John Connolly Books in Order

John Connolly is an Irish crime and supernatural fiction author best known for the Charlie Parker series, which follows a former NYPD detective turned private investigator through cases that are part crime thriller, part horror. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Barry, Shamus, Macavity, and CWA Dagger awards, and has put more UK Sunday Times Top 10 Hardback Bestsellers on the list than any other Irish writer. His debut, Every Dead Thing, made him the first author outside the United States to win the Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel.

This page lists all John Connolly books in order, including the Charlie Parker series, the Samuel Johnson Vs. the Darkness young adult trilogy, standalone novels, short story and novella collections, and nonfiction books. He co-authored the Chronicles of the Invaders science fiction trilogy with Jennifer Ridyard.

Latest John Connolly Books

A River Red With Blood
A River Red With Blood, (Charlie Parker #23) May 2026

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Charlie Parker Series (Books in Order)

The Charlie Parker series follows former NYPD homicide detective Charlie Parker, who becomes a private investigator in Maine after the murder of his wife and daughter. The cases he takes are dark and often violent, and what sets the series apart is how consistently John Connolly blurs the line between crime fiction and the supernatural. Charlie Parker works in a world where the evil he confronts is sometimes literal, not just human. The series also feature many important side characters around Parker, particularly Louis and Angel, whose roles become more important as the books go on.

Reading Order

  1. Every Dead Thing, 1999
  2. Dark Hollow, 2000
  3. The Killing Kind, 2001
  4. The White Road, 2002
  5. The Reflecting Eye, 2004
  6. The Black Angel, 2005
  7. The Unquiet, 2007
  8. The Reapers, 2008
  9. The Lovers, 2009
  10. The Whisperers, 2010
  11. The Burning Soul, 2011
  12. The Wrath of Angels, 2012
  13. The Wolf in Winter, 2014
  14. A Song of Shadows, 2015
  15. A Time of Torment, 2016
  16. A Game of Ghosts, 2017
  17. The Woman in the Wood, 2018
  18. A Book of Bone, 2019
  19. The Dirty South, 2020
  20. The Nameless Ones, 2021
  21. The Furies, 2022
  22. The Instruments of Darkness, 2024
  23. The Children of Eve, 2025
  24. A River Red With Blood, 2026

Reading notes:

  • The Dirty South (book 18) is a prequel set before the events of Every Dead Thing.

Other Charlie Parker Books

Nocturnes Series (Books in Order)

Reading Order

  1. Nocturnes, 2004
  2. Night Music, 2015
  3. Day & Night, 2024

The Book of Lost Things Series (Books in Order)

Reading Order

  1. The Book of Lost Things, 2006
  2. The Land of Lost Things, 2023

Samuel Johnson Vs. The Devil Series (Books in Order)

Reading Order

  1. The Gates, 2009
  2. The Infernals, 2011 (also titled Hell’s Bells)
  3. The Creeps, 2013
  4. The Monks of Appalling Dreadfulness, 2020

Chronicles of the Invaders Trilogy (Books in Order)

Reading Order

Co-authored with Jennifer Ridyard

  1. Conquest, 2013
  2. Empire, 2015
  3. Dominion, 2016

Standalone Novels

Novellas and Short Stories

Anthologies and Short Story Collections

Show All Books +

Other Contributions

Non-Fiction Books

John Connolly Biography

John Connolly books in order
John Connolly (author). (2023, August 31).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Connolly_(author)

John Connolly is an Irish author who wrote novels in several genres, including crime fiction, supernatural horror, young adult fiction, and nonfiction. He has published more than 30 books since his 1999 debut, Every Dead Thing.
Official website: johnconnollybooks.com

Born in Dublin on 31 May 1968, John Connolly grew up in the city’s Rialto area and attended Synge Street CBS before studying English at Trinity College Dublin. He then received an M.A. in journalism from Dublin City University,

Before becoming a full-time author, he held several jobs, such as being a barman and a waiter, a low-level clerk at Harrods in London, and then he spent five years as a freelance journalist for the Irish Times. While no longer employed there, he still contributes articles and interviews other authors occasionally.

His work in journalism was a stepping stone to his career as a mystery author. He began writing Every Dead Thing in his spare time while still freelancing, and that novel launched both his career and the Charlie Parker series, which now has well over 20 books. The supernatural crime series follows a former NYPD detective turned private investigator who hunts both serial killers and evil non-human forces alike.

John Connolly has also written standalone novels including Bad Men and He (a fictional account of Stan Laurel’s later years), and several shorter series, including the Book of Lost Things fantasy duology, and the young adult Samuel Johnson trilogy. He co-authored the science fiction Chronicles of the Invaders trilogy with his partner, Jennifer Ridyard. His short story, The New Daughter, included in Nocturnes, the supernatural story collection, was the base of a movie with the same title featuring Kevin Costner and Ivana Baquero. His nonfiction anthology Books to Die For, co-edited with Declan Burke, won three major awards.

John Connolly currently lives in Dublin.

John Connolly Book Adaptations

  • The New Daughter (short story from Nocturnes) – adapted into the feature film The New Daughter (2009), directed by Luiso Berdejo, starring Kevin Costner and Ivana Baquero

John Connolly Awards and Honors

Major Awards and Honors

  • Every Dead Thing – Shamus Award, Best First PI Novel (2000) (first non-American author to win)
  • The White Road – Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2003)
  • The Book of Lost Things – Alex Award, Best Book for Young Adults (2007)
  • Books to Die For (with Declan Burke) – Agatha Award, Best Nonfiction (2012); Anthony Award, Best Critical Nonfiction (2013); Macavity Award, Best Mystery Critical/Biographical (2013)
  • The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository – Edgar Award, Best Short Story (2014); Anthony Award, Best Short Story (2014)
  • CWA Short Story Dagger, for “On the Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier” (2016)
  • Irish Post Award for Literature (2007)

Awards (Full List)

Show all +

  • Every Dead Thing – Shamus Award, Best First PI Novel (2000)
  • The White Road – Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2003)
  • The Book of Lost Things – Alex Award, Best Book (2007)
  • Books to Die For (with Declan Burke) – Agatha Award, Best Nonfiction (2012)
  • Books to Die For (with Declan Burke) – Anthony Award, Best Critical Nonfiction (2013)
  • Books to Die For (with Declan Burke) – Macavity Award, Best Mystery Critical/Biographical (2013)
  • The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository – Edgar Award, Best Short Story (2014)
  • The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository – Anthony Award, Best Short Story (2014)
  • “On the Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier” – CWA Short Story Dagger (2016)
  • Irish Post Award for Literature (2007)

Nominations and Shortlists

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  • Every Dead Thing – Bram Stoker Award, Best First Novel (1999)
  • Every Dead Thing – Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2000)
  • Dark Hollow – Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2001)
  • The Killing Kind – Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2002)
  • “Miss Froom, Vampire” – CWA Short Story Dagger (2005)
  • The Book of Lost Things – Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year (2007)
  • The Burning Soul – Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (2012)
  • The Infernals / Hell’s Bells – Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2012)
  • Books to Die For (with Declan Burke) – Edgar Award, Best Critical/Biographical (2013)
  • Books to Die For (with Declan Burke) – H.R.F. Keating Award (2013)
  • The Wolf in Winter – Goodreads Choice Award, Best Horror (2014)
  • The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository – Macavity Award, Best Short Story (2014)
  • A Song of Shadows – Barry Award, Best Novel (2016)
  • “Holmes on the Range: A Tale of the Caxton Private Lending Library” – CWA Short Story Dagger (2016)
  • A Time of Torment – Goodreads Choice Award, Best Horror (2016)
  • A Game of Ghosts – Goodreads Choice Award, Best Horror (2017)
  • The Woman in the Woods – Goodreads Choice Award, Best Horror (2018)
  • Horror Express – Bram Stoker Award, Superior Achievement in Nonfiction (2018)
  • CWA Dagger in the Library (2019)
  • The Nameless Ones – Barry Award, Best Thriller (2022)

Edited by

Marika

Founder of Mystery Sequels, a reference site focused on listing mystery and thriller books in the correct reading order. I maintain and update the site’s bibliographies as new titles are released, ensuring accuracy and consistency across author and series pages.

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5 Comments

  1. I just finished The Furies. Not quite sure what to do….Maine could well have been the Cape Cod on which I lived for too long!
    I suspect I will miss Charlie for the rest of my days. And I know I will call the Fulci Brothers….and try to call them when it all hits the fan. Unending pleasure in state I have never visited…close….
    Thank you.

    ,

  2. I cannot articulate how much I have enjoyed your books over the years. In my opinion, Robert Parker and you are the greatest authors I have ever read. I have great respect for your storytelling.

  3. every dead thing was a masterpiece. had me hooked, and I have read most of the other novels and novellas. he is a brilliant author and look for to the book he releases in the future.

  4. Love all the books I have read so far. Just finished A Game Of Ghosts. Left me wanting more. Please don’t let anything happen to Angel or Louis. They are two of the best secondary characters I have ever read. They are right up there with Archie Goodwin.

  5. I love the John Connolly novels, I listen to them on audible books. Sad the [cut out by moderator to avoid spoilers] in your latest book “A game of ghosts”. All the characters work great in your books, I have enjoyed your latest book it is up there with “The wrath of Angels”, “The black Angel” and “The lovers”. Great writing.

    Danny Lee

Comments are closed.