John Connolly Books in Order (Updated February 22, 2026)

John Connolly is an Irish author best known for his long-running Charlie Parker mysteries, which blend crime investigation with an increasingly supernatural edge. Reading order matters most in the Parker books (because relationships and long arcs stack), while most of his other work falls into clearly labeled, separate shelves.

Quick answer

• Best place to start (most readers): Every Dead Thing (Charlie Parker #1).
• If you want a stand-alone instead: The Book of Lost Things (then its sequel) or Bad Men.
• If you’re reading with younger readers: The Gates (Samuel Johnson #1).
• If you want everything in the cleanest path: finish Charlie Parker in order, then pick the other shelves in any order.

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Continuity map (one glance, no surprises)

• Charlie Parker: one continuous universe → read in order.
• Nocturnes collections (short fiction): three volumes → read in order if you care about how the collections evolve.
• The Book of Lost Things: a two-book set → read in order.
• Samuel Johnson vs. the Darkness: middle-grade sequence → read in order (plus an optional later entry).
• Chronicles of the Invaders (with Jennifer Ridyard): YA sci-fi trilogy → read in order.
• Everything else: stand-alone or nonfiction → safe anywhere.

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Charlie Parker series (Publication order – recommended)

These are the core Connolly books for most readers. Each title is a complete case, but the people, enemies, and consequences carry forward.

1. Every Dead Thing: Charlie Parker’s origin case, where grief, vengeance, and the series’ moral tone are set in place.
2. Dark Hollow: Parker’s world expands, and the series begins layering recurring allies and threats.
3. The Killing Kind: The violence turns more personal, and Parker’s methods harden in response.
4. The White Road: A pursuit-driven case that pushes the “crime plus something darker” balance further forward.
5. The Black Angel: A relic-linked investigation that deepens the supernatural texture without abandoning the detective spine.
6. The Unquiet: A client’s history opens into long-buried wrongdoing, tightening Parker’s sense that evil is organized.
7. The Reapers: A hunt through criminal networks that strengthens the series’ supporting cast and underworld reach.
8. The Lovers: A missing-person thread becomes a larger reckoning, and the series’ emotional costs rise sharply.
9. The Whisperers: A creeping, haunted atmosphere surrounds the case, and Parker’s “other” enemies feel closer.
10. The Burning Soul: A personal investigation with strong continuity weight for Parker’s circle.
11. The Wrath of Angels: A pressure-cooker entry where old conflicts return in forms that are hard to outrun.
12. The Wolf in Winter: A pivotal turning point that launches a longer arc you’ll feel across the next several books.
13. A Song of Shadows: A case with strong place-and-community focus that still feeds the larger ongoing threads.
14. A Time of Torment: A strange town and a concentrated evil make this one especially rewarding in sequence.
15. A Game of Ghosts: The series leans into its mythic shadows while still delivering a grounded investigation.
16. The Woman in the Woods: A missing child case that accelerates the long arc and raises the series’ stakes again.
17. A Book of Bones: A continuation that pays off the previous build, aimed at readers who’ve followed the arc closely.
18. The Dirty South: A return to earlier wounds and older crimes, with Parker’s world now fully interconnected.
19. The Nameless Ones: An entry that uses the series’ deep bench of allies and adversaries to full effect.
20. The Furies: A case where old debts and older myths collide, best read with your continuity intact.
21. The Instruments of Darkness: A courtroom-adjacent defense thread pulls Parker into a new kind of menace.
22. The Children of Eve: A disappearance with a simple clue (“RUN”) that opens into a layered, series-wide threat pattern.
23. A River Red with Blood: Two linked disappearances draw Parker into a rural community where the darkness feels active and personal.

Chronological note for Parker

For practical purposes, chronological order = publication order for the Parker novels.

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Nocturnes short-fiction collections (Publication order)

These are collections (not required to understand the novels), but they’re a reliable entry point if you want Connolly’s supernatural voice in shorter form.

1. Nocturnes: A first gathering of unsettling tales that shows how Connolly handles horror in compact spaces.
2. Night Music (Nocturnes Vol. 2): A second volume that mixes short fiction with longer pieces, including award-winning entries.
3. Night & Day: A third collection that combines short stories with a substantial horror-film monograph component.

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The Book of Lost Things (Two-book sequence)

This is a separate continuity from Charlie Parker.

1. The Book of Lost Things: A dark fairy-tale descent that uses story logic and childhood fear as its engine.
2. The Land of Lost Things: A return to that world that works best once the first book’s rules and cost are in your head.

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Samuel Johnson vs. the Darkness (Middle grade) – read in order

These are aimed at younger readers and run on a different tone from Parker.

1. The Gates: Samuel and friends stumble into a crisis that treats Hell as both hilarious and dangerous.
2. The Infernals (also published as Hell’s Bells): The second adventure raises the chaos level and builds on the first book’s relationships.
3. The Creeps: The main trilogy finale, where the town’s weirdness stops being ignorable.
4. The Monks of Appalling Dreadfulness: A later, optional entry that’s best saved until after the trilogy.

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Chronicles of the Invaders (with Jennifer Ridyard) – read in order

A separate YA science-fiction trilogy.

1. Conquest: The opening invasion-era shock that sets the rules, factions, and survival stakes.
2. Empire: The middle volume widens the conflict and makes earlier choices matter.
3. Dominion: The concluding push where the series’ long game comes due.

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Stand-alone novels (safe in any order)

These are not Charlie Parker continuity.

• Bad Men: A Maine-island nightmare where old violence and old forces refuse to stay buried.
• he: A fictionalized exploration of comedian Stan Laurel’s life, written as historical-literary portrait rather than thriller.

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Nonfiction and editorial work (separate shelf)

These aren’t novels, but readers often want them listed clearly.

• Books to Die For (with Declan Burke): A curated tour through landmark mystery novels, framed as a critical “must-read” conversation.
• Shadow Voices: A history-in-stories approach to Irish genre writing across centuries, assembled with editorial commentary.
• Horror Express: A focused monograph on the 1972 film, written as horror criticism and personal deep dive.

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Latest status

• Latest Charlie Parker novel listed: A River Red with Blood (Charlie Parker #23).
• Most recent short-fiction collection: Night & Day (third Nocturnes volume).
• If you see announcements for additional future titles: treat retailer dates as provisional unless confirmed by a primary publisher listing.

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FAQs

Do I have to read Charlie Parker in order?

If you plan to read more than two or three, yes. The series has long arcs and recurring antagonists, and later books can spoil earlier reveals.

Can I read the short-story collections without reading Charlie Parker?

Yes. They stand alone and don’t require Parker context.

Are The Book of Lost Things books connected to Charlie Parker?

No. Different cast, different rules, different continuity.

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Conclusion

If you want the full Connolly experience with the fewest missteps, start with Every Dead Thing and read Charlie Parker in order. When you want a break, step sideways into Nocturnes (short fiction) or The Book of Lost Things, then return to Parker whenever you’re ready.