The New York Times–bestselling author tells the story behind private detective Charlie Parker, the haunted hero of John Connolly’s eerie supernatural crime thrillers. Recounting his days as a journalist for the Irish Times and the Dublin murder that led him to question the ways we think about perpetrators and victims; discussing his crime-fiction idols; and reflecting on empathy and evil, John Connolly offers a short work that lets us learn more about his character Charlie Parker—a former NYPD detective who loses everything and struggles to remain human in the aftermath—and about the writer himself. Acclaim for John Connolly and the Charlie Parker novels “One of the most darkly intriguing books this reviewer has encountered in more than three decades of reading crime fiction.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A supremely talented storyteller.” —Booklist “Mr. Connolly’s slam-bang thriller is studded with memorable characters and boasts cliffhangers within cliffhangers.” —The Wall Street Journal