John Connolly’s The Wolf In Winter

The citizens of Prosperous, a small town in the state of Maine, have been a fortunate bunch.  Over the years, the town has thrived and its inhabitants have flourished.  But when the death of a homeless man and the disappearance of his daughter bring Detective Charlie Parker to town, secrets threaten to come to the surface.  Can Parker uncover the truth about Prosperous’ darkness or will he end up like many before him – fed to the town.

Connolly opens the twelfth installment of his acclaimed Charlie Parker series with a bang.  Louis, Angel and Parker have been hunting The Collector for months and believe to finally have him cornered.  When things go awry, the focus shifts to the town of Prosperous following a recent event that threatens the town’s peace.  Throughout the rest of the novel, Connolly moves between Parker and a select few of Prosperous’ authority figures creating a quick pace that doesn’t let up until the book is finished.

Louis and Angel are in top form, as always, and Parker’s adversaries are signature evil Connolly creations.  With a series so established, comes a large cast of characters.  Throughout the novel, several folks from Parker’s past make an appearance or two showing the reader just how deep Connolly’s universe is.  It’s a giant sandbox with which he can bury and unearth whomever he wishes.

Connolly ends the novel in an interesting place and as an audience, we’re not sure where he’s going to take the series from here.  If you can’t tell, I’m trying to be as vague as possible to avoid potential spoilers.  We’re told that Parker may never be the same, that his friends and family are worried about his well being. Charlie Parker is getting older and you’ve got to wonder, as a fan, just how long he’ll be able to keep up with the demands of the job.

As always, I’m anticipating just where Connolly is going to take the story next.  I love when he treads into dark territory and The Wolf in Winter is about as bleak as they come.