Very, very disappointed in The Sister Strange. I have read every book by John Connolly, have his entire library and honestly, if this is his best now, he has lost it like so many authors I follow. Need a lot more of Angel and Louis and flashbacks to Charlie Parkers' sad past. I will review the second in this book series (?), The Furies, shortly.

Many thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler books, John Connolly and Netgalley for the privilege of reading a series based on characters I have absolutely loved from the very first book, very first word.
These two short stories are no exception.
Just the right amount of spook to make one get up and turn all the lights on.Look under the bed.
Charlie Parker tugs at my heart strings for certain
Exceptional through and through.
You are truly the best there is
You are wonderful Your books are wonderful and I thank you forever.

The Furies...2 stories for the kids low price if one? sold! Thanks for the 20th installment of the Parker series. Nice and spooky and supernatural as always.

This is Book 20 in the Charlie Parker series and John Connolly is not slowing down. I don't know what I loved more, the researching of The Furies (curiosity got me looking up their mythology) or the fact that this book is a twofer in terms of plot and overall connection.

The first story, The Sisters Strange, is intriguing and I wonder if we will see them in future titles. The second story, The Furies, loosely connects with the first, but centers on a woman who loosely mirrors Charlie's past with the death of a daughter and another woman who is attempting to protect her living one. Both have supernatural elements, with an ancient coin that seems to grant a long life, but at a cost and a mysterious child giggling in the hallways of a hotel, not everything is as it seems.

The Sisters Strange themselves seems to have supernatural abilities as well, but that could just be my interpretation... also, their explanation as to why a particular character (I don't want to spoil it) goes missing is pretty interesting and a fantastic reminder regarding hell having no fury, like a woman scorned.

The Furies part of the book was heart pounding creepy, I loved it. There is a moment in the book that takes place in the basement/storage room of the hotel that involves the giggling child that left me with my jaw dropping and the ending connection with Charlie's daughter left me cheering and left with more questions than answers... also, a great reminder to never underestimate the power of a mother's love and grief. I can see why Charlie was drawn to this case. The other part of this story is a side-case involving a mother who is trying to get her daughter out of a bad relationship, and I couldn't help but wonder if a certain giggling girl didn't have a hand in that final moment as well before visiting her mother for a final time.

I will say, I do hope with the next Charlie Parker novel we'll see more of his daughter, Jennifer, and her connection with the Furies. I have so many questions about her and her future role in Charlie's story. If you haven't already, pre-order this one.

John Connolly returns with his twentieth novel in the bestselling Charlie Parker series – and with an unexpected bonus to his readers, as The Furies is actually two short novels in one.

The Sisters Strange is the longer of the two, and begins with the seemingly simple murder of a coin collector. But this is John Connolly, and nothing stays simple for long – Charlie Parker is pulled into the increasingly twisty case by an outsider concerned for one of the two sisters the expanding mystery threatens to consume. This story is lighter on the supernatural elements that have come to be this author’s trademark, but not without them entirely.

The Furies, the second and titular story, sees Parker on something else entirely; two separate cases with a mother afraid for her daughter, though in completely different ways. Where The Sisters Strange holds back the supernatural in favour of the monstrosity humans are capable of though, The Furies throws itself wholeheartedly into that mysterious realm of ghosts and monsters – though of course, plenty of the humans involved are more than capable of presenting their own threat. The two stories are linked by a seemingly inconsequential run-down hotel; The Braycott, home to those on the downward path or all the way along it.

John Connolly writes some of the most beautiful prose I’ve ever read, and it’s another trademark of his that this beautiful writing captures some of the worst horrors to be found in the human imagination – always setting them off with Charlie Parker, the investigator who’s seen it all and still tries anyway. His determination to help, as well as the bonds and banter he shares with the widening cast of side characters he’s come to call friends, keep the series from ever sinking too far into despair, lightening such heavy topics with a ray of hope amid the darkness.

Both of these stories make it clear that even when investigating smaller cases – at least compared to some of the previous books in the series – Charlie Parker is a force for good and a character with plenty of stories left to tell. The Furies is an excellent example of a series that delights in horrifying and uplifting its readers simultaneously; long may it continue to do so.

John Connolly’s The Furies is a lean and scary collection of short stories that is likely to haunt your dreams for the next few nights especially if you read it after dark. In pure John Connolly fashion, the supernatural elements will surely scare the living daylights out of you.
Split into 2 different stories, The Furies maintains a dark and unsettling tone of loss and unspeakable horrors committed by man. In both events, Charlie Parker is faced with difficult choices where nothing is what it seems. From evil possession to spirits of dead children, the narrative gets creepier by the page and there’s never a clear indicator of where the stories might lead. The chills you’ll feel while flipping through the pages are more likely from the hair-raising and masterful descriptions of the scares than any external air source. John Connolly crafts two eerie tales that will stay in the back of your head, mixing in with your thoughts in the late night glow of your beside lamp.
If you’re keen to celebration Halloween this year with guaranteed goosebumps, make sure you’ve got The Furies ordered and in hand. 

Full review on https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain

It has been a while since we were in the contemporary world of Charlie Parker. In 2020 John Connolly gave us a look at an earlier Charlie Parker, sans any supernatural elements, in The Dirty South and in last year’s thrilling The Nameless Ones the focus was mainly on Charlie’s violent friends, Louis and Angel.

Now with The Furies, (Hodder & Stoughton, 9 August 2022), Connolly returns to Charlie Parker in a relatively contemporary setting. However, instead of a single novel, The Furies is actually comprised of two loosely linked novellas, The Sisters Strange and the titular The Furies. As Connolly notes in the acknowledgments, The Sisters Strange was originally written and published online in weekly chapters during the initial COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020 to “give readers something to divert them.” That original version of the story was re-crafted and expanded to the current version which appears in the book. The Furies was written to accompany The Sisters Strange, and is set at the beginning of the COVID lookdown

The Sisters Strange finds Parker hired by someone who is concerned about two sisters, Dolors and Ambar Strange, and their connection to a degenerate ex-con whose recent tattoos suggest that he is involved in the occult. Complicating things are the theft of ancient coins, one of which has supernatural powers. In The Furies Parker is preparing to deal with the COVID lockdown when he is hired by two different woman. The first is the widow of a notorious gangster who is being blackmailed by a pair of violent crooks who have stolen the only items she has left of her dead daughter. The second is the mother of a domestic abuse victim, who wants Parker to extract her daughter from a dangerous situation before she is trapped at home with her abuser. Neither case works out as you would expect.

Both novellas are interesting and captivating and display Connolly’s ability to draw a reader in and keep them interested. The pacing is a little leisurely, as Connolly takes his time setting up the story arcs and providing lengthy backgrounds for each character, but the quality of the writing and the unexpected directions the stories take keep you interested. As usual, Connolly brings a poet eye to his writing and there are some truly evocative passages, and great descriptions of Maine on the verge of lockdown:

“I was over by the Maine mall, watching people pushing carts filled to overflowing with groceries, liquor, potato chips, and toilet paper. Elsewhere gun stores were having trouble keeping ammunition on their shelves … The only thing missing was the voice of Orson Welles announcing that the Martians were closing in on New York.”

The characterisations are very strong, with some of the minor characters, especially the repulsive owner of a rundown hotel, Bobby Wadlin, stealing the limelight. It is also nice to catch up with members of the regular cast, especially the Fulci brothers who provide some good moments of levity.

Typically for a Connolly book, there is a rich tapestry of ideas and detail in The Furies, especially around the effects of COVID. Racism, domestic abuse, corruption, and the effects of grief are all tackled in a telling way, but without overly slowing the pace or lessening the excitement. There are also the usual dollops of arcane history, especially in the first story around coin collecting and the origins of coins.

In all, The Furies is a marvellous read and one of my favourite books of 2022.

The Furies by John Connolly is actually two short novels connected by theme and a somewhat disreputable hotel. In the first story, The Sisters Strange, Charlie Parker is hired by a man to protect the woman he loves from a dangerous man. Trouble is, this dangerous man not only has a relationship with the woman in question but with her sister as well.. In his attempt to help the sisters, Charlie finds himself drawn into what should be a simple theft of some valuable coins but this is a Charlie Parker thriller so of course nothing is as simple as it seems.

In the second and titular story, Charlie is hired by a woman who is trying to recover some items stolen from her, items that had once belonged to her dead daughter. The thieves are staying at The Braycott Hotel, a hotel noted mainly for its discretion. As a result, no children are allowed so why, suddenly, are patrons complaining that their sleep is being disturbed by the laughter of a child in the hall late at night?

I am a long time fan of the Charlie Parker series so was thrilled to receive a copy of this latest book from Netgalley and Atria Books. Connolly is a master at combining the thriller with the supernatural, creating stories that are guaranteed to keep the chills coming while gluing the reader to the page. The Furies is no exception and I loved every gloriously macabre moment of it.

Love this series by John Connolly, always a great, interesting read that has me putting all else aside to do nothing but read.

What an intense read!

I love any time that I get to spend with Charlie Parker. This book was full of suspense and tension, just enough darkness and gore, and a story that kept me guessing the entire time.

Diving into the underground world of coin collecting was fascinating to me, and the way that Connolly used that to weave in Parker's typical supernatural encounters kept me on the edge of my seat while I was reading.

Fans of this series will not be disappointed with this newest addition, and if you haven't already started reading this dark crime series, then do yourself a favor and start.

My thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler books, John Connolly and Netgalley.
I have no problem with this book. I wasn't sure how it would go with the two shorter stories, but if it's Connolly writing about my 3 favorite men in fiction, then how could I not love it?
The two stories were fantastic. I'll confess that I may have enjoyed the last story more than the first, because it had a more supernatural bent to it. I do love that stuff!😜
I've been reading these books since the 1990's and I've yet to read a bad book.

I was so honored to have been granted an advanced copy of this book. I will folllow Charlie Parker for as long as John Connelly continues to write, and I hope that’s for a long time to come. I always want to savor these books, the writing is so poetic, and the blend of humor and horror are perfect. Thank you, highly recommend this book, and I continue to praise these books to anyone who will listen.

This was pitch perfect John Connolly. I felt like the last few books lost the magic of the earlier Charlie Parker series, but this one (two stories in one book) brings it all back. We get the mystery, horror, science fiction, etc. that makes these books work. We also get when Connolly works in some Biblical elements into his works as well.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have missed Charlie Parker since finishing the series last November and I was excited to see a new book. I did not catch Sisters Strange when it came out in weekly segments in 2020 so it was all new to me and thoroughly enjoyable. Both stories have a great mix of Charlie, Angel, and Louis vs creepy gross bad guys...with plenty of supernatural themes as well. Charlies backstory and origins arent moved forward at all but the cases that he does cover more than make up for that.

I have just read The Furies by John Connolly.

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.

This edition is comprised of two stories – “The Sisters Strange” and “The Furies”.

The first story is about two sisters, a little supernatural and some valuable stolen coins.

The second is about Parker being hired to help some daughters.

Both stories takes place around Portland, Maine and are dark and are a little supernatural thrillers.

Overall, very entertaining and another great book from an outstanding Author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Author John Connolly and Atria Books for my advanced copy to read and review.
#NetGalley

A captivating mystery/ thriller with hints of paranormal. Evenly paced and well written with interesting characters. This book has atmosphere, intrigue,, and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Fans of John Connolly will enjoy a double feature of crime and the supernatural with The Furies. Novel 1, The Sisters Strange, welcomes back private detective Charlie Parker as he takes on a case of missing and rare coins. The return of career criminal Raum Buker to Portland, Maine commences a deadly game of theft and bad romance while Parker dances between Buker and the sisters Strange and a macabre Canadian coin dealer.
In Novel 2, The Furies, Parker and his deadly sidekicks Louis and Angel take on the very odd case of a woman who only wants her dead daughter's stolen artifacts back. The thieves are staying at the Braycott hotel, where the creepy laughter of a child adds a chill to the tale. Set during the advent of COVID-19, The Furies both entices and isolates the reader where the main course is bloody vengeance.
John Connolly's The Furies is a decent 2 for 1 crime fest crammed with the best of Parker and his eclectic cronies.

The Furies are mythological snake-haired goddesses of vengeance, pursuers of those who have committed unpunished crimes. In these two short novels by mystery writer John Connolly, private investigator Charlie Parker is drawn into a world of modern furies. I read The Fuiries courtesy of Net Galley and Atria Books/Siomon & Schuster in exchange for an objective review.

Charlie Parker, once a cop whose wife and daughter were viciously slaughtered when he was off drinking with his buddies, is a man consumed by violence, regret and desire for revenge. Through his previous nineteen novels, Connolly has led us on a terrifying journey through stories of darkness, of the evil which fills our world, and through frightful encounters with that which we can't explain. Parker is on a search for good, for answers and redemption. These are dark mystery novels colored by the supernatural, of things far beyond our understanding. And yet, despite that, the characters never lose their essential humanity.

Within The Furies are two short stories. In the first, old coins, runes, the theft of a powerful, ancient object, and the urgent desires of a very old and evil man all collide in a series of gruesome murders that threaten the lives of the Strange Sisters (Dolors and Ambar).

In the title story, two thieves steal something precious from the young widow of a brutal (now deceased) gangster, demanding a veritable fortune in stolen money for its return. The problem is, however, she doesn't have it, and after several threats and actions, she contacts Charlie Parker for his help.

Though they may be short, the two short novels hold all the elements which make Connolly's novels so perfectly perfect. He assembles an impressive cast of fully realized supporting characters. His writing is like liquid magic, which often begs to be read aloud. Consider this sentence from The Killing Kind, “They come now, the dark angels, the violent ones, their wings black against the sun, their swords unsheathed.” Or, from The Reapers, “This world is full of broken things: broken hearts, broken promises, broken people.”

Pure music. Brilliant. Elegant. Unforced.

Connolly has the wonderful ability to create a vivid sense of place, from the desolate loneliness of rural Maine and the different types of isolation of Bradford County, PA, where, "A person could mind his own business if he chose, but that didn't equate to a shortage of people eager to help him mind it." And, like a heap of puzzle pieces, the townsfolk are well shaped to create that place, even as it creates them.

It occurred to me that The Furies is more than aptly titled (though perhaps coincidentally). Classically, the Furies are goddesses of vengeance, pursuers of those who have committed unpunished crimes. Throughout the 20 books, Charlie Parker and his two companions, Louis and Angel, also serve as contemporary versions of The Furies, delivering their unique form of justice to those escaping it. If, as it is rumored, this is the last of the Charlie Parker novels, it serves as a lovely coda to a brilliant series.

I love everything about this series, although I must admit it feels like the last couple of books have been that episode in the middle of a TV show when you know the writers are taking a break to set up Something Big... And while they're still enjoyable, these interludes mostly serve to stir up the audience for that Something. I'm ready for the Something to hit - and for Parker's world to rock on its foundations...

I enjoyed these two novellas, as I enjoy everything in Parker's universe, but things have been coming to a head with Charlie for some time and it feels like he's treading water in these last few books - which you know is not a condition in which he will settle for long. These stories were enjoyable. I'm glad I read them. But they weren't my favorite parts of the series because they felt like asides.. The fundamental forces of Good and Evil have been toying with Charlie Parker for some time, and it feels like it's time for things to come to a head... I, for one, cannot wait to see what that looks like!

Completely enjoyed this book. John Connolly’s way with a turn of phrase makes my heart sing. Charlie Parker returns for more intrigue in the Portland, Maine area. Such great characters: the sisters Strange ( Ambar & Delors), Raum Buker,: and a mysterious stranger looking for retribution when a valuable coin is stolen. Connolly has the rare ability to combine laughter, intrigue, the supernatural and pure evil into a delightful read. I can’t wait for the next adventure.