The Unquiet

Starred review from March 26, 2007
In this scary, cerebral thriller from bestseller Connolly, his fifth to feature world-weary Maine PI Charlie Parker (after 2005's The Black Angel
), Parker is haunted by the ghosts of his wife and daughter, who died under mysterious circumstances that left him guilt-ridden. Parker is drawn again into the darkest recesses of human nature when a new client, Rebecca Clay, retains him to protect her against a menacing stalker, Frank Merrick, who believes Rebecca knows the whereabouts of her father, Daniel, a child psychiatrist who vanished years before. Merrick suspects Daniel knows the truth about the fate of his own young daughter, whom Daniel treated and who disappeared without a trace while Merrick was incarcerated. Connolly is a master of suggestion, creating mood and suspense with ease, and unflinchingly presents a hard-eyed look at the horrors that can lurk in quiet, rustic settings. 12-city author tour.

George Guidall narrates the story of Charlie Parker, P.I., who is hired by a young woman being stalked by ex-con Frank Merrick. Parker digs through the layers of the story to reveal decades-old patterns of child abuse. The dark themes are balanced with lyrical descriptions as Guidall makes the text sing. He portrays a hard-boiled detective whose character expands as Parker becomes compassionate towards the unlikable contract killer as they forge a delicate bond because they both have missing children. Guidall helps listeners appreciate Parker's cleverness in both sleuthing and wordplay. He also delivers a striking portrait of Maine--beautiful in its wildness and ugly in an undercurrent of seething feelings provoked by an influx of monied tourists. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine