John Parker is a Graduate-qualified English/Spanish Teacher, owner and director of CHAT ENGLISH, an English Language Centre in Avilés on the north coast of Spain . A voracious reader, he has particularly loved horror fiction for many years.
The latest book in the Charlie Parker series begins in a leisurely manner as we meet a character called Antonio Elizalde, a man who deals in antiquities and who is unfortunately stricken with cancer and is due to have an operation. He owns a statue of the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan, which, upon returning home, he finds upon the floor instead of on the shelf where he left it. Could this be a sign, an augury on the eve of his imminent operation? It is indeed but not what he is hoping for.
And so we are launched into another case for Charlie to investigate as he is employed by an artist called Zetta Nadeau to search for her missing boyfriend Wyatt Riggins. The only clue to what has happened to him is on his mobile phone which contains a message of just one word: RUN.
The case seems to have some connection with other characters in the novel. There is a type of feud going on between a Mexican cartel boss, Blas Urrea and Devin Vaughan, head of a drug-dealing business in the USA. Vaughan and his henchman Aldo Bern appear to have been involved in the abduction of four children in Mexico. Urrea wants them back and has dispatched “problem-solver” Eugene Seeley and a mysterious woman to get them back. But strangely, Urrea’s family is safe and well. Why will Urrea stop at nothing to retrieve these children?
As you might expect, this novel is an intriguing and exciting novel. Charlie does what he does best and little by little begins to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of Riggins. The usual cast of supporting characters are here, some playing bigger roles than others. So we have Louis and Angel, lawyer Moxie Castin, police officer and sentimental partner Sharon Macy and the ever-popular Fulci Brothers. Despite this, a first-time reader will have no problem following the main plot and thanks to the skill of the author’s writing they will be drawn into the action and upon finishing will surely be sufficiently impressed enough to want to delve into the previous novels.
Long-time readers are in for a treat as well. There is a sub-plot which involves both of Charlie’s daughters; long-dead Jennifer and very much alive Samantha, now in her late teens. Connolly seems to be laying the groundwork for future novels as some important revelations are made in this book. Let us not forget that Charlie Parker is the “scourge of evil. Last hope of the lost”. There is something about him that we do not know even though Connolly has often hinted at something other-worldly about him. And to add to all this, there is also the surprise return of a character not seen since Connolly’s 2005 novel THE BLACK ANGEL. Something is afoot and I look forward to finding out the answers in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future. A solid, entertaining novel that is well-worth your time.
