THE
UNQUIET continues the brooding mythos of Charlie Parker, the
Portland, Maine detective who quietly visits doom and disaster even
as he attempts to cast it off of others. Parker is, in a sense, a
contemporary sin eater, except that his hell is the here and now.
While John Connolly's novels are ostensibly about Parker, he is
often the least interesting character involved. Connolly is all
about writing bad guys, and believe me, even the bad guys operating
on the side of "good" are still bad guys.

Frank Merrick is a dangerous man, a killer and a self-styled
revenger. He is very interested in the whereabouts of Dr. Daniel
Clay, a psychiatrist fallen into disgrace who has been missing for
several years and declared dead. Merrick believes that Clay is
alive and knows the truth about the disappearance of Merrick's
child. He is stalking Clay's daughter, Rebecca, convinced that she
knows her father's whereabouts.

Parker is hired by Rebecca to stop Merrick. He brings in his usual
big guns and investigates Merrick's background, as well as the
circumstances surrounding Clay's professional downfall and
subsequent disappearance. While doing this, he slowly becomes aware
of a shadowy presence --- entities he comes to know as the Hollow
Men. The figures of T.S. Eliot's work quietly start interjecting
themselves into the investigation, even as Parker receives warnings
about them from both sides of the veil. And as he begins to
discover the truth about Clay and Merrick, Parker finds himself
caught in a deadly crossfire between those who seek revelation
regarding Clay's actions and those who strive to keep them
hidden.

Connolly's Maine is not all fog and lobster pots; the uneasy
co-existence between rural and urban Maine is as much a centerpiece
of his work as is Parker and his slowly expanding cast of
supporting characters. His ability to inject the dark history of
Maine's past into the narrative is first-rate as well. Even if
you've never had the urge to drive to this state for a chowder and
crab lunch, it is almost impossible to resist such a temptation
after reading THE UNQUIET, if only to trace Parker's path as taken
through the narrative.

This frightening work of darkness and beauty, written by one of the
true masters in the thriller and horror genres, is not to be
missed.