Prominent Maine artist Zetta Nadeau approaches Detective Charlie Parker to look into the sudden disappearance of her boyfriend, Wyatt Riggins. Upon digging, Parker discovers that the missing man in question is involved in the kidnapping of four children belonging to the ruthless Mexican cartel boss, Blas Urrea. Desperate to see the safe return of his “property” Urrea dispatches two of his best agents. Can Charlie track down and locate Riggins or is he risking a collision with two cold-blooded killers?

John Connolly returns with the twenty-second installment of his acclaimed crime fiction series featuring his titular detective. Once again, the mystery at the center of the novel is rock solid and the suspense it generated had me on the edge of my seat. The pair of villains Connolly puts up against Parker are deeply sinister, one more so than the other. Her actions chilled me to the core and she quickly became one of Connolly’s more shocking creations. Much like one of my other favorite writers, Lawrence Block, Connolly decided to age his main character alongside himself, so there are signs here that time is beginning to catch up with Parker. While he’s just as dogged and determined as ever, there are moments where his body isn’t quite as willing as his mind, which makes his job a bit harder to do, especially when up against younger foes. Thankfully Parker has lots of help in the shape of formidable allies who have his back.

Speaking of those allies, I’ve been reading this series for so long now that I feel at home with these characters; they basically feel like family at this point, and the banter between Charlie and his two friends Louis and Angel once again had me in stitches. If John ever wanted to write a novel about the three of them sitting around a table and chatting for three hundred pages or so, I’d be first in line to buy it.

Connolly ends the story with an eye to the future where it feels like something big is on the horizon. His long deceased daughter Jennifer, who frequents the novels in the ghostly form of a protector for her father, intimates that Parker’s story is coming to a pivotal crossroads and I can’t wait to see what Connolly has up his sleeve.

After falling hard for "The Dark Instruments," I've been hopelessly devoted to Charlie Parker's world, and "The Children of Eve" proves exactly why this series continues to captivate. Connolly delivers his trademark cocktail of gritty action, character depth, and supernatural elements with even more potency this time around.

What makes this installment particularly brilliant is Connolly's masterful handling of multiple perspectives. We follow Parker's methodical investigation while simultaneously glimpsing what's happening behind the curtain—creating this delicious tension where we know slightly more than our protagonist but still far less than we need to. This narrative structure keeps you constantly off-balance, turning pages well past midnight.

The parallel storylines work like perfectly synchronized dancers. While Parker follows his leads with that signature quiet determination, the mob elements unfold with menacing precision. When these storylines finally converge, the revelation genuinely shocked me.

And those supernatural elements? They're seamlessly woven into the fabric of the story, creating moments that literally raised goosebumps on my arms. Connolly never relies on the paranormal as a crutch but instead uses these elements to deepen the mystery and heighten the stakes.

"The Children of Eve" demonstrates how a long-running series can continue evolving while honoring what made readers fall in love initially. Each book somehow manages to be both comfortingly familiar and startlingly fresh. For thriller readers craving something with both intellectual depth and genuine chills, Parker's latest case should absolutely top your reading list.

Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley, for my free books for review.

Charlie Parker is back and as usual, he is pulled into quite the mess in this book. Slow to start but strong to finish, The Children of Eve involves missing children, a missing man, and devious and dangerous people. The books in the Charlie Parker series always have great mysteries, plenty of action, and a supernatural element. I love how Charlie Parker's long dead daughter Jennifer always comes into play in the books. I love seeing her and her watchful eye and interactions with Charlie and other supernatural elements. Fans of the series will be happy to see Angel and Louis make appearances as well. This book finds Charlie Parker smack dab in the middle of a whole lot of trouble when he is hired by a woman to find her missing boyfriend. Her boyfriend who got tangled up in a HUGE mess.

As I mentioned this book started on the slower side and I was worried that this might be one of the first books in the Charlie Parker series that I won’t enjoy. But he pace did pick up and this book became more and more enjoyable and intense as the subplots began to merge and things became more dicey and more mysterious. So, who are "The Children of Eve"? One will need to read this book to find out! The Children of Eve has many chilling, intense, gripping, and interesting parts. There are also some parts where readers will notice that Charlie is not as young as he used to be, and things hurt a little more than they once did.

But what doesn't get old, is the characters, their relationships, their banter, their love, and their teamwork. I love seeing them together, how they solve their unique cases, and how the depths of their love and courage shine through. As with the previous books in the series, The Children of Eve is wonderfully written, brimming with tension, atmosphere, twists, revelations, the supernatural, and dread.

Be sure to read the author's note to learn what trip he took inspired him to write this storyline.

Folks, we have another winner from John Connolly. The Children of Eve, number 22 in the Charlie Parker series, is another home run knocked out of the park. For this reader, he continues to have a batting average of 100%.

In this installment, Parker is asked by a local artist to search for her boyfriend, who abruptly disappeared after receiving a text message that simply says “run”. As is par for this series, this isn’t anywhere near a simple case, and this slow burn of a novel propels itself towards an unexpected otherworldly conclusion. I literally could not put the book down.

Highly recommended, even if you’ve never read anything in the series previously.

My sincere gratitude to Atria Books and to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of The Children of Eve.

4.25 Stars ⭐️

As this is the 22nd book in this series, those of us that have been with Charlie Parker and crew from the beginning were ready to dive right into their latest adventure. After everything was said and done -I, for one, was not disappointed.

The storyline starts when Charlie is hired by a local artist, a young Maine sculptor Zetta Nadeau to investigate the disappearance of her boyfriend Wyatt Riggins. The two had been together a short time, but one day he disappears, leaving all of his clothing and belongings and all she finds is a burner cell phone with the last message saying, "RUN"

As is typical with anything that Mr. Parker gets involved with, things are not what they seem. Charlie very quickly discovers that Wyatt was involved in some super secret sneaky things - and none of it was good. What we are told in the beginning was that Wyatt was part of a group that stole or kidnapped 4 children from a major cartel boss in South America.

As we also see quite often, there is a supernatural aspect to the story and there is a secondary plot line dealing with his dead daughter Jennifer. Jennifer has been a huge part of the over arching story line over the years and we have watched as she has been around on the periphery of Charlie's life. In this story, she has a bigger role and we get to see that there is an actual reason that she has been hanging around....no spoilers :)

So, things go WAY off the reservation with this case and before you know it, Charlie needs the help of Angel and Louis. Things take off from there.

Another winner from Mr. Connoly and he is definitely setting up a really interesting climax in regards to whatever Charlie and Jennifer are actually hiding from.

Sound crazy? Yep, completely....can't wait to find out.

Thank you To NetGalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on May 6, 2025.

Having started the book twice, I managed to finish it today. It was a struggle
I’’m not used to, but at about the 2/3 mark, the light came on~ I understood
what Charlie was up against and I was all in for what I hoped would be some
resolution. Well, instead, I was not yet there, but things became clear, finally.
The suspense, the terrifying story,,and the. meet up with Sam, her Mom
made me feel like I’d had a well rounded, albeit terrifying story with some
great scenes. I think this has the bones of a great movie script.
My thanks to AtriaEmily Bestler Books via NetGalley for the download
copy of this book for review purposes

The Children of Eve is part of John Connolly’s ongoing Charlie Parker series but could be read as a good standalone. Always packed with action and a touch of irreverence, the mysteries do not disappoint. This one adds a haunted touch for even more intrigue.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the 22nd title in the Charlie Parker series of books and I enjoyed it, I think it’s an interesting addition to the series. It has a great blend of first person and third person perspectives which for me wasn’t distracting or annoying. The back and forth between the two is smooth. The main characters are present even if it’s not as much as I would have liked. Even Parker himself was not engaged as much as he usually is with the malefactors of the plot. Maybe I’m wrong about this, but it felt more of a Jennifer (Parker’s deceased daughter) story to me. I feel it’s perhaps an ending of one chapter of Parker’s existence and the start of something new, something a bit darker. I’m not saying that past adversaries couldn’t show up in later titles but new “entities” have been introduced which may pose more of a problem to Parker’s than he’s used to. All in all it’s an entertaining read and a great page turner. Highly recommended.

Every time I read a Charlie Parker book, my heart breaks just a little more until I'm sure there's almost nothing left.

As usual, expect a combination of thrilling crime, eerie supernatural, and absolute heartbreak.

Some of our favorite characters are back to add a little heart and humor and you'll get to meet some very unusual children. They definitely were NOT what I expected them to be.

Readers new to the series would benefit from starting with book 1. While this will still work, the world that the author has built with the series is epic and all encompassing and you deserve to experience it all!

Absolutely perfect.

Im a huge John Connolly fan, I’ve read all the Parker books and most of Connolly’s other work so the yearly entry into the Parker series is alway one of the events of my reading year. And as ever Connolly doesn’t let the many fans down with another dark, macabre thriller.

Connolly is a masterful storyteller and the style in which he writes is nothing short of beautiful. At times it’s genuinely poetic. This being book 22, it pays to have followed the series to understand all the relationships between the characters and the intricacies of Charlie Parker. That being said a new reader could read this but may find the content rather strange if they were expecting a standard crime thriller.

Whilst i very much enjoyed this latest take, I will be honest in that it’s certainly not my favorite and possibly one of the weaker efforts in the 22 books, but then things are changing and I don’t know if Connolly has much more for Parker, Louis, Angel and the Fulcis, but going by the ends if, something major might be coming.

A great read nevertheless

“The Children of Eve” is another thrilling hit by John Connolly in the Charlie Parker series. Charlie is hired by a female artist to find her ex-military boyfriend who has suddenly disappeared. At the same time, an American mobster has made the mistake of stealing priceless mummified children from the head of a Mexican cartel. The intensity of these vicious and violent criminals reaches a new level for Parker as he tries to find these children, stay alive, protect his daughter, and his usual group of investigative cohorts. We are all used to the eerie supernatural elements in Connolly's books but in this one the action is a bit more grisly and intense. Whether you are a long time fan or a soon to be new fan, this book will not disappoint!

Thank you NetGalley and Altria/Emily Bestler Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love this series so much! This one felt reminiscent of the early books in the series, in a way that I enjoyed. Charlie Parker is getting older, and I'm very curious to see where Connolly is going with his series-long storyline about who/ what exactly Charlie is... As always, I enjoyed the back and forth between the ongoing storyline to that effect and the current mystery. This one had a lot more of the supernatural elements that were present in the early series, and that is something I really enjoyed seeing revived in a big way. The book reminded me that there is a lot of backstory here, and I feel like it is going to become increasingly relevant as the books continue, so it may be time to go back and reread/relisten!

For what it's worth, I wouldn't recommend this one if you have not been keeping up with the series - lots of characters and references are dropped in here that won't mean anything if you are not familiar with the Parker universe, and then you would miss a lot of the relevance and intriguing developments.

Charlie Parker is hired by a young artist to find her boyfriend, an ex-military who's disturbingly fled for unknown reasons. Meanwhile, an American mobster has made the mistake of abducting children from a Mexican cartel boss, leading to an escalating trail of violence and bodies. When they lead back to Maine, Parker will meet a danger he could never have imagined.
This is another gripping tale in the Charlie Parker series, with a complex and mysterious plot.Connolly's writing is a strong as ever, and the book is very engrossing. The only things keeping this from being a 5-star read for me are that I found it to be too long - there were a few spots I skimmed some pages of mildly interesting, but otherwise irrelevant-to-the-plot information, and the fact that the finale was pretty rushed and anticlimactic. 4-4.5*

Exceptional children are kidnapped from a Mexican cartel boss willing to bulldoze heaven and earth to retrieve them. Characters vanish, some reappear with their hearts carved out and whatever theme music accompanies the most compelling supernatural sleuth in literature begins playing.

Private Investigator Charlie Parker specializes in grisly, otherworldly mysteries and Connolly serves up a solid offering in The Children of Eve. Parker has battled a veritable museum of intensely menacing villains over the years and two in this novel are as creepily-drawn as any in the series. The narrative structure is compelling, a smooth blend of first and third person. It’s horror, it’s mystery, it’s crime, so many genres are satisfying bent. It takes a little time to fully blossom, but the second half pulsates with thrills and we receive a hellacious climax.

Parker's two daughters fit well into the story. Sam is alive and remains introspective about her father's work. Jennifer is dead and remains a child-like apparition watching over dear old dad. We encounter Louis, a dapper ex-assassin (an especially interesting and fun supporting character) with his partner Angel in scenes billed to please long-time readers of the series.

This is a serviceable entry. It should bring in new fans and make happy those who have been along for the ride since the incredible Every Dead Thing introduced readers to ex-cop "Birdman" Charlie Parker. The ending of Eve entices possible future threads and I look forward to seeing where this skilled writer takes us.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the review copy.

Really enjoyed my first Charlie Parker novel. The story was great and quite unique with twists that I didn't see coming. It's nothing like your typical supernatural thrillers. 4.25 out of 5 stars. Full review to come soon.

Private investigator Charlie Parker takes on a missing person case, which has links to the disappearance of children connected to a cartel boss. Another enjoyable entry in the series, especially when Angel and Louis show up, and it has more than a few sly surprises in store. I've been a fan of John Connolly's since 2001, and as long as he keeps putting out great thrillers like this, I always will be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

John Connolly's Charlie Parker series is the best series out there. 20+ books strong and they keep getting better. Amazing. I thought the ending of this one was a bit rushed but other than that I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series...it's getting good...

Thank you NetGalley for the arc! Since this was the ebook I had to read this one with Jeff Harding's narrator voice in my head.

This is one of my first DNF's ever. I just couldn't get into the story. It starts very slowly, at least for me and the disparate storylines made it difficult for me to keep going. I have read other reviews of people who really enjoyed it but it didn't work for me.

John Connolly’s Parker series never disappoints, and this novel is no exception. The characters of Louis and Angel, and Moxie always a bonus in each novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.