I just couldn’t engage with the first story, the longer of the two. It was well told, but kind of meh. I enjoyed the second one more. Fans of this series will probably enjoy The Furies, but I’m not sure it will attract many new aficionados.

Those huge advances can now be seen as shrewd investments in a remarkably productive and popular author.Although I enjoyed this edition to the Charlie Parker series and thought it was very well done, I want a full fledged book and will be eagerly waiting for the next book in the series. Charlie gets involved in two separate issues here, ones he needs help with from his pals Louis, the big guy who's maybe done a lot bad stuff but is square and loyal to Charlie, and Angel, Louis' life partner, who was supposedly dying of cancer but now is in remission. The Fulci brothers are also present and anyone who reads this series KNOWS who they are.

I press him on the book’s length, a particular bugbear of mine in contemporary crime fiction (although the truth remains: it’s never too long if, as here, the writing is good enough). It had been a while since I read one of John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series, so when I spotted this book I bought it on a whim. Well written and more literate than some novels in this genre, I liked the main character, especially his sense of justice and understanding of the world. Both stories incorporate a bit of the supernatural, something I just learned is typical of Connolly’s books. I have been a die-hard John Connolly fan for years, and I would rate him as the best author I've read - when I buy one of his books, I save it up to read later as a sort of guilty pleasure knowing that a treat is in store.Meanwhile, Melissa Thombs is in an abusive relationship that she is trying to get out of with Parker’s assistance. However, he will learn that she is far from a victim, and her own aggression and determination will be more invaluable than any help he could provide her. This is the 20th book in the Charlie Parker Series. I have read 5 of the books in the series and do think that they can be read as stand-alone books as well. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. Women figure predominantly in both novels, Charlie being caught up in issues/problems/dilemmas involving women. (Not romantically or sexually, though he does have a woman friend who I'd like to see him get it on with more than he does!) Charlie Parker, former police, now PI working mostly out of a bar, takes on some seriously weird and unusual problems in both novels. In the first: Connolly writes so well that his books are always a pleasure to read. As well as mystery, horror and the supernatural, he also includes humour. There is some excellent and very entertaining dialogue as well as some of those 'must read aloud to anyone who will listen' moments.