The Furies: Private Investigator Charlie Parker looks evil in the eye in the globally bestselling series (Charlie Parker Thriller)

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This book contains 2 novels, each of which could have been a standalone and, even though this book is part of the Charlie Parker series, the entire book stands alone from the series. The Sisters Strange is the longer of the two. Revolving around the theft of ancient coins, one of which has supernatural powers, Parker is pulled into the investigation by a person concerned about the sisters Strange: Dolors and Ambar. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. There was something almost admirable in the Braycott’s commitment to anarchy and disrepute, a commitment that seemed to have been passed down from owner to owner along with the deeds and keys. The hotel first opened its doors on July 25, 1888, just one month after Union Station itself. By then Maine’s embrace of Prohibition, which had commenced nearly seventy years before the passage of the Volstead Act, was tightening. The sale of alcohol was illegal in the state, which drove the business underground—literally, in the case of the Braycott Arms, whose principal developer, Normand Braycott, had the foresight to devise a bar in the basement, albeit one omitted from the official plans. Bribes rendered it largely immune from raids, except for cosmetic purposes, although a two-hundred-foot tunnel behind the keg storage bay was kept clear in case of real emergencies, with a point of egress in a Braycott-owned property on the other side of Park. Decades later, when the rest of the United States followed Maine’s lead in attempting to dry out its population by force, the Braycott’s tunnel and bar became a staging point for the rum runners bringing liquor into Portland Harbor, where the bottles would be concealed in boxes of Moxie soda, later to become the state’s official soft drink, possibly in part for services rendered to its populace during Prohibition.

The Braycott Arms was a stain on the character of the city of Portland, a blight on its inhabitants, and a repository for criminality, both aggressively active and relatively passive, the latter frequently due only to the temporary requirements of a parole board. It had always been thus, even beyond recall. The Braycott was one of a number of railroad hotels that had sprung up in the vicinity of Union Station, now departed these sixty years, of which only the Inn at St. John and the Braycott survived. But while the former was comfortable, hospitable, and carefully maintained, the Braycott catered to those who were less than particular about their surroundings, and valued the company of rough men and rougher women over clean sheets and a peaceful night’s sleep.

Table of Contents

The Furies” revolves around two women for whom Parker has taken on cases. The first is Sarah Abelli, who tragically lost her daughter, Kara. To add insult to injury, two men have robbed her of personal items that amounted to all she had left of Kara. Even though Sarah comes from a family with a criminal past that Parker is well aware of, it is important for him to retrieve her valuable possessions. He will get unexpected help when the specter of a little girl begins to haunt the culprits while they stay at the same flophouse as Buker did in the first story.

Five stars because omgoodness what a Charlie Parker novel this is! Or should I say two novels? Yes, what Mr. Connolly imagined as a novella - Sisters Strange - and wrote during the early part of the pandemic instead became a short novel! It's here! And followed by The Furies. Two novels in one book! Yay!The game goes on. The game always goes on. The only issue to be decided is if you’re a player or a pawn.” In “The Sisters Strange”, Parker learns a lot about the rare coins market. Career criminal Raum Buker stole a unique coin from the wrong man and this crime brings danger to Dolors and Ambar Strange. Raum has a tendency to dare his enemies “which bespoke a degree of confidence in himself to which he had no right”. In “The Furies”, a widow asks Parker to recover some mementos of her dead daughter. A pair of murderous thugs are holding them for ransom. Another mother asks Parker to help her daughter escape from an abusive boyfriend. I enjoyed both novellas, but I am ready for this series to finally move forward, as it has been at a standstill since the events of book 18. As always, Connolly’s writing is well-crafted, and I loved spending time with Parker, Angel, Louis, and other favorite characters. I am ready to see where this series is headed and cannot wait to find out in book #21.

In The Sisters Strange, the return of the criminal Raum Buker to Portland, Maine brings with it chaos and murder, as an act of theft threatens not only to tear apart his own existence but also that of Raum’s former lovers, the enigmatic sisters Dolors and Ambar Strange. In Greek mythology, the Erinyes (or Furies), were three goddesses of vengeance who punished men for crimes against nature. And in The Furies Parker finds himself fighting to protect two more women as the city of Portland shuts down in the face of a global pandemic, but it may be that his clients are more capable of taking care of themselves than anyone could have imagined . . .I always get excited when I see that John Connolly has a new book out in the Charlie Parker series! I love Connolly's beautiful writing. He has the heart of a poet who writes dark supernatural tales that put a smile on my face. I love how he combines genres: horror, mystery, supernatural, etc. In The Furies, Connolly takes a new slant and instead of writing a one story, he writes two novellas (The Sisters Strange and The Furies). Both were enjoyable, but I did enjoy the second one much more. John Connolly’s latest supernatural thriller, “The Furies”, is actually two novels for the price of one. Both feature Connolly’s private detective Charlie Parker, a man haunted by demons, both figurative and literal. Strangely enough, things are going well for Parker, who has found some semblance of a life in Maine. He has a favorite watering hole, friends, and even the occasional client, but he is extremely discriminating about the types of cases he signs on to anymore. 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?