Grim and grisly—the two best words that describe John Connolly’s newest thriller, The Nameless Ones. But don’t let that force you to set the book back on the shelf because it is a definite keeper ... One of Connolly’s writing assets is his ability to end each chapter with a short sentence that drives the reader to turn the page and not put the book down ... all of the loose ends, the multitude of characters, and the quickly changing scenes will start to come together and tie up nicely at the end. Connolly is good at rolling these balls of yarn around the story, introducing new characters and situations ... If there is any drawback to the story, it is the massive number of characters and the foreign names that Connolly develops through an extensive narrative history of each one. While most of the backstory is well-spent designing who each character is and how they fit into the grand scheme of things, it should be noted that there are places where some of this background could be eliminated. Having said that, it should also be noted that the pictures that evolve from this information go a long way to moving the story forward. Connolly fans will not be disappointed, and The Nameless Ones will only feed their desire for the next Connolly thriller.

John Connolly...continues to mix thrills with a touch of the supernatural, and the result is a unique series that never ceases to surprise ... The final showdown in the Cemetery of the Nameless and the anticipated confrontation with the mysterious Zorya are worth the price of admission ... The Nameless Ones is one of the best novels I have read in this series, perhaps due to the fact that Charlie is able to step aside to allow some of the tertiary characters to take center stage in a big way. The pacing is tense throughout, and the chess game between the two groups of assassins will keep your heart jumping from start to finish.

... a real treat for fans of the Charlie Parker series ... This fan's favorite character, Jennifer Parker, also returns and continues to develop into someone who will one day be a true force to reckon with. In brief, another magnificent story by John Connolly.

Connolly has long held a reputation for writing the best villains, and they are no disappointment in The Nameless Ones. The Vulksans are well-drawn and their relationship constantly feels on the brink of collapse. Connolly has picked the Balkan conflict as the well from which to draw his antagonists, and he is careful not to fall in to the trap of trivialising this humanitarian disaster for the purposes of fiction. An author’s note precedes the story, places the conflict in its proper context, and recognises its complexity. The novel is graphic in its depiction of the results of cruelty, even if much of the actual violence happens off the page ... As much as I enjoy Louis and Angel, the absence of the main detective does leave a hole, and probably means this isn’t the best book for new readers to dip their toe into the series ... If you’re not looking for a new series, then I can see it would act as a great standalone thriller. Devotees of Connolly will of course lap it up.

Another year, another riveting thriller from Connolly ... One of the great strengths of Connolly's writing is his supporting cast of characters, and these likeable—in as far as a brace of deadly assassins can be likeable—chaps are more than able to carry a book on their own ... The other great attribute that Connolly's Parker novels have always had are truly despicable, and often quite unnerving, bad guys ... this is a breathless international chase thriller and, as Connolly's legion of fans already know, you will gladly go without sleep in order to finish it.

Louis is a fascinating character, a stone-cold killer with a warm personality and a clear-cut sense of right and wrong, and readers will learn a few new things about him as he tracks down the people who killed his friend. As always, the writing is exquisite: Connolly is a supremely talented storyteller, a genuine craftsman, and his books are a joy to read. Libraries should expect high demand for this one.

Connolly makes all his characters, even the most evil, multifaceted, while keeping his audience on the edge of their seats. Series fans won’t mind that Parker is offstage much of the time and the plot is less dependent on supernatural elements than usual. This is another intelligent and haunting nail-biter.