Rating: Summary: Great Review: It has been a while since something grabbed my attention so easily, this was a book that I couldn't put down. It was involving and had you guessing until the end, but also flew by quickly. As a mom, I look for books I can pick up and read a few minutes at a time and still keep a grip on what is happening, Connelly did an amazing job of keeping everything moving, capturing, and entertaining.
Rating: Summary: One of Connelly's best Review: Crime reporter Jack McEvoy's brother Sean commits suicide, depressed over a unsolved murder. There's a suicide note - a note drawn from an Edgar Allen Poe poem. The case is closed. But Jack knows Sean wouldn't kill himself -- he knows it the way family knows those sort of things, so he launches his own investigation, uncovering a series of police suicides with Poe-inspired suicide notes. Aha! Sean is not a suicide, but the most recent in a series of serial killer victims. This research puts him on the trail and brings him into the FBI search for the Poet. So begins a great mystery and a great new undertaking by Connelly. I enjoy his Bosch mysteries, but am always pleased to see authors try new approaches since sticking to one character forever can turn a good series into a self-parody. It's encouraging that Jack is not Harry with a safari jacket and notebook, but a newly imagined and well-crafted new person. In some ways, he's a little more intuitive than Harry, more depressed and not quite as quick on the uptake. However, he is also more cynical and wry. This could be the start of a good new series. There are some been-there, done-that elements to the story, but it's well constructed and imaginative.
Rating: Summary: A nice change...hell, a great change! Review: This book was recommended to me by a friend. I am a devout Stephen-King-J.K.-Rowling fanatic. I was jeering the whole way through the poet. I had it all figured out. I knew who the killer was within the first twenty pages. WRONG! This is a hell of a yarn and since I have read Concrete Blonde, The Black Ice and The Black Echo. All are awesome books. I still favor my King and Rowling when I have the opportunity, but when nothing is fresh from either of those two, it's to Connelly I go seeking that great Crime Suspense. If you're a Connelly fan, check out some of Elmore Leonard's books like Pagan Babies and Rum Punch (Jackie Brown). Cold Coast is another great read. As far as this book and Connelly are concerned, the book is awesome and I hear he has a new book coming out in April. I can't wait. Read The Poet, you won't be sorry!
Rating: Summary: Great read Review: This was my first Connelly book, but it won't be my last. I look forward to reading the Harry Bosch series, after "trying out" Connelly with this one. This was a great whodunit, with a very tight plot. It has several twists. Not a many as a Jeffery Deaver novel, but enough to keep you guessing and entertained. The characters and setting were very well written, and the dialog was realistic. I highly recommend The Poet. My only complaint with it was the Poe quotes. I loved the concept. It was something very original, and I thought he should have persued that plot line more. However, he doesn't even mention them much after about the halfway point. I was expecting more clues / meaning out of them. But enough complaining, the book is excellent. You won't be disappointed in it.
Rating: Summary: A Little Slow to Get Into but then it Heats Up Nicely!! Review: When I first thought about writing a review for "The Poet", I wasn't really certain if I liked it that much or not. So, I skimmed through it again and decided on a Four Star rating. The premise is quite good....Introducing a new protagonist is difficult for an established writer like Connelly. This protagonist is a guy with whom you can identify and yet can't quite figure out. The cast of characters is a little thick but if you pay attention, you can sort it all out. There are a few stumbling blocks...areas that are just a bit too implausible, even for a Super-Killer like our "Poet" but all in all the story flows nicely from one point to the next. The twist of the plot is pretty creative and only fades a little in the telling. I think that the only thing "The Poet" lacks is one more editing session to really smooth out the plot and story line. It is a worthwhile read, something to take on a plane and plan to read both going and coming.
Rating: Summary: Hard to put down! Review: This is the first Michael Connelly book I've read and I can't wait to read more. This book keeps you guessing until the very end. Once you think you have it figured out...you don't...then you think you have it figured out again and your still wrong. I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good thriller.
Rating: Summary: Not satisfying Review: Jack McEvoy, a Denver crime beat reporter, learn that his twin brother, Sean has just killed himself using his police-issue service revolver. Jack decides to investigate his brother's suicide and finds evidence that Sean was murdered. What makes it worse is that during his investigation he finds similar cases of cop murders disguised as suicides all over the United States. Each one of those 'suicides' left behind a note using the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe. Jack joins the FBI in a task force in search of the serial killer dubbed 'The Poet'. The plotting is very confusing. While working in the investigation there is a red herring for another red herring. You are led to believe that a certain character is the Poet and then another one. When you read their alibis later it just seemed a little farfetched and a little too convenient for the story. It got to the point that I did not care who the Poet was and just wanted to finish the book.
Rating: Summary: Works well on audio Review: Am halfway through the unabridged audio. Gripping story. Imperfect first-person character is believable. Villain is nauseating but also believable. The reader also is doing a great job. I'm listening to it on my way to and from work, and find it's meeting its primary goal: I enjoy it enough that I regret when I reach my destination! There is enough happening that I'm enjoying the unabridged version.
Rating: Summary: One of the best thrillers ever! Review: Couldn't put it down - a must read for those who enjoyed Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs.
Rating: Summary: Great Read Review: This book was a very good read, even if there were some situations that may have been unreal. There were enough plot twists to keep the pages turning. The ending was rather abrupt. There were explainations and theories throughout the book, until the very last twist. All in all a very good book. I would recommend it if you like murder mystery books.
|