the mystery surrounding the Fractured Atlas, a story arc which has run on through several books - six I believe in total. It reunites Parker with Quayle and Mors, the two particularly deadly characters who he encountered in his last adventures in The Woman in the Woods. I don't want to say too much about the story, but I will say that Parker is on the killers trail, a trail which sees him leave the relative safety (and I type that with tongue planted firmly in cheek) of Maine, and head off to Europe - Amsterdam and eventually London. It is a chase which turns deadly, a chase which could be the stuff of nightmares, were Parker and his friends every really able to sleep soundly anymore.

For me this was a slightly unusual read. It provides us with the usual blend of mystery, suspense, theology, mythology, history and even horror. John Connolly uses language so rich, so textured, so powerfully emotive, that you are transported in to the heart of Parker's world, and even those of the parallel worlds which seek to destroy our own. Every detail becomes clear in your mind as a reader. I have found this from the very first book - a totally immersive kind of read in which I find myself totally an utterly lost. And yet ... lifting up Parker's world and dropping it straight into the middle of a police investigation in the UK creates a kind of duality in the narrative, one which is so starkly contrasted and yet perfectly matched that it feels as thought it should make not an ounce of sense and yet works brilliantly.

I am perfectly used to Parker, Louis and Angel and the kind of staccato cynicism and sarcasm with which they approach their endeavours. The way they bounce off of each other, work with each other, is the perfect partnership. Even Ross, albeit from a distance, fits the profile of the team to a tee. The aloofness of it all. The minimalist approach to conversation. It is the world of Private Investigator as I have come to know it. But ... it is a world that would be alien if trying to match it to a UK set police procedural and this is where I feel Mr Connolly has pulled a blinder.

When we cut to the scenes with the Northumbria Police, we almost entirely switch genres. We are treated to the banter, the chance in pace of a murder investigation, as opposed to the dealing with the occult that Parker is battling, and the complete oblivion of what is happening in the wider world, something we, and Parker, are privy to, but the police are not. The tone is different. The language is different. The descriptive narrative is still perfectly chimed to the story and you will find yourself lost on the Hexamshire moors, feel the desolate beauty of the scenery enshroud you, and you will never lose the sense of place. And yet the simplest of cut scenes - often in the middle of the same chapter - and you are back in the world of Parker and Quayle. A world of mysticism, ancient evil and a long fought quest for justice.

Dark, suspenseful and full of all the hallmarks of a classic Parker case, this is one tale of revenge you will not want to miss the conclusion to.

It is, in a word, sublime.

So yes, it is long (although does not feel it) and yes, it brings closure, of a kind. Not everyone who has journeyed from America will journey home. Not everyone will be gifted a happy ending. Well ... apart from the reader. We get an ending befitting us all and the promise of much, much more. Cannot wait.

A really good read to get your teeth into. This story is long with a lot of detail. I was gripped from the start. I have only read some of this series and I have loved every one.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Many people who read the first books in the Charlie Parker series wrongly assume that by the seventeenth instalment it would be seriously floundering and quickly running out of steam, but I feel strongly that it just keeps getting better and better. It's a difficult one to review without giving too much away, so I'm going to keep it short. This is an intense story in which violence, the supernatural and dangerous characters collide in spectacular fashion. There's never a dull moment with nonstop action and plenty of surprises this tomb of a novel passed quickly, much too quickly. I just couldn't get enough.

As A Book of Bones is the culmination of different plot strands from previous episodes it's pretty much essential to have read the preceding novels to get the gist of things. This is deliciously dark, depraved and intense and is certainly not for the faint of heart. Connolly masterfully crafts a world that is creepy, chilling and oppressive in its claustrophobic nature and there is plenty of unexpected emotion involved too. Exceptionally well written and perfectly paced this is a complex, multifaceted thriller which for crime aficionados is unmissable.

Like a fine wine this series just keeps on getting better. I'm already pining for the next gripping instalment. Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC.