“With its singular characters, eerie subject matter, and socko style” (The New York Times), this gripping thriller from the internationally bestselling author John Connolly follows Private Investigator Charlie Parker as he is hired to track down the identity of a dead woman–who apparently died in childbirth–and her missing child. In the beautiful Maine woods, a partly preserved body is … partly preserved body is discovered. Investigators realize that the young woman gave birth shortly before her death. But there is no sign of a baby.
Private detective Charlie Parker is hired by a lawyer to shadow the police investigation and find the infant but Parker is not the only one searching. Someone else is following the trail left by the woman, someone with an interest in much more than a missing child…someone prepared to leave bodies in his wake.
And in a house by the woods, a toy telephone begins to ring and a young boy is about to receive a call from a dead woman.
With breathless pacing and shivery twists and turns, “this is Connolly’s masterpiece” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
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I have seen John Connolly’s name for years but never read one of his books before this, so I had no idea what to expect. It is so unique, a combination of tough-guy P.I. book crossed with a horror plot complete with ghosts and demons. But it works. I read (well, had my phone read to me) the whole book in two days.
The body count got unreasonably high, IMHO, and I was distressed when I got to the end and realized that I’m going to have to snatch up his next book as soon as he writes it.
Yet another excellent book in this exceptional series. Mr. Connolly is a powerful author who bring he’s characters to life. I wish they were real because I’d want to be their friend! An absolute page turner. Full of humor, sadness, social commentary and true friendships.
Compelling story.
This series continues to build the tension in the Honeycomb World. Who was the woman in the woods? What is the Atlas book? While we do find out about the woman; we are left wondering about that damned book.
I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
2.8
It started out really strong until it got to the supernatural stuff. I don’t mind it, I just wasn’t expecting it so I was completely thrown off.
It also has quite a few characters/storylines that seemed random but this is my own fault for starting on book #16 in a series. Definitely think I would’ve enjoyed this more if I had actually read them in order. And as expected, it ends on a cliffhanger.
I’m not sure I care enough to read another in the series.
Loved all of the Charlie Parker series.
At this, the 16th novel in the Charlie Parker series, I find myself still blown away by the quality of the writing and the depth of the story. Charlie Parker rocks!
But it’s not just him, is it? It’s Louis and Angel, a pair of gay henchmen, (but I mean “henchmen” in the best way), whose story has to be counted among the greatest love stories of all time, at least in my humble opinion. Their relationship is complicated and wonderful all at once, as is my love for them both.
It’s Charlie’s daughters, both alive and dead, and my fears for them and what might happen in the future.
It’s Moxie Castin, the lawyer with a heart of gold and a soft spot for the Star of David, which plays such an important role in this story.
I won’t rehash the plot, because the synopsis and about 10 million other reviews already do that. I will say that the end of this book left me rattled and somewhat angry. (view spoiler) However, I know that Charlie Parker doesn’t fail, (at least he hasn’t yet), and I will be there, bright eyed and bushy tailed when it happens. In the meantime? I’ll be keeping an eye on those Times of London crossword puzzles.
THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS gets my highest recommendation. Period!
*Thank you to Atria and to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This is it.*
Honestly, I love the Charlie Parker series. He’s a dark, dark man that I’d like to know better. He’s not afraid of things that go bump in the night.
Loved it, like all of his books.
Wonderful characterizations! Beautiful prose! Original story! Good and evil battle, and the end was not the end! The most vile character was left alive for a future presentation! This was my first reading of this author! I will read more!
Suspenseful with great characters
It was the first time that I found a book by John Connolly difficult to read and very slow moving. I did not finish it as I felt that my time could be put to better use.
Not one of my favorite Connell books
Yet another amazing book in the Charlie Parker series. While I missed Angel’s presence, I hope to see him in future books.
Excellent, suspense
I can’t say enough about John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series. I have read them through more than once, and I want to start again with Every Dead Thing, his first. Genre-crossing, wonderfully written.
Maybe not the best of his books but worth the read anyway if you’re a Connolly fan. Funny how the main character is never able to conquer evil, just temporarily hold it at bay… for the next book at least.
This is John Connelly at his best, I have read all 15 books, excellent!
Interesting characters
Connolly always keeps me riveted – and scared