I do love a John Connolly book, and nothing beats being back in the company of Charlie Parker and his unusual collection of friends and colleagues. As readers might expect from a Private Investigator themed novel, our wonderful protagonist is not exactly a stranger to operating on the very fringes of what might be considered legal, but only ever in a worthy cause, and only where Parker knows that he has right on his side. It's fair to say that his companions take things to the limits as well, and none of them are averse to the odd exploration of violence in the course of the their investigations. Perhaps good news for their clients, and by extension us as readers, just as long as they are being straight with Parker. Less so for those that they may come up against.

The Instruments of Darkness is what I'd probably class as a 'classic' Parker investigation. Fans of the series will probably guess what I mean by this, but for anyone who is not acquainted with the books, I'd perhaps recommend starting at the beginning. You don't really need to know Parker's full life story to enjoy this book - it is a self contained mystery - but it certainly helps. On the surface, this is a straightforward(ish) missing child case, where one parent, in this case the mother, Colleen Clark, stands accused of her sons murder. Colleen's lawyer, Moxie Castin, has Parker on retainer, calling on him to find the evidence the Police have thus far failed to uncover. If this is a murder, where is the body? And if Colleen Clark, is guilty, what is her motive? The prosecution would have people believe that it is a gross case of postnatal depression or psychosis. Moxie, and Parker, are not so convinced. And if Parker thinks you are innocent ... well, for the most part he's a pretty astute judge of character. Twenty previous books stand as testimony to that fact.

What I love about these books, apart from John Connolly's unrivalled ability to take readers into the heart of the story, creating imagery so vivid that you can feel the atmosphere seep from the page (or in my case, the speakers), it's that each case takes us beyond the corporeal into a twisting stream of otherworldliness. Now, if you know anything about this series it is that there is often something more lurking in the shadows, something that extends beyond the evil that mankind does unto mankind. The Instruments of Darkness, almost in spite of the title, may now quite take us as far into the shadows as some of its predecessors, but there is still that kind of chilling tension that suggests we should come to expect the unexpected. Parker himself has a unique gift, but he meets another in this book who shares a similar inclination, if I can term it that way, that helps to establish, for us readers first and foremost, where the true guilt in this case might lie.

That element of the book is perhaps more understated than some of the earlier books as well, and much of the action happens as you might expect for in a P.I. novel. Investigator - Parker - follows leads, speaks to witnesses, chases up alternate suspects. So far so typical. But John connolly has a brilliant way with words, and Charlie Parker's dry, sardonic, sometimes ironic, often cynical, humour, particularly when dealing with the bad guys, really makes these books for me. Add in a healthy dose of Tony and Paulie Fulci (who I am loving more with every book) and a nice, if somewhat late in the story, appearance from series stalwarts, Louis and Angel, and I am a very happy bunny.

I listened to the audio book version, very brilliantly narrated by Jeff Harding. He drew me into the story, engaged me in the characters, and really brought John Connolly's prose to life. I know it is a strange thing to say seeing as how the books are set, by an large, in Maine, but I still have to take a moment when hearing the story read in an American accent ( I don;t read it like that in my head if that makes sense), but I settled into the narration really quickly and found it so easy to focus on the audio when I can often find myself distracted by the 'real world'.

The Instruments of Darkness is a story packed with mystery and suspense, a vein of chilling, atmospheric tension and characters to both love, and hate and I loved it. I'd forgotten how much I missed these guys. So nice to have them back. Definitely recommended.

Admission time: this is my first Charlie Parker novel. Not for want of people telling me how brilliant they are. And yes, they were all right. The good news is that the book is clever, funny in parts, creepy, strange, tightly plotted and almost impossible to put down. As I was lucky enough to get the audio version as an advance review copy I have taken it everywhere with me for the past two days. The narration is also expertly done by Jeff Harding - no melodrama, no silly voices and clear as a bell.

The story is just the right side of creepy - not quite Stephen King but we are in Maine so ... it gives you enough background on Parker amd hos past to be helpful but not so much as to overwhelm.

Instruments of Darkness is the story of Henry Clark who is missing, presumed dead. His mother is the main suspect and certainly her husband thinks she's to blame. Charlie Parker disagrees and he's not alone. He calls in his regular helpers but is also assisted by celebrated (then demonised) medium Sabine Drew whose can hear Henry's cries of fear. The question who or what took Henry? Why is his father so convinced his mother killed her own child? And what does a house in the middle of a wood have to do with it?

My first Charlie Parker, most definitely not my last. Grim but not bloodthirsty; cleverly plotted with just enough twists to make it interesting but not impossible to follow. As I said, my first Charlie Parker but I honestly didn't need to have read any others to follow the plot.

Highly recommended. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thankyou very much to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio. Most appreciated.

John Connolly is back with his latest Charlie Parker thriller, The Instruments of Darkness. This time round it's a case involving a missing child, a disgraced psychic, an old crooked house in the Maine woods and more than a hint of supernatural horror.

If you've read Connolly before, you know what to expect. So, do I really need to say more? Well, I suppose this is an audio version, so I guess I should.

I've not read all the Charlie Parker series, but I've read enough that I've got a mental image of the characters and their voices. Narrator Jeff Harding's voices aren't those I have in mind when I'm reading, but they work. Well, mostly, the female characters voices are irritating and most of them blend into one.

Thanks to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for an advance copy.

My ARC from NetGalley arrived in my inbox and so straight away I downloaded the audiobook The Instruments Of Darkness by John Connolly and narrated by the great but overused Jeff Irving.
This is my first John Connolly book and I thoroughly enjoyed the story of a missing child, who dun it type mystery.
But unfortunately the paranormal slant left me cold.
Our lead character, Charlie Parker, was so well written that I felt I almost knew him; I guess it must be the same with every other tortured Private Investigator written about that they all become one and the same.
Overall this was an easy and enjoyable read. Fans of John Connolly will love it.
I just reviewed The Instruments of Darkness by John Connolly. #TheInstrumentsofDarkness #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I’m not a fan of anything supernatural but I’m the first to admit that it worked well as part of this book’s plot. Superb writing from an author who has a wicked sense of humour and that’s not easy to introduce into such a sad story but he managed it well.
I will look out for more from John Connolly from now on.

I love John Connolly’s writing so I was excited to see a new Charlie Parker mystery and I’m very happy to say that it really didn’t disappoint. The character and the world are so well established now and the balance of different character stories, supernatural elements and detective work are perfectly balanced.

The Instruments of Darkness centres around a missing child whose mother has been accused of murder, a strange family and old house in rural Maine, and a psychic who claims to be able to communicate with the dead. Parker is on the case to clear the mother and find out what has happened to the boy. The different elements are all beautifully written and I couldn’t put the book down at all (I listened to the audiobook version and the narration was absolutely superb).

The Charlie Parker books always remind me of Stephen King at his best and this was no exception, a really excellent mystery with just the right amount of supernatural elements. It’s incredible to me that this is the 21st book in the series but the quality never dips and instead keeps on getting better. I’m already looking forward to number 22.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review. I have posted this review to Goodreads and Waterstones today and will add to Amazon on publication day.

A new Charlie Parker book is always a cause for celebration. I’m also a big fan of Jeff Harding’s narration, which in this instance, with his gravelly voice, fits the Charlie Parker character beautifully and yet he also manages to read the female characters without strain and the whole works together flawlessly.

The Instruments of Darkness follows Charlie in the search for Henry, a missing 2 year old boy, in his home territory of Portland, Maine. Colleen Clark had been suffering from post-partum depression and had trouble sleeping, undoubtedly not helped by her separation from her husband. So she had one glass of wine and went for an early night. When she awoke, Henry had vanished.

A search proves fruitless, and then her husband finds the boy’s bloody blanket under the spare tire in her car. Colleen protests her innocence but to no avail. She is charged with murder and with even her husband believing her guilty; the odds are stacked against her.

The prosecutor is positively salivating about the profile this case will give him in an election year. Moxie Castin, her lawyer, hires Charlie to investigate, and find the boy before the court of public opinion has Colleen hung, drawn and quartered, metaphysically if not literally.

The Instruments of Darkness contains the characters we have come to love in these books. The Fulci Brothers, Louis and Angel all feature prominently and we meet Sabine Drew, a psychic who, despite early success, blotted her copy book some years ago and is now discredited. But Sabine has heard Henry’s cries and she is propelled to go to Maine to see if she can help find him. Charlie is not inclined to dismiss her. He knows there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy.

Parker’s early investigations show that all is not as it seems. Colleen’s husband Stephen had had an affair with Mara Teller before Henry disappeared. But Teller cannot be found. This case just doesn’t smell right to Parker.

Tracking down the elusive Teller and following insight from Sabine Drew takes Charlie, Angel and Louis to the Maine woods; to a creepy place which the locals avoid because they are sure something evil lurks there.

Here the book takes on the familiar, eerie, supernatural feel we get from this series. The sense of evil festering in the dark woods; the tension as Sabine hears both the cries of a child and experiences some of what he is feeling evokes a strong sense of fear and revulsion for whatever is out there.

The tension is high and the fear is strong, aided by other, more distinctly human, threats, in the form of a white supremacist militia whose members are storing arms deep in the woods in preparation for an assault on Portland.

John Connolly is able to leaven some of this tension with a string of dry and witty one-liners which always provoke a smile or outright laughter. Charlie, Angel and Louis are hard, battle weary characters but they can always raise a moment of humour even as they head into the bowels of full on explosive chaos and destruction.

Verdict: This is a beautifully complex story with multiple strands which John Connolly knits together to make a perfectly formed, gripping and tense novel that raises the hairs on the back of your neck and engulfs the reader in darkness with just a sliver of light to show you the way out.
The Instruments of Darkness is classic Connolly and classic Charlie Parker. I loved it.

After the (for me) disappointment of The Furies this is an excellent return to form, all of our favourite characters and their peculiarities, the superlative mix of PI noir and supernatural sucks you in and keeps the desire to read the next page tense, as alway Jeff Hardings narration was outstanding
Thanks very much Netgalley for this book, It was a pleasure

4⭐️

Book 21 Charlie Parker series

I had the audiobook read by Jeff Harding, I didn’t gel with the narrator, his female voices are cringy. His tone didn’t hold my attention well

This is my first delve into this author’s work, so deep into the series it’s probably a big mistake! It seems that’s there’s history between the characters, which I’ve obviously missed out on, so I feel this is a series that needs reading in order as it’s rich in character depth. I do like a series that’s very character driven when I’m invested in the characters. I didn’t really like the characters with the exception of Sabine, I thought she was great.

Colleen Clarke is accused of kidnapping and possibly murdering her child. Moxie Castin is defending her with PI Charlie Parker.

The writing style is very descriptive and it’s a long book. It’s well written but the writing style isn’t for me, I prefer a shorter snappier writing style, I enjoyed the humour. It’s got good character depth and I’ve missed out on the development to date.

I know it’s a very popular series but I don’t think I’ll be catching up with the rest. If you are considering this but haven’t read any of the series, I’d recommend starting at the beginning.

4+ 🌟

I'm such a fan of Parker and his friends.
I swear I actually cheer when each of the familiar characters shows up, even Jennifer.
Connolly always up something a bit creepy, something unexpected, and a little bit of horror.
I'm at that point where I just go with the flow and don't even try and think where its going.
With this I feel like it's two stories for the price of one, with the psychic.
As always it leaves me wanting the next book as soon as possible.


I've read every other Parker book, but this I listened to on audio, and it took me a while to get my head around, because that is not how Charlie/Louis or Angel sound in my head!