“Mr. Connolly’s slam-bang thriller is studded with memorable characters and boasts cliffhangers within cliffhangers.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Brilliant...Connolly is writing at the top of his game.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

The New York Times bestselling author of A Book of Bones and “one of the best thriller writers we have” (Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author) goes back to the very beginning of Private Investigator Charlie Parker’s astonishing career with his first terrifying case.

It is 1997, and someone is slaughtering young women in Burdon County, Arkansas.

But no one in the Dirty South wants to admit it.

In an Arkansas jail cell sits a former NYPD detective, stricken by grief. He is mourning the death of his wife and child, and searching in vain for their killer. Obsessed with avenging his lost family, his life is about to take a shocking turn.

Witness the dawning of a conscience.

Witness the birth of a hunter.

Witness the becoming of Charlie Parker.

About The Author

Photograph by Mark Condren

John Connolly

John Connolly is the author of the #1 internationally bestselling Charlie Parker thrillers series, The Book of Lost Things and its sequel The Land of Lost Things, the Samuel Johnson Trilogy for younger readers, and (with Jennifer Ridyard) the Chronicles of the Invaders series. He lives in Dublin, Ireland. For more information, see his website at JohnConnollyBooks.com, or follow him on X @JConnollyBooks.

Product Details

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books (May 11, 2021)
Length: 464 pages
ISBN13: 9781982127558

Raves and Reviews

“A most satisfying read for crime buffs.”

– Kirkus Reviews

"In The Dirty South, we find Connolly weaving together Southern Gothic with Irish Noir for another great supernatural thriller."

– CrimeReads, "The Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2020"

*PRAISE FOR A BOOK OF BONES*

"A seamless, expansive, and chilling blend of police procedural and gothic horror tale . . . perfect for fireside reading on cold, rainy nights."

– Kirkus Reviews

“Complex, pulse-pounding...Connolly’s nuanced characterizations and facility at creating spooky atmospherics make it easy to suspend disbelief about the threat of cosmic horror from other dimensions.”

– Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"There’s no denying this one is a hell of a tale: dark, haunting, and beautifully told . . . the book is required reading."

– Booklist