The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 23 books · 1999 to 2026 · Set in Portland, Maine

John Connolly

Crime and mysteryPrivate eyeNoir and hardboiled

Charlie Parker, a former New York detective whose wife and daughter were murdered, becomes a private investigator in Maine, hunting killers with the help of Louis and Angel, a hit man and a burglar. The books mix crime with the supernatural.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. Connolly’s fantasy and other novels are left out.

Vote for John Connolly as a favourite author, and for books and characters below. See the favourites

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
The chart needs JavaScript. The reading order and character list below work without it.

John Connolly books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Charlie Parker

23 books · Set in Portland, MainePrivate eyeNoir and hardboiled
  1. 1Every Dead Thing1999With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Dark Hollow2000With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Killing Kind2001With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  4. 4The White Road2002With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  5. 5The Black Angel2005With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  6. 6The Unquiet2007With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  7. 7The Reapers2008With Louis and AngelBuy on Amazon
  8. 8The Lovers2009With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  9. 9The Whisperers2010With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  10. 10The Burning Soul2011With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  11. 11The Wrath of Angels2012With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  12. 12The Wolf in Winter2014With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  13. 13A Song of Shadows2015With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  14. 14A Time of Torment2016With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  15. 15A Game of Ghosts2017With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  16. 16The Woman in the Woods2018With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  17. 17A Book of Bones2019With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  18. 18The Dirty South2020With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  19. 19The Nameless Ones2021With Louis and AngelBuy on Amazon
  20. 20The Furies2022With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  21. 21The Instruments of Darkness2024With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  22. 22The Children of Eve2025With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon
  23. 23A River Red with Blood2026With Charlie ParkerBuy on Amazon

Characters

9 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Parker and his friends