Helpful Score: 4
Only one or two of Connelly's continuing characters (attorney Langwiser, for example) show up in this departure novel. As in The Poet the protagonist here is not a cop of any kind, but the "scientific mind" of chemist Henry Pierce will take one on a typical convoluted-Connelly ride and provide enough thrills and chills to satisfy even the most jaded reader.
Helpful Score: 4
What a great idea for a plot; a burned out business man, a wrong number and the underworld that surrounds a woman gone missing.
Helpful Score: 3
Once I got past the first CD the story was riviting. This was a thriller and a good mystery . Get it.
Helpful Score: 3
Keeps you guessing til the end, the story is very good and you won't get it until the very end, so it will keep anyone's interest all the way through,he is one of my favorite writers
Helpful Score: 3
This book was riveting from the first paragraph. It kept me on the edge of my seat accompanying the man (Henry Price) through his desire to help "Lilly" and wondering how involved he would become in her life. The mystery of just how involved he would become and how dangerous his queries would be for either (or both) of them. A true page-turner.
Stephanie S. (punkinema) -
Helpful Score: 1
Totally different kind of book from this author. A research scientist gets a new phone number when he moves that apparently belonged to a call girl who has gone missing. For reasons only he can understand but yet not admit to himself, he has to find her. He nearly becomes a statistic himself and the players seem to be part of the porn underworld. He is surprised and shocked to find out who sets this whole thing up.
Another excellent piece of work by Michael Connelly! This book was riveting.
Helpful Score: 1
While I am a fan of Connellys Harry Bosch novels, this standalone book, while having a great plot and pacing, suffered from the characters doing some incredibly stupid things. Connelly sets in motion a Hitchcockian plot when mild-mannered chemist Henry Pierce gets a new phone number that had previously belonged to Lilly Quinlan, a young woman working for an escort service. When Pierce begins getting messages from men for Lilly, instead of simply changing the number (or having his assistant Monica do this), he investigates her disappearance.
Henry does have his reasons for doing so, most of which involve the murder of his sister, Isabel, at the hands of the serial killer known as the Dollmaker. However, Henry is also a workaholic whose breakthrough in molecular computing will make him a rich man, if he can get funding from venture capitalist Maurice Goddard. Henrys workaholism has cost him his relationship with Nicole, his firms intelligence officer.
Henry does a lot of things wrong: he breaks and enters into Lillys house, looking for clues; he refuses to give the details of his investigation to Detective Renner, which turns Pierce into a suspect in Lillys disappearance, and he looks at hardcore fetish porn involving Lilly on his work computer. For a man who is supposedly a genius, these are all very stupid things to do, and he does them without much justification on his part.
The villains reveal is a nice twist, but overall I would rather re-read a Bosch novel.
Henry does have his reasons for doing so, most of which involve the murder of his sister, Isabel, at the hands of the serial killer known as the Dollmaker. However, Henry is also a workaholic whose breakthrough in molecular computing will make him a rich man, if he can get funding from venture capitalist Maurice Goddard. Henrys workaholism has cost him his relationship with Nicole, his firms intelligence officer.
Henry does a lot of things wrong: he breaks and enters into Lillys house, looking for clues; he refuses to give the details of his investigation to Detective Renner, which turns Pierce into a suspect in Lillys disappearance, and he looks at hardcore fetish porn involving Lilly on his work computer. For a man who is supposedly a genius, these are all very stupid things to do, and he does them without much justification on his part.
The villains reveal is a nice twist, but overall I would rather re-read a Bosch novel.
Helpful Score: 1
"Chasing the Dime" is not one of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch character novels. At first I was kind of dissapointed, but this book hooked me on the first page and I could not put it down! Very fast moving, twisted plot that will not leave Connelly's fans upset at all! I was sorry to see this one end. Give it a chance!
Fourth non-Harry Bosch story. Tightly paced and written. Enjoyable.
Barbara M. (LadyExplicate) reviewed Chasing the Dime (Audio CD) (Abridged) on + 111 more book reviews
This one is not part of the Harry Bosch series. Connelly is one of the best mystery writers around today. Articulate, literate, creative, he is for me one of those who are currently holding the gold standard. He can sometimes seem unrelentingly dark, but he's never boring, and never ever stupid.
Would you risk your life for a woman you'd never met?
Henry Pierce has a whole new life new apartment, new telephone, new telephone number. But the first time he checks his messages, he discovers that someone had the number before him. The messages on his line are for a woman named Lilly, and she is in some kind of serious trouble. Pierce is inexorably drawn into Lilly's world, and it's unlike any world he's ever known. It is a nighttime world of escort services, websites, sex, and secret identities. Pierce tumbles through a hole, abandoning his orderly life in a frantic race to save the life of a woman he has never met.
Pierce's skills as a computer entrepreneur allow him to trace Lilly's last days with some precision. But every step into Lilly's past takes Pierce deeper into a web of inescapable intricacy and a decision that could cost him everything he owns and holds dear.
Henry Pierce has a whole new life new apartment, new telephone, new telephone number. But the first time he checks his messages, he discovers that someone had the number before him. The messages on his line are for a woman named Lilly, and she is in some kind of serious trouble. Pierce is inexorably drawn into Lilly's world, and it's unlike any world he's ever known. It is a nighttime world of escort services, websites, sex, and secret identities. Pierce tumbles through a hole, abandoning his orderly life in a frantic race to save the life of a woman he has never met.
Pierce's skills as a computer entrepreneur allow him to trace Lilly's last days with some precision. But every step into Lilly's past takes Pierce deeper into a web of inescapable intricacy and a decision that could cost him everything he owns and holds dear.
The main character is Harry Pierce, a hard working company man who rents a new apartment and ends up as a prime suspect in a murder case. Quite interesting.
Spine-tingling!!!
Great, exciting thriller!
Not the best Connelly I've read, but pretty diverting.
A new apartment and a new phone number lead Henry into an adventure with escorts, websites, sex and secret passions.
This is my favorite Connelly book. I was intrigued from the beginning with the the phone message premise. I liked the high-tech aspect too.
Good way to fill up an afternoon.
Very enjoyable.
Great plot, could have been re-written at least one more time with more attention to such things as dates and times. All in all a good read.
This was the first Connelly book I have read and found it quite good. It kept my attention, moved fast, had enough science that was intriguing, and humor, too.
good book, good story line, keeps you wanting to read more
This book was the first book by Michael Connelly I read and I had to hunt for more books by this author.
What happens when a CEO moves to a new apartment and starts receiving phone calls for the person, who had the phone number before him. She a call girl and he decides to hunt her down. The amount of trouble he finds himself is very interesting read.
What happens when a CEO moves to a new apartment and starts receiving phone calls for the person, who had the phone number before him. She a call girl and he decides to hunt her down. The amount of trouble he finds himself is very interesting read.
A good story with interesting info on the science and technology in his line of work. Holds your interest while it builds and the ending was nothing like I expected.
Fast paced and enjoyable.
An excellant read! Couldnt put the book down! A definate must read! Thumbs up!
Another exciting book from Michael Connelly! Excellent story with lots of intrigue and a surprize ending!
A fast read, and an interesting mystery
Hard to put down. Many twists and turns. A Satisfying ending.
This one was different from most of Michael Connelly's detective or journalist murders, centered this time on the a victim wrongly accused, set up for reasons not clear in the beginning. It was an enjoyable read with a unique angle that made me cling to every fact and turn the pages faster. The references to other crimes and persons from his other books builds the interest and piques the insiders feeling of knowing more than what was written. Very clever.
Another excellent Connelly story!
This is an excellent read. It hits the ground running with a good fast pace. I only have one little negative - in a few places the narrative exposition is too long and slows things down, but not for long. That's the only flaw, otherwise, great book.
good book
great
Well written, well paced plot, great sense of place. All these are part of a Michael Connelly book. This is a stand alone novel, not part of his other series books, so a good introduction to his writing style.
Great mystery! Immediately hooks you and doesn't let go until the end. Great for a flight or if you want to stay up to see "who-dun-it" - most definitely recommend.
A page turner to say the least. Michael Connelly is a master at his craft but he does the research and analysis to make it so. The technology that surrounds this [ten-year-old] story is not science fiction which makes the novel all the more compelling and believable, characters aside. Fast paced and exciting.
Another delightful book from Connelly. Always a surprise at the end!
Good story, a little lighter than most of Connelly's mysteries.
Great book...couldn't put it down....had to know what happens.
Mary N. (midnitebutterfly06) -
A great thriller, one of the best I've read. Couldn't put it down, read in 2 days.
Only read one other book by this author so far (The Lincoln Lawyer) which was also good.
Would highly recommend this book!
Only read one other book by this author so far (The Lincoln Lawyer) which was also good.
Would highly recommend this book!
A scientist/business owner gets in over his head when he tries to find and rescue a girl he's never met, jeopardizing both his life and the future of his company in the process.
Loved it
Here's the blurb from the back of the book:
"The phone messages waiting for Henry Pierce clearly aren't for him: 'Where is Lilly. This is her number. It's on the site.' Pierce has just moved into a new apartment, and he's been 'chasing the dime' -- doing all it takes so his company comes out first with a scientific breakthrough worth millions. But he can't get the messages for Lilly out of his head. As Pierce tries to help a woman he has never met, he steps into a world of escorts, websites, sex, and secret passions. A world where his success and expertise mean nothing...and where he becomes the chief suspect in a murder case, trapped in the fight for his life."
This is a stand alone novel and not part of the Harry Bosch series. It's a good read, with all the twists and puzzles we look to Connelly to provide.
"The phone messages waiting for Henry Pierce clearly aren't for him: 'Where is Lilly. This is her number. It's on the site.' Pierce has just moved into a new apartment, and he's been 'chasing the dime' -- doing all it takes so his company comes out first with a scientific breakthrough worth millions. But he can't get the messages for Lilly out of his head. As Pierce tries to help a woman he has never met, he steps into a world of escorts, websites, sex, and secret passions. A world where his success and expertise mean nothing...and where he becomes the chief suspect in a murder case, trapped in the fight for his life."
This is a stand alone novel and not part of the Harry Bosch series. It's a good read, with all the twists and puzzles we look to Connelly to provide.
Not one of my favorite authors - but still worth reading.
Michael Connelly, enough said. A man competing for his company to be the first with a million dollar scientific breakthrough gets drawn into the world of a woman he has never met, and becomes determined to save her.
Excellent mystery from beginning to end. The beginning was a little slow. After all the characters were in play, I caught Henry's curiosity and was intrigued by the whole story. The ending has a very nice twist that I didn't see coming and had to actually re-read some of the story to see how it fit in. Nice ending. A Good read over all.
Like Void Moon, this book is a departure from Connelly's Bosch / McCaleb detective series. It starts as a book about a citizen / scientist / entrepreneur engaging in some amateur detective work that explodes in seriousness and complexity. Plenty of twists (and a little nanotechnology) thrown in. Fun.
3.5 stars out of 5
3.5 stars out of 5
Chasing the Dime is a stand alone novel by Michael Connelly, with all the excellent character development, suspenseful plotting, and surprise ending that his other novels contain. This is a page-turner. I had a very difficult time putting it down.
Once I started reading I could not put this book down! Brilliant plot, plenty of plot twists and an excellent ending.
I liked the fact that this book moved fast...it's a light read if you're a regular mystery/thriller reader.
Wonderful mystery!
After being given a wrong number, Henry Pierce decides to investigate the whereabouts of its previous owner. This seemingly small decision leads him on a crazy adventure and into the depths of conspiracy. This book was suspenseful and hard to put down!
Holly B. (bluedevilbooklover) reviewed Chasing the Dime (Audio CD) (Abridged) on + 72 more book reviews
Good story from one of my favorite authors; different for him as there's no Harry Bosch or the usual characters and it's a really different story than usual. I enjoyed it very much.
Not the usual Connelly but very good book with all of the expected twist and thrills.
This was the first Michael Connelly book that I had ever read. I am happy to report I picked a winner! It begins with a wrong number...and ends with a murder case and a man fighting for his life.
It was great!
It was great!
Very entertaining. If you like Michael Connelly, you will love this one.
The phone messages waiting for Henry Pierce are clearly not for him: Where is Lilly? This is her number! It's on the site. Pierce has just moved into a new apartment and the messages will not stop. Eventually he becomes the chief suspect in Lilly's disappearance and becomes involved in the fight of his life.....for his life......
good police procedural
A fun, lightweight romp through molecular computing and detective work.
I always enjoy a book when I can't figure out the bad guy...and this was definitely one of those books!
a standalone; not part of the bosch series
GAIL L. (my2luvsemmyandmally) reviewed Chasing the Dime (Audio CD) (Abridged) on + 758 more book reviews
Very good fast moving book! Starts off with a bang and really picks up momentum fast. Hard trying to put this one down!
My favorite writer, so I had to read all his books, but he has better...My wife though it was over the top....
Though not a Harry Bosch mystery, This is a great fast read - I enjoy Connelly's books.
Interesting reading with much excitement. Fast moving.
Interesting theories...
A good offering by Connelly
This was a page-turner for me! I just couldn't put it down!
excellent read
This was a very good exciting thriller with plenty of twists and turns.
5 cd's, almost 6 hours. Good for listening to on the plane or in the car.
I really enjoyed this book.
Very captivating thriller! Sex & scandal & a very surprising ending.......You won't believe!
I requested this book through paperbackswap.com after reading a review or recommendation for this book in the newspaper. I had read at least one of the author's books, albeit quite a while ago. He has a good reputation so I thought this book would be good. Initially, this was engaging but that didn't last long as Henry, the central character, became fixated on finding the woman who previously had his new home phone number. Most normal people would simply get the number changed (he was getting numerous calls for her as she was an escort) and forget about it. Henry became obsessed with finding the woman, so much so that he started neglecting his work. Then, at the end, it was revealed that Henry had been framed by someone who was able to orchestrate how Henry would react each step of the way as the frame unfolded. The whole thing was completely unbelievable. I'm willing to suspend belief to a point, but this book was asking too much.
"Put on your seat belt; This is one wild chase."--People
(Page-turner of the Week)
(Page-turner of the Week)
Very good held interest well
Very good read..
Compelling reading! Henry Pierce is a scientist not a private detective. But he becomes obsessed with a missing call girl. His new phone number actually belongs to her and his investigation into why he is receiving her calls pulls him deeper and deeper into a dark world of crime and murder. Has he been set up to take the fall for her murder?
Michael Connelly is awesome. Great book.
really good mystery novel. quite a lot of surprising twists and turns and a real surprise ending. not harry bosch detective as many of connelly books are. different and really good read. fast page turner for beach or plane this summer
I have read most of Connelly bood this one was a page turner as usual
This is one of the best books I've read.....ever. It was off to a quick start and held my attention until the final period on the last sentence.
It was full of technology which was included as part of the plot in a very believable way. The technolgy became another character in the book - but, nothing too far "out there".
I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read about a compassionate person dealing with his connection to someone he didn't even know at first. He was able to solve mysteries in her life by utilizing the technology he dealt with as part of his career knowledge base.
The title refers to fitting technology onto devices as small as a dime - therefore "Chasing the Dime" sized technology.
It was full of technology which was included as part of the plot in a very believable way. The technolgy became another character in the book - but, nothing too far "out there".
I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read about a compassionate person dealing with his connection to someone he didn't even know at first. He was able to solve mysteries in her life by utilizing the technology he dealt with as part of his career knowledge base.
The title refers to fitting technology onto devices as small as a dime - therefore "Chasing the Dime" sized technology.
Christine E. (Scaper) - , reviewed Chasing the Dime (Audio CD) (Abridged) on + 240 more book reviews
Doing all it takes so his company comes out first with a scientific breakthrough worth millions, Henry Pierce can't get the phone messages out of his head. As he tries to help a woman he has never met, he steps into a world of escorts, websites, sex, and secret passions.
I love the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly, so I wanted to give this a try even though it's not a Bosch novel. I was NOT disappointed. Grips you from the beginning and doesn't let up, giving you just the right amount of twists to keep you guessing and makes you not want to put it down till you know all the answers.
Truly a great book. I just loved it.
hardcover
