The Unquiet: A Thriller

Written by John Connolly

Narrated by Jay O. Sanders

Haunted private detective Charlie Parker returns in this “not to be missed” (Bookreporter) thriller by New York Times and internationally bestselling author John Connolly.

Daniel Clay, a once-respected psychiatrist, has gone missing, following revelations about the harm done to children in his care. Now, a killer obsessed with finding the truth about his own daughter’s disappearance is seeking revenge, and Charlie Parker finds himself trapped between those who want the truth about Clay to be revealed, and those who will go to any lengths to keep it hidden.

As with his previous novels, John Connolly masterfully intertwines mystery, emotion, and violence in this gripping page-turner. Fast-paced, hypnotic, and elegantly written, The Unquiet is John Connolly at his chilling best.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: May 15, 2007
• ISBN: 9780743561587

John Connolly

John Connolly is the author of the #1 internationally bestselling Charlie Parker thrillers series, the supernatural collection Nocturnes, 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 Twitter @JConnollyBooks.

Reviews for The Unquiet

[brookeashley-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Unquiet is typical John Connolly - dark, engrossing, and extremely well-written. I would recommend picking up his short story collection Nocturnes before reading this one, though, because one of the bad guys in The Unquiet first showed up in the Charlie Parker novella that was in Nocturnes. That novella had been my first introduction to Charlie, and while I could vaguely recall the story, encountering the bad guy again in The Unquiet would have had more of an effect on me if I'd read it more recently.

[tina1969_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Charlie Parker is asked by Rebecca Clay to help look for her missing father who she has declared dead. Charlie uncovers a disturbing child sex ring. This is book number six in the Charlie Parker series. I have previously read number twelve. I would however prefer to read books in order. I then can get a feel for the characters and their back stories, and basically just get to know them. My exception to my rule are the Jack Reacher novels.This book I didn't enjoy very much. Firstly the subject matter with the abuse of children was very disturbing. Secondly I felt it was way too long. The book could have got away quite easily with at least hundred pages less.I did find Charlie quite likeable but very complex. He has a lot going on and for me this is where I prefer to read books in order. There is also the character called The Collector. He seems to have appeared in previous books and I know hes still rattling around in book twelve. I would enjoy these books more if I read them in order but I feel that I haven't enjoyed the two books I have read to start the series. I like the fact that there is a supernatural element to the stories.As I said I started off enjoying the book but slowly felt bogged down by it and started to get bored. I did skip to get to the end for the big reveal. Not really for me but do know that Charlie Parker has a good following.

[Gay Gasper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love the story. However, I don’t always love when the story is abridged.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The weakest book so far in the series. A good story idea but just never felt fully developed. Very disturbing subject matter may have played apart as it deals with child abuse. Still, this book, like the others takes the reader on a couple of thrill rides.

[arkrayder · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This story was a little bleak. It’s well written but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous books.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"The Unquiet" is an effective horror story that proves once again the truth of Shakespeare's statement: "the evil that men do lives after them." Slowly and inexorably, Charlie Parker uncovers the horrifying misdeeds and unravels the tangled web of deceit that men without conscience created to shield themselves from justice. Inevitably, the past and the present converge, with predictably violent results. This book is a stylish and unsettling thriller with superior descriptive writing, memorable characters, and a bone-chilling conclusion.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Rebecca Clay asks Parker to search for her missing, and now declared dead, father Daniel Clay, little does Parker know that this is going to lead him into a morass of child abuse and people who don't want the truth to come out, no matter how many bodies they have to leave behind.The series inexorably drifts in a more horror/supernatural way and his sanity is starting to get more broken. Everyday reality is a place that is starting to be infected with the supernatural and it's starting to echo in his life.Still interesting though.

[branimal · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In March of 2009, I started reading Charlie’s journey through the criminal underworld with “Every Dead Thing”. While having a little supernatural stuff thrown in there, his character reminded me of a “Batman-ish” vigilante. You had the classic story line of a traumatic event happening to an undeserving person which leads into spending their life trying to make amends for what happened. I loved it – I was hooked right away. The first book was full of such anger, he hated the world and wanted justice for the murder of his wife and child.

With Connolly’s “The Unquiet”, we’re six books in and two removed from one of the best Parker novels yet, “The White Road”. In this installment, we find Parker dealing with the separation from the mother of his second child. He picks up a job protecting the daughter of a long since missing child psychologist, Daniel Clay. Daniel’s daughter, Rebecca, is being troubled by a man who believes Daniel is still alive. The man in question, Merrick, desperately wants to find the location of Daniel about some unfinished business. Daniel Clay’s disappearance is linked to a scandal involving a case of alleged child abuse leading to death which had subsequently ruined his career. However, nothing was actually confirmed on whether Mr. Clay had anything to do with the events in question, just that his disappearance seems to indicate his involvement.

Parker’s life is just a huge mess. He can’t seem to make a decision between what he believes is his moral obligation to seek out and help those troubled in life and accepting his role as a father and family man. The novel spends a good chunk of time on the personal life; heavily sinking into Parker’s dilemma. It’s like he’s just sulking around, hoping things will clear themselves up. He seems to have no desire to make any sort of final decision.

Despite my feelings on Parker, his associates Louis and Angel remain excellent. Louis has some of the best lines I’ve read in this series. From his rant on hockey to his explanation of his political views; I just loved him.

I’m a huge fan of Connolly’s wit and sarcastic humor but with a brooding Parker, the novel seems to just fall a little short of what I’m used to. Maybe that’s what Connolly was going for but it’s not something I’m a fan of – at least not this far into the Parker saga. I think the novel also suffered from its length. Finishing at just over 500 pages, I felt it could have been a little tighter. A lot seemed like filler to me.

Despite my overall feelings toward the book, it had a superb ending. Connolly wraps things up well and treats the reader to an epilogue which progresses to the next book nicely. I have to admit, I was intrigued by something hinted at in the final pages – enough to make me pick up the next book right away. Actually, the final 100 pages or so really saved this. If not for some key events occurring before the conclusion, this could’ve been completely forgettable and feel like a less than perfect entry in the Parker series.

Cross Posted @ Every Read Thing

[ct4bergeron · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this book, we follow Charlie Parker, PI, who has been hired to help a woman with a stalker problem. But things are not as it seems, since the stalker actually wants information about her missing father. Charlie start investigating and quickly realize that multiple forces are at play. A good book, I read it as a stand alone (I have previously read other of the Charlie Parker series, but it was a long time ago and I seem to have missed a few) So I was a bit unsure about some the missing information relating to his personnal story, but I still enjoyed it.

[mahallett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

my listening to this was quite disjointed. the reader seemed good but i didn't quite follow it.

[darrol_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although an above average narrative, I did not like this book quite as much as the others. The ending was interesting. You do need to read the short story that is between Black Angel and Unquiet.

[sweetismene · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I picked this book up on a whim from at the train station and was so impressed that I almost missed my stop. I really enjoyed the mixture of a crime novel in a supernatural, almost gothic setting. The creepy setting was absorbing, the characters were engaging, and every chapter I was certain that I knew what had happened, who the killers were, but I had always had to change my mind. This was a great read and I plan on trying some more of the Charlie Parker series.

[justagirl_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Crime thriller with a dash of the supernatural, this is all about child abuse and John Connolly writes powerful disturbing prose whatever he's writing about so it's not for the faint-hearted. The horror is balanced with some brilliant characterisation and black humour, creating a stunning novel from one of the best, and darkest, writers around.