Helpful Score: 6
A truly engrossing thriller. Michael Connelly has moved away from Harry Bosch for a really super read. I could not put the book down without wanting to finish whatever else I was doing, and get back to the plot. The characters are rich and fulfilling; the entire book is full of twists and turns that are delicious! It is really a great book and true to its genre.
Helpful Score: 5
Another departure for Michael Connelly, but only in terms of the focus of the novel. Here a reporter takes center stage and outshines bored cops in his effort to track down his brother's (a cop) killer. And talk about layers of the onion! Connelly is a master at plot twists that only engage the reader further rather than distract. Buckle up when you sit down to read this one.
Helpful Score: 4
Fifth book by Michael Connolly. First outside of Harry Bosch LAPD realm. At the time cutting edge computer thriller, now it is a little dated. However, doesn't interfer with enjoyment of tightly crafted thriller.
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent book. Keeps your attention right up to the end.
Helpful Score: 1
Michael Connelly is an excellent plot developer. He wastes no words and paints a thrilling picture of his characters, settings and plot.
Helpful Score: 1
Absolutely the best of Connelly's many excellent thrillers. This book sets the standard for the genre.
Helpful Score: 1
My first Connelly book and defintely not my last. An excellent thriler.
Helpful Score: 1
Very good
Helpful Score: 1
good thriller, very clever writer
Helpful Score: 1
A moving murder mystery that keeps you on your toes. Very fast read, hard to put down.
Helpful Score: 1
I liked this book, though to truly feel I got everything out of it I will probably need to read "The Narrows".
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed "The Poet", I didn't think it was one of Michael Connelly's better books...
It was much too wordy for me,and went into too much detail about the whole justice system, PD's etc. I really just wanted it too end and find out who "the
Poet" really was..
It was much too wordy for me,and went into too much detail about the whole justice system, PD's etc. I really just wanted it too end and find out who "the
Poet" really was..
Helpful Score: 1
Great story!!
Helpful Score: 1
This was an excellent book that kept me guessing up until the last few chapters. Thrilling, exciting and very revealing on how the FBI does their job. I highly recommend this book. GinaK
Helpful Score: 1
My favorite book of the past 10 years. Great narrative using a police reporter, Connelly made his nark here, and has never been able to match this great thriller.
Helpful Score: 1
I have reallt enjoyed all the books by Michael Connelly and this was no exception. This was a very good story.
Helpful Score: 1
This one keeps you guessing to the end. Connlley spins a good story.
Helpful Score: 1
excellent!!! I could not put it down honestly...sitting in traffic reading!
Helpful Score: 1
Good book. Surprise ending but also set up for a sequel.
Helpful Score: 1
One of Connelly's best. Tense, well developed plot and characters. Worth the Anthony Award recieved. Wish all Connelly's were as consistently good.
Helpful Score: 1
actually I didn't finish it--way too long and some of it just too draggy, the story seemed good enough but it just way too long and too much detail to keep up with. Liked the reporter character and will try more books with him but hopefully the stories won't be so long that it just gets a little boring while you wait for the story to move along
Helpful Score: 1
Excellent read!
A homicide reporter's twin brother is found dead of apparent suicide. The reporter is convinced he is murdered and, from that discovery, he searches via the internet any other homicide detective "suicides". When he approaches the FBI about a connection, they allow him to accompany their task force in finding this illusive killer. There are many twists in this story, is riveting in the telling and you better be ready to not do anything else but read this book.
A much needed break from Harry Bosch (but he'll appear in the sequel)
Excellent.
Like all Connelly books, this is a fast-moving page-turner. The type of murders being committed is gruesome. However, the real attraction is in how the cases are solved. I read the 3rd Jack McEvoy book first (Fair Warning), so enjoyed filling in the back story with this book.
I actually listened to this years ago and wanted to listen to it again. Be warned that this version is so abridged that you will miss big chunks of the story. I wished I had looked for an unabridged version. It is still an okay story and may be okay if you don't know what you are missing.
Jack McEvoy is a death reporter, obsessed with his calling. However this time the death story is personal as his twin brother is killed and he seeks to find the killer. "Chilling...Connelly puts his foot on the gas and doesn't let up."- Los Angeles Times
Personally, I thought the story was interesting with a really surprising twist at the end.
Personally, I thought the story was interesting with a really surprising twist at the end.
Great book If you have never read him start with this one and see what you have been missing.
At first this was a little hard to get into, but it certainly kept me guessing. I didn't really figure it out until the very end. I would recommend this book.
Great read for Michael Connelly readers!
The plot was good, however it seemed tedious in some places. It could have been a shorter book, giving the same impact.
Great murder mystery. Killer leaves quotes by Edgar Allan Poe.
Entertaining.
Entertaining.
Good - keeps you guessing!
I enjoyed this book twice...lol
it is a really good read and suspenseful until the end.
it is a really good read and suspenseful until the end.
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.
This is definitely a 5 star book. By far his best book and a must read for Connelly fans!!!!!!!!!!!
I am now setting out to read all of his books.
I am now setting out to read all of his books.
This is a really enjoyable book - it captures your attention and you can't put it down.
liked this book
WOW - did not expect this to be so good. Can't wait to read the sequel. Very exciting until the very end.
This is the first of the series with Jack McEvoy, a reporter and Rachel Walling, FBI agent. It is a good suspenseful thriller.
This book is a mystery/thriller about homicide cops that are dying. Jack MeEvoy is a reporter and his brother is one of the victims. It was written in 1996 so it's a little dated but the story is good. I was surprised by the ending and still a little perplexed over it. All in all a good read...a little long.
This and The Lincoln Lawyer are Connelly's best books, and that is saying a ton because all his books are good. This book is a roller coaster that you just don't want to get off of. It is smart, scary, and exciting. Not part of any series, so if you love myster/thriller you MUST read this book.
I truly enjoyed this thriller which picks up at a good pace half way through and keeps you guessing untilt he end. Ready to read the next book in the series!
Thriller / mystery where the protagonist is a reporter covering an FBI investigation of a serial killer. Chapters alternate between the investigators and the suspect.
Warning: pedophilia is a subject
3 stars out of 5
Warning: pedophilia is a subject
3 stars out of 5
My first book by Connelly...and...I loved it the whole thing and it was long! I enjoyed all of it. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was wrong, I felt like I was in the story. Rachel Walling is also great in this book. I wanted to do this as an audio book to see if I liked the author and I was reading another book at the time. It was a sucess. I'm going to read the next three books that have Rachel appearing in them. The Narrows, Echo Park and Overlook. I've looked at his book list and it seems to be set up different than most so this is the way I'm steering. I wouldn't be afraid to do an audio book. I would recommend it. I get so much done while reading and this one was the best audio book of all. I'm looking forward to my next one by this author as well. Happy reading! THE POET is awesome!!!! Just when you think you know what's going on.....you're wrong! LOVE IT! It was full of facts, investigation, and so much more!
Love the style.
Excellent read!
This was a stand alone novel when it was written, but since it now has a sequel (The Narrows), it's sort of a part of the "Harry Bosch" series. This one is about the FBI's attempts to track and catch a serial killer. It's written from the perspective of a crime reporter whose twin brother was the latest victim.
One of the best books I have read in a long time. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Never did guess "who did it". Quite a reveal
Absolutely EXCELLENT thriller.
Wonderful!
I liked reading this book because there were many twists and turns. The ending suprised me. Excellently written charecters and story!
Having read a few Connellys I was ready for an intricate weaving of plot and psychology and this book did not let me down.
Connelly weaves such an intricate tale of mystery that you can't help but be caught up in it. With great detail, he spins out a story that you don't want to put down.
Denver crime-beat reporter Jack McEvoy specializes in violent death. So when his homicide detective brother kills himself, McEvoy copes in the only way he knows how--he decides to write the story. But his research leads him to suspect a serial killer is at work--a devious murderer who's killing cops and leaving a trail of poetic clues. It's the news story of a lifetime, if he can get the story without losing his life. The story moved a little slow in places and I had to extra focus on what the author was trying to convey and the length of the book. A few things lead to my guessing of the identity early on. I did not force the thread left dangling in the ending which I believe will be fodder for future books. I'm now looking forward to reading more Connolly in the near future.
One of Michael Connelly's best. Methodically, clue by clue, Jack McEvoy pieces together the truth behind his brother's suicide, and that of another cop, and another cop, and another cop. Quoting Poe each time, the serial cop killer leaves a suicide note for each of his victims. Two cassettes. A very good book!
Love the twist at the end ! Good one
Great Book!
What can I say, it's Connelly! Great book, no Bosch. Introduces Agent Rachel Walling, who turns up in later books.
Great story line that flowed smoothly throughout the book. A real page turner for me as Jack tries to discover what has happened to his twin brother, the cop. The reporter from a small town paper makes some interesting discoveries that lead the FBI to become involved in the cases of several cops who have supposedly committed suicide. Throw in a budding relationship with the FBI agent and you have the prefect book.
Excellent, make sure you read "The Poet" before you read "The Narrows" !
In a departure from his crime novels featuring LAPD's Harry Bosch, Connelly (The Last Coyote) sets Denver journalist Jack McEvoy on an intricate case where age-old evils come to flower within Internet technology. Jack's twin brother, Sean, a Denver homicide detective obsessed with the mutilation murder of a young woman, is discovered in his car, dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot, with a cryptic note written on the windshield. Jack's investigation uncovers a series of cop suicides across the country, all of which have in common both the cops' deep concerns over recent cases and their last messages, which have been taken, he quickly determines, from the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. As his information reopens cases in Chicago, Baltimore, Dallas, New Mexico and Florida, Jack joins up with a team from the FBI's Behavioral Science Section, which includes sharp, attractive agent Rachel Walling. Connections between the dead cops, the cases they were working on and the FBI profile of a pedophile whom readers know as William Gladden occur at breakneck speed, as Jack and the team race to stay ahead of the media. Edgar-winning Connelly keeps a surprise up his sleeve until the very end of this authoritatively orchestrated thriller, when Jack finds himself in California, caught at the center of an intricate web woven from advanced computer technology and more elemental drives.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW
Excellent thriller. Highly recommend.
Good book, but not as good as his others, especially the Harry Bosch series.
Every now and then I have to leave off reading 'heady' books and do a murder mystery or something lighter. This was one of those choices. It surprised me. It was a very good murder mystery that kept my interest literally right up to the last page. And that's saying something.
Twists and turns all over the place. This keep you reading till your done.
I love Connelly; I've read all of his books. So of course I liked this one. Fair warning, though: the baddie in this book is just about the most evil person I've encountered in literature. (N.B.: when done with this one, read Connelly's "The Narrows.")
Death is reporter Jack McEvoy's beat: his obsession. But this time death brings McEvoy the story he never wanted to write. A serial killer of unprecedented savagery and cunning is at large. His targets: homicide cops. His latest victim is McEvoy's own brother.
Great mystery read!
This was my first-ever Michael Connelly read. And boy is it a good one. No, it's not one of his fabulous Harry Bosch series, but it's a great story just the same. It is disturbing. It is heart-wrenching. It is an exciting read. If you love mysteries & thrillers, especially of the police proceedural type, then this is a must read for you!
This book is a thriller. It's about a serial killer who targets homicide cops that are haunted by a murder case they couldn't solve. The killer's calling card: A quotation from the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
a reporter becomes involved in a murder mystery. If you want to read Michael Connellys books start with this one.
Great Book
Interesting plot twists. Great suspense and mystery.
Fast paced and exciting!
Another of Connelly's multiple twist mysteries. I liked this one, as I know the Denver-Estes Park area well... though he, of course, shifts and invents as the plot requires!
Kept me on the edge of my seat. Great and exciting reading.
Connelly is a good writer, but this one is not his best. An organic and enjoyable thriller goes awry at the end, where his attempt to throw multiple twists at the reader ends up in a contrived and fairly illogical ending. I enjoyed the book until the final 50 pages.
Great read from Michael Connelly. Gory but well written.
I found Connelly on a fluke and since then have searched his novels out. I love the dialogue, the twisting and turning plot line. He is great!
Review on the back of the book says, ".....a novel that breaks all the rules and will keep your heart racing and your mind guessing until the very last page." Oh, how I agree. This was one of the best books by Michael Connelly I have read.
A stand-alone thriller by one of the masters of the genre. I loved this book, even though there was no Harry Bosch. What can I say? It's Michael Connelly!
Really good! It keeps you going and had me fooled in the end. Unabridged - 10 tapes
terrifying psychological thriller featuring Jack McEvoy the journalist...
Keeps you guessing right up till the end. Stayed up half the night to finish it. I really love this writer!!
This was a pretty good read and while it's not a suspense novel, it's very interesting being in the mind of the killer and along with those who profile and hunt for him. A huge surprise twist ends the book on a great note.
A very good mystery.
Another great Connelly book!
A very nasty villain, and a real cliff hanger!
good
Another exciting book from Connelly. I've read all of the Bosch novels and decided to try another series from him and I wasn't disappointed. interesting plot that keeps moving and throws a few surprises your way and kept me reading much later than I should have been. Highly recommended if you like mystery/thriller genre fiction.
Death is reporter Jack McEvoy's beat, his calling, his obession. But this time, death brings McEvoy the story he never wanted to write--about a serial killer of unprecedented savagery who strikes too close to home.
One of Michael Connelly's best.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Keeps you guessing. A+++
The year is 2001. Roger Gordian and his company have developed a space station. The launch of the station is sabotaged, probably by international terrorists. Major cities are thrown into chaos.....
Newspaper Reporter Jack McEvoy is having a hard time coping with the suicide of his twin brother, Detective Sean McEvoy. Sean was found in his police vehicle, dead from a gunshot wound. A short note was scrawled on the windshield. Jack tries to deal with the situations by writing his brother's story. But research into police suicides leads Jack to believe that his brother may have been murdered. Jack begins to see a pattern between a series of homicide detective deaths. They were all working on unsolved homicides involving children. All were declared suicides, and all left a short note that contained a line of poetry written by Edgar Allen Poe.
When Jack gives the FBI the information he has dug up, he makes a deal that he will be part of their investigation and write the exclusive story when they arrest the Poet. This gives the reader first-hand information about the case from a character who is not a cop. I thought that gave the mystery a very different feel. Michael Connelly has written an excellent mystery. I latched onto the person I thought was the killer early in the book, but I was wrong. I highly recommend this story. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
When Jack gives the FBI the information he has dug up, he makes a deal that he will be part of their investigation and write the exclusive story when they arrest the Poet. This gives the reader first-hand information about the case from a character who is not a cop. I thought that gave the mystery a very different feel. Michael Connelly has written an excellent mystery. I latched onto the person I thought was the killer early in the book, but I was wrong. I highly recommend this story. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
Death is reporter Jack McEvoy's beat: his calling, his obsession. But this time. death brings McEvoy the story he never wanted to write and the mystery he desperately needs to solve. A serial kille of unprecedented savagery and cunning is at large, his prey: homicide cops, each haunted by a case he couldn't crack. His latest victim is McEvoys own Brother. and his next may be McEvboy himself.
3 stars!
Very good book.
Death is reporter Jack McEvoy's beat; his calling, his obsession. But this time death brings McEvoy the story he never wanted to write--and the mystery he desperately needs to solve. a serial killer of unprecedented savagery and cunning is at large. his targets; homicide cops, each haunted by a murder case he could'nt crack. the killer's calling card; a quotation from the works of edgar allen poe. his latest victim is McEvoy's own brother. and his last maybe be McEvoy himself.
