Series · supernatural crime
Charlie Parker
The Charlie Parker series by John Connolly has 23 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Every Dead Thing (1999).
- Books
- 23 books
- First published
- 1999
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: Every Dead Thing (1999) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Every Dead Thing
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Every Dead Thing - Book 2:
Dark Hollow
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dark Hollow - Book 3:
The Killing Kind
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Killing Kind - Book 4:
The White Road
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The White Road - Book 5:
Nocturnes
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Nocturnes - Book 6:
The Black Angel
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Black Angel - Book 7:
The Unquiet
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Unquiet - Book 8:
The Reapers
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Reapers - Book 9:
The Lovers
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Lovers - Book 10:
The Whisperers
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Whisperers - Book 11:
The Burning Soul
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Burning Soul - Book 12:
The Wrath of Angels
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Wrath of Angels - Book 13:
The Wolf in Winter
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Wolf in Winter - Book 14:
A Song of Shadows
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Song of Shadows - Book 15:
Night Music: Nocturnes Volume 2
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Night Music: Nocturnes Volume 2 - Book 16:
A Time of Torment
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Time of Torment - Book 17:
A Game of Ghosts
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Game of Ghosts - Book 18:
The Woman in the Woods
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Woman in the Woods - Book 19:
A Book of Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Book of Bones - Book 20:
The Dirty South
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Dirty South - Book 21:
The Nameless Ones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Nameless Ones - Book 22:
The Furies
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Furies - Book 23:
The Instruments of Darkness
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Instruments of Darkness - Book 24:
The Children of Eve
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Children of Eve - Book 25:
A River Red with Blood
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A River Red with Blood
About the Charlie Parker series
Charlie Parker is a former NYPD detective turned private investigator whose wife and young daughter were murdered before the series begins -- a trauma that never fully recedes and that opens the door to the series' defining move: John Connolly writes hard-edged American crime fiction that is also, unapologetically, ghost story and horror. Parker is haunted, sometimes literally, by the dead he failed to save, and his cases increasingly brush up against something genuinely supernatural and ancient lurking behind ordinary human evil. He's backed by Louis and Angel, a gay couple who are equal parts moral conscience and lethal muscle, and their partnership deepens across the series to the point that several entries centre on them rather than Parker.
The appeal is atmosphere and genre-blending: Connolly's Maine is gothic and elegiac, his violence is brutal, and his villains are often monstrous in more than the metaphorical sense. It's for readers who want their detective fiction shot through with real dread and moral weight -- closer to a slow-building horror novel wearing a PI-thriller structure than to a conventional police procedural.
How to read this series
Publication order, starting with Every Dead Thing (1999), is the way to read this series -- Parker's grief, his relationships with Louis and Angel, and an underlying mythology about ancient evil all build continuously across more than twenty books, with later novels paying off plot threads seeded many entries earlier.
A few entries are worth knowing about going in: The Nameless Ones (book 19) shifts focus to Louis and Angel with Parker in a supporting role, and The Furies (book 20) is a collection of two linked novellas rather than a single novel -- both still belong in reading order rather than being skippable. The short-story collections Nocturnes (2004) and Night Music: Nocturnes Volume 2 (2015) sit alongside the main sequence and mix Parker-adjacent tales with unrelated supernatural fiction; they're optional and best read after you already know the world.
Frequently asked questions
How many Charlie Parker books are there?
There are 23 novels in the main Charlie Parker sequence, from Every Dead Thing (1999) to A River Red with Blood (2026), plus two short-story collections, Nocturnes (2004) and Night Music (2015).
What order should I read the Charlie Parker books in?
Publication order, starting with Every Dead Thing (1999). Parker's grief, his relationship with Louis and Angel, and the series' larger supernatural mythology all build continuously across the books.
Is there a new Charlie Parker book coming?
A River Red with Blood (book 23) was published on 7 May 2026 and is the most recent entry; no further book has been announced as of August 2026.
Do I need to read the Nocturnes short story collections?
No. Nocturnes (2004) and Night Music (2015) mix Parker-related stories with unrelated supernatural fiction and are optional extras, not required for following the main Parker storyline.
Is The Nameless Ones a Charlie Parker novel?
It holds book 19's place in the series but centres on Louis and Angel rather than Parker, who appears in a supporting role. It's still meant to be read in sequence, not skipped.
Reading order last verified .