The Furies By John Connolly -

In "The Sisters Strange," Parker is drawn into the orbit of the titular sisters and a low-life criminal who has stumbled upon something much older and hungrier than himself. The prose is vintage Connolly: atmospheric, jagged, and deeply empathetic toward the victims of life’s cruelty. He masterfully blends the gritty procedural elements of a private eye novel with a creeping, folk-horror dread that makes the hair on your arms stand up.

The second tale, "The Furies," leans harder into the themes of private justice. Set against the backdrop of the early pandemic, it finds Parker protecting two women from those who would exploit them. It is a story about the masks we wear—both literal and metaphorical—and the inevitable arrival of consequences. Here, the "Furies" are not just mythological concepts, but the living embodiments of a debt that must be paid in blood. The Furies by John Connolly

What makes this collection "solid" is Connolly’s refusal to lean on clichés. Charlie Parker is older now, more weary, and his relationship with the dark forces surrounding him has evolved into a grim understanding. His companions, Louis and Angel, provide their usual lethal charisma, but the real star is the atmosphere. Connolly writes about evil not as an abstract concept, but as a physical presence that chills the room. In "The Sisters Strange," Parker is drawn into