Rating: 
Summary: Cliffhanger with memorable characters
Review: Okay, first off: this ain't literature. It's not supposed to be. So for those looking for something cryptic, go elsewhere. If you want a good toe-curling murder mystery with characters with whom you can identify, this is a great thing to reach for. Whenever you read, whether at the end of the day, at work or at school, this book is so well paced that you're always about to fall off the cliff or are not trusting the momentary lull in the action. Terry McCalleb, retired FBI psychopathologist and sleuth, doesn't jump out and bite you with his appeal but grows on you slowly, as does a vanilla plot which blossoms into a predictably unpredictable twist. McCalleb, recovering on his boat after a heart operation, is contacted by a young woman who appears to be another lost California dreamer hoping to snare him into her plan. When she explains the circumstances of her visit, however, the empathic McCalleb is drawn to her case and takes it against the best advice of his doctors, friends, ex-colleagues and fellow fishermen. She asks him to find a killer in what appears to be an open-and-shut case; he looks into it and finds first one, next another, and after that still another layer of intrigue behind the scenes. When he finally reaches a breathing point to survey his work, he confronts something so sinister it threatens to tear his heart right out of his chest. As you can guess, this was an avid pageturner for me and I found the characters appealing, although all characters outside the immediate action tend to be bland and functional. McCalleb is believable and grouchy enough to be tangible, warts and all, to the reader; his cohorts and ex-colleagues come through in vibrant life as well. I recommend this to anyone who wants a book that is a compelling read and is realistic despite not every aspect of its plot being firmly rooted in predictable, normal reality. I want read more of Connelly's books because of my experience reading this.
Rating: 
Summary: Trademark Connelly
Review: My first book by Connelly was Trunk Music. I have always been a big crime fiction buff, especially cop thrillers. I found Trunk Music very engaging with a fresh 'in your face' kind of narrative. The tempo is quick and surprises frequent. The style and content is crisp and informative in a very procedural way, which probably has a lot to do with Connelly's Police background. In any case, Trunk Music hooked me on to the man. But Blood Work is prime whoddunit stuff. The suspense and the way Terry MaCaleb goes about unravelling mystery is breathtaking. It HAD to be made into a movie. When I read it in 1999(!), I knew it was movie material. However, the pleasure of reading is unparelleled.
Blood Work has all the twists and micro-episodes a la Jeff Archer short stories, cool detective work and a class I plot. And then there is the narrative. Refreshing.
This book is a 'must-have' and like many others who have reviewed here, you too may end up buying more of this novelist. I have not read The Last Coyote and Concrete Blonde by him. All others have been gulped down. Cheers Mr. Connelly!
Rating:
Summary: great
Review: I love Michael Connelly's books. I really like mysteries and he is one of the better writers. This book keeps your interest all the way through it. Terry McCaleb is an ex-FBI man who was good at running down serial killers. He was forced to retire because of a bad heart-he ended up being the recipient of a donor heart. The sister of the donor comes to him to see if he will help find the man responsible for her sister's murder-it is her heart that he has, and he does reluctantly at first and then becomes very determined to find the murderer. You also learn a little about what a transplant person's life is like after the operation and how they cope. Very interesting book that keeps your interest the whole way through it. I recommend it highly as I do most of his books.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent thriller
Review: This book is as good as James Patterson serial killer novels. An ex-FBI homicide profiler recovering from a heart transplant is convinced by an attractive woman to find the killer of her sister, the donor of his new heart. The connections the detective discovers as well as the killer's motives are brilliant ideas by Michael Connelly. If you like thriller serial killer/detective novels then you have to read this one. You'll keep thinking about this book for days after you've read the last page.
Rating:
Summary: A Bloody Thriller
Review: When Terry McCaleb - a retired FBI agent and a recovery patient from a heart transplant surgery - is confronted by Graciela Rivers to investigate the murder of her sister Gloria Torres and former donor of McCaleb heart, a succession of actions take place driving him and the readers to the world of LAPD crime investigation squadron that investigate, speculate and debate about if the murder of Gloria and two other victims were pure coincidence or a work of a serial killer with a private agenda. This is a well written book with a lot of crime investigation details, sometimes too dense that make the story slow till page 180 where the novel become more interesting and dinamic. A perfect reading for thriller lovers.
Rating:
Summary: Do you have the heart for this book?
Review: Based on THE POET, the only other Connelly novel I'd ever read, I never would've given any of his other books a chance were this not a vehicle starring Clint Eastwood. The premise, I had to admit, was intriguing and original. I enjoyed the movie and decided to give the novel a try.
First of all, whether or not you decide to try the movie or the book first, don't let the ending of either deter you from trying the other medium. Let's just say that the screenwriter for the Eastwood production took some liberties. Either way, I believe your patience will be rewarded.
Secondly, while BLOOD WORK has Hollywood written all over it, the premise can't help but engage the reader on a variety of levels and for different reasons. Mystery mavens will buy the book simply because the book has Michael Connelly's name on the cover. Those in the medical or law enforcement fields may want to try this book to see how thoroughly Connelly had researched his subjects. But the language, which isn't as memorable as, John Connolly's, Stephen Hunter's or John Gilstrap's, leaves something to be desired. I enjoy reading novelists who have a good sense of humor and can snap off a sharp metaphor or simile at any time. Unfortunately, Connelly doesn't have the poetic aptitude of his title character in THE POET (to which he refers several times without, thankfully, giving away the ending).
However, Connelly gives us a very likable and sympathetic hero in Terry McCaleb, the heart transplant recipient cum unofficial investigator. It's to his credit that Connelly didn't constantly put McCaleb and his new heart in peril every hundred pages or so as Marvel did with the old Tony Stark/Iron Man character in the 60's. And, while Terry's precarious medical condition didn't allow him to even drive, it's notable that Connelly was still able to make McCaleb interesting without many action opportunities.
The identity of the killer in the book and the denouement was anticlimactic, at best. No chapters are told in his POV, we didn't get the chance to meet him until the very end and that robbed the reader of the catharsis that Aristotle promises us. The screenplay's solution was more ingenious.
All the same, I've bought and am currently reading the followup, A DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT, which is a crossover that's sure to make ecstatic fans of McCaleb and Connelly's main series character, Harry Bosch.
Rating:
Summary: Random or not?
Review: If you enjoy reading dramatic & intense police thrillers, than you'll like this one. It packs in the suspense. Just when you think you have it figured out, it takes you on a more intense ride. You will be so engrossed that you will find it hard to put it down. Mr. Connelly's background as a crime reporter seeps through the pages from beginning to end. You get just enough to keep you holding on. I felt as if I was a little mouse in Terry McCaleb's pocket the whole ride. Michael Connelly takes his understanding of the criminal mind and puts it on paper very well. I enjoyed this thriller so much that I'm anxious to start on the next one. You won't feel as if you've wasted your money on Michael Connelly, that's for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Nice idea, but predictable...
Review: I thought the premise for this novel was great, but after a few chapters it became crystal clear where this was going. The ending just sort of happened, without any real satisfaction. I give it three stars because even though I knew what was going to happen, it was entertaining enough for me to see if I had it right.
Rating:
Summary: Justice Delivered
Review: Michael Connelly delivers a riveting story of vengeance in BLOOD WORK. Connelly successfully puts the reader into the mind of the main protagonist, ex-FBI agent and profiler Terrell McCaleb, as McCaleb goes methodically through his investigative paces to uncover clues to solve three brutal cold-blooded murders by a souless, evil killer. Though slowed by his recent heart transplant surgery, McCaleb turns relentless in his quest to hunt down a murderer that he considers the embodiment of evil. McCaleb understandably re-enters crimefighting with some initial trepidations, despite his connection to one of the victims, but caution gives way to accelerating action when he discovers that he also has a macabre link to the villian. If you found vicarious satisfaction in John "Lilly" Lelankevitch's merciless crime-fighting spree in the novel, EVIL, BE GONE, then you'll also get caught up in Connelly's BLOOD WORK!---Robert John Estko, the author of EVIL, BE GONE
Rating:
Summary: Gosh, Connelly is an entertaining writer!
Review: A bereaved sister tempts Terrell McCaleb from a retirement caused by his heart transplant. As the search for a killer brings him back from complacency, his emerging feelings for Graciella give him a new reason to live.
Of all the detective writers whose books grace the shelves at foreign airports, Connelly is the writer whose works I'm currently most pleased to see. His heros are just the right kind of men and his plots and characters are always compelling and intelligent. Give it a try!
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