The Woman in the Woods by John Connolly

The Woman in the Woods (Charlie Parker, #16)

by John Connolly

"When the body of a woman--who apparently died in childbirth--is discovered, Parker is hired to track down both her identity and her missing child. In the beautiful Maine woods, a partly preserved body is discovered. Investigators realize that the dead 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 searcher. Someone else is following the trail left by the woman, someone with an interest in much more than a missing child.

Reviewed by annieb123 on

5 of 5 stars

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Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Woman in the Woods is the 16th (!!!) Charlie Parker mystery by John Connolly. Released June 12th 2018 on Simon & Schuster's Atria imprint, it's a hefty 497 pages and available in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

There are very few authors whose stamina is up to the gargantuan task of maintaining quality in every aspect of writing and presenting stories with continuing characters. I am always worried that the next installment of my favorite series will be the one where the author's commitment flags. I needn't have worried in this case.

Mr. Connolly is in top form. This is a taut, superbly written, perfectly plotted, mystery thriller with a strong paranormal vibe. This is one series which is genre defying. I am not a huge horror fan, and though there are horror elements in this book, it didn't detract in any way from the read or overpower the mystery plot elements.

Each of the stories is self contained and can be read as a standalone, but to get a true sense of the juggernaut that is this series, I recommend reading them at least mostly in order.

This book will appeal to core fans of Mr. Connolly's work and should attract a stable of new ones to the fold.

Five stars. Superlative book and series.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

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