The Poet

Rating:
Summary: An excellent read that won't prepare you for the end!
Review: As the first book I've read by Connelly, it came highly recommended by fellow avid readers. The story was fantastic. A true page turner; I couldn't put it down without continuing to dwell on the drawn out characterizations. Unfortunately, this was also the reason for my great disappointment in the ending. I could have written a more satisfying ending myself! Now if his characters continue to evolve in future books, like Patricia Cornwell's, then maybe Donnelly can reprieve himself with his readers.

Rating:
Summary: Almost a great book
Review: This is the first book of his I've read and I was impressedwith his writing skill and his characterisations. It's great to read athriller by someone who really has the gift with words. The plot is clever and satisfyingly complex. For 90% of the time this book is great, but the ending is sadly a letdown. I'll nevertheless definitely read more of his books because I get the impression from other reviews that the ending is atypical of his work.

Rating:
Summary: Need to stay awake? Read 'The Poet'
Review: I purchased this book after reading the jacket and am I sure glad I did. This story caused many a days at work w\ bloodshot eyes. I found myself reading until my head could no longer stay up. The characters have personality and charisma. Usually I can see things coming but this ending absolutely blind-sided me. Great book!!! It made me go right to the bookstore and buy all of his other works!

Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal!
Review: It has been many moons since I've stayed up into the wee hours with a novel. But once I hit the half-way point with The Poet there was no stopping. Just one more chapter, I kept telling myself. Suddenly it was 3 am and I had just finished one of the finest thrillers I'd ever read. I'm hooked and look forward to checking out his other works.

Rating:
Summary: Interesing but stilted
Review: The best parts of the book were those that dealt with Gladden. Unfortunately they were also the smallest sections of the book. Someone must have told Mr. Connelly that the mark of a good suspense story is never to allow the reader to "guess" who the guilty party is. This was certainly true in this book since I doubt whether anyone could have deduced the true identity of "The Poet" Personally, I prefer suspense novels to either give me several possible suspects with motives that allow me to "play" detective as I read, or to introduce me to the guilty party early in the story and allow me to participate in the "hunt". I also felt that the characters were a little stiff and one dimensional as were the male-female relationships in the book. "The Poet" had the makings of another "Silence of The Lambs" but in my opionion fell short of the mark

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but stilted
Review: The most interesting parts of the book were those that dealt with Gladden. Unfortunately, those were also the smallest segments of the book. Someone must have told Michael Connelly that the mark of a good suspense story is never to allow the reader to "guess" who the guilty party is. No one could possibly have deducted the identity of the Poet from the information presented by the author. Personally, I prefer to be given four or five possible suspects with motives for each, allowing me to "play" detective while I read. If notthat approach, then I like to know who the guilty party is at the onset so I can anticipate his moves and participate with the police in the hunt. I also felt that some of the male-female relationships were very "stiff" and unrealsitic as was some of the dialogue between characters. It wasn't a "bad" story, it just had a lot more potential that wasn't realized

Rating:
Summary: This mystery's early promise fails to deliver.
Review: Mr. Connelly's well-crafted prose through the first one hundred fifty pages sets the bar so high that one wonders how he will maintain his delicate mixture of surprise and poetry. Unfortunately, his writing loses passion as his plot heats up. Ultimately the reader becomes more engaged in outguessing the twists and turns of the protagonist's hunt for the Poet, than discovering the secrets of the characters. This would not be so bad in a run-of-the-mill thriller, but Mr. Connelly is such a fine writer that one expects more

Rating:
Summary: Good story runs out of gas
Review: For 400 pages, I could not put this book down, then Connelly ruins it with a completely implausible, and ultimately dull ending. The narrator Jack, spends the book searching for the answers to his brother's apparent suicide. The ending gives us the who, but not the more important why or how

Rating:
Summary: I hoped I would get stuck in traffic
Review: A very good detective, thriller story. I listened to the tapes while commuting, and found myself choosing the slow lanes. Connelly does a great job of giving enough information that you don't feel like the actual characters have an edge (in figuring out who-dun-it), while not giving too much so that you figure it out well before the characters do (I hate that). Highly recommended. I am trying to get all my friends to listen to it now (the narrator is *excellent*, BTW)

Rating:
Summary: Honestly one of the best books written in a long time
Review: I have read many suspense novels in my life, and my father even more, but by the time the two of us had finished this book, there was nothing more to say but, greatness. The plot line although gruesome, was believable and thought-out, the characters were extremely well developed and the ending simply riviting. I couldn't stop the pages turning nor did I want to. But most of all, Connelly"s use of prose is outstanding. His colorful and descriptive language simply blew me away. This is the first book of his that I have ever read, but one thing is for sure...it won't be my last!!!