Haunting is how I would describe John Connolly's latest book, The Burning Soul. In fact, I would advise readers to leave the lights on for a while after putting this down. That's if you manage to put it down.
Private investigator Charlie Parker is asked by a lawyer to find out who is blackmailing Randall Haight. Randall's a bit of a recluse; he's got a past he doesn't want anyone to know about. He's done his time for his crime but the trouble is a 14-year-old girl is missing in the small town where he lives, and Haight doesn't have an alibi.
Meanwhile, the missing girl's family has secrets of its own and, according to an anonymous texter, the chief of police is not to be trusted.
Mix this all up with mobsters and throw in the FBI and you have a gripping and dark tale.
I asked Connolly about his latest book.
How do you sleep at night after writing about such dark subjects?
I sleep like a baby. Actually, my dreams are incredibly dull. That may be because I get so much of the stuff that disturbs me down on the page. It's not cathartic, exactly, but it does allow me to explore it in a way that, say, may not be available to an accountant or a carpenter. Then again, it may be something as simple as transferring my nightmares on to the poor unfortunates who read my stories, like passing on a bad debt.
Do you believe in ghosts, or should I say the after-life?
No, I'm a healthy sceptic, and have never had any kind of supernatural experience, good or bad. I suppose I'm interested in the subject from a literary point of view, and as part of an examination of morality and justice. After all, it was the writer William Gaddis who suggested that in the next world we get justice but, in this world, we have the law, and mystery fiction in particular has always been very interested in the distinction between law and justice.
Charlie Parker is a great character. Tell us how he came about and what plans you have for him.
He wasn't planned as such: he just sprang into being. The first piece I ever wrote about him was the prologue to Every Dead Thing, and that's the basis for all that followed: a man who has everything taken from him to the point where he should just break, but somehow he doesn't. The next book, as yet untitled, examines the implications of his actions, and the violence that he has within him. It's kind of a loose sequel to The Black Angel, and, unlike The Burning Soul, is absolutely steeped in the supernatural. Gradually, I suppose, the books are moving towards a conclusion, and a confrontation, but I'm reluctant to get to that end as I still enjoy writing the books, and seeing the world through Parker's eyes.
What sort of research did you do for this book?
Well, I have a friend who is a private investigator in Maine, so I tend to run a lot of stuff by him, but I also sought advice from a lawyer friend in Pennsylvania as the book deals with the jailing of children as adults, and Pennsylvania, to its shame, does a lot of that. Finally, I was helped by the head of Maine State Police's Criminal Investigation Division, as the plot revolves around a missing child, and I was interested not so much in the mechanics of an investigation like that, although they were important, as in the effect it has on the police who conduct the search. That fascinated me: how they had to hold out hope for the child's safe return, even as the odds began to stack against such a resolution.
Do you know anyone or did you talk to anyone who has been given a new identity?
No, but I paid a lot of attention to the aftermath of the James Bulger killing in the UK, and what happened to the boys responsible, both of whom were given new identities. One ended up back in jail, but one did not. The latter must have had an extraordinary degree of discipline and a sense of self-preservation not to have come back on to the police radar.
What do you think is the secret to a gripping tale?
Character. Everything comes back to character. It's that simple.
What would be your advice for budding authors?
Don't give up at 20,000 to 40,000 words, which is when most people dump their novels-in-progress. That sense of doubt is part of the process, and you just have to work through it. And don't get distracted by the lure of the new idea. The new idea will always seem more appealing than the one in hand, but that's a false impression.
Your favourite authors?
James Lee Burke, Ross Macdonald, Charles Dickens, PG Wodehouse - but that's just today!
What's next for you?
I want to finish the next Parker book, get to work on the next book in the Samuel Johnson series and I'm hoping to help edit a non-fiction anthology on books to be published next year. If the devil is looking for idle hands, he really should look elsewhere ...