Rating: 
Summary: Lose the gimicks, please.
Review: While I like all of this author's books, this one felt a little like a stunt to me. The author seemed to go out of his way to have all his protagonists from previous novels meet, and the one from "Void Moon" had no purpose other than to complete the set. The pop-culture references come fast and furious, including numerous references to the movie made based on "The Poet" and many other recent high-profile murders. I'm left to wonder if the book was too short and he needed to pad for length.
There are a few major developments in the lives of his characters, so if you read the series, you'll want to make sure to read this one. Hopefully with the next book, the author will return to the form that drove me to read all his previous books.
Rating: 
Summary: When It Rains, Stay Away From The Narrows
Review: I had strayed away from Michael Connelly's last book, but heard that with this one "The Narrows", he had brought back the best of his writing. Oh, so very true. This is a page turner in the grandest tradition. Hieronymous(Harry)Bosch has retired from the Detective Division of the LA Police Department, and is doing free lance work. A little private PI work here and there. In the meantime he has discovered that he has a 4 year old daughter, Maddie, who lives with her mother in Las Vegas. He zips up the Interstate several times a month to see her, He has even secured a long time rental of a serviceable kitchenette, bedroom motel room near the airport, something he can afford. The relationship between Maddie's mom and Harry is best at times "troublesome". Into this new PI work, his former partner, Gerry's wife, Graciela, has requsted that Harry help her investigate why Gerry died. Something is not right-Gerry had had a heart transplant several years ago and was doing well. Then all of a sudden he died of heart failure...Graciela found that his anti-rejection pills had been tampered with. Filled with sugar powder. Harry delves into this mystery and finds another mystery in the making that Gerry was looking at. Maybe this will help reveal what happened to Gerry. The LA police are investigting why six men from the LA area have disappeared while in Las Vegas, and no sign of the men has ever been found. Someone had been following Gerry and his family and had taken photos of them and sent the photos to Gerry. At the same time there is a picture of a sign on a desert highway near Las Vegas called ZZYZX Road. And Gerry has written his investigation into small snippets- something about a triangle. Bosch decides to go to ZZYZX Road to see what he can find. At the same time Rachel Walling, FBI assigned to Minot, North Dakota as a result of her last big case that went haywire, is summoned to Las Vegas to help investigate the finding of 11 bodies near ZZYZX Road. She has been notified by one of her former mentors gone bad, The Poet, that he is once again enmeshed in another fiendish crime. Ah,ha, never the twain shall meet? Oh, they have already met in another case, and Rachel at odds with the FBI and Bosch team up to uncover the truths of these grisly murders and to unveil the truth of The Poet. Will they get to the truth in time, will the FBI get their man? When it rains, it pours! A fascinating murder mystery, told with zest and zeal. Compelling and frightening- you bet- one of the best Harry Bosch mysteries. Welcome back, Harry! prisrob
Rating:
Summary: Another Good Mystery Delivered
Review: I did not read The Poet and I can see now that there's no point. Regardless, this was a terrific "pre-summer read." It was well written, fun and suspenseful. Read it in three sittings and enjoyed every minute of it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Poet Revisited
Review: In 1996 Michael Connelly treated us to one of the best psycho-sexual serial killer novels of all time. I am usually not a big fan of that genre. Usually authors get to caught up in the slash and dash bizarre elements of such crimes. They almost revel in the depravity often mistaking gore for tension. Connelly never made that mistake. In The Poet, we find that we don't need the in depth details of the crimes to give us the chills, it's enough to see the effects these crimes have on the surrounding players to know we are dealing with a true madman. The Poet was truly that, a madman targeting Homicide detectives. All these detectives were particularly disturbed and obsessed with particular case and when they were found dead in apparent suicides, no one questioned it.
Connelly let us in on the hunt, and when the end of the book came we were truly shocked by the identity of the killer, and dismayed with his escape. Well, it seems that Connelly was equally dismayed. Recently in an interview Connelly mentioned how he resisted writing a sequel to The Poet, but after 9/11 he just didn't feel right letting this evil still roam his universe. Connelly needed to exorcise his demon, and to do that he needed to invite along his dearest friends.
So Connelly pulls together all the characters from his series and stand alone novels to battle this evil. Rachel Walling, the disgraced FBI agent who handled the original case. Harry Bosch, the hard nose retired LAPD Homicide detective who is the object of the majority of Connelly's work and Terry McCaleb, the retired FBI profiler and heart transplant recipient. In a way this is not just a sequel to The Poet, but a linking of his entire universe.
Like a master chess player Connelly spends the first half of the book putting his pieces in the right places. Connelly knows how to build tension through intelligent development instead of explosions and gore. His also infuses a bit of humor into the mix by including many references to the Theatrical version of Bloodwork, and the movies complete disregard for the original tales ending.
Connelly takes on a tough task of trying to complete the tale that The Poet started. While clearly not as good as the original, The Narrows is a worthy follow up to that tale. Connelly's task is tough, because for the most part we know who the killer is and what drives him to do what he does. What he does is create a balance to the world he has created, ending some characters stories, while rejuvenating others.
Rating:
Summary: Housecleaning
Review: Connelly kills off one character, probably to preclude Eastwood making a bad movie from one of his books. The return of other characters leads to a housecleaning of sorts. Bosch finds reemployment and perhaps rejuvenation for the next outing. This one felt like a half-hearted movie sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Not Sure I Agree
Review: I read at least two books a week, time well spent as I rarely watch television. One news program I did see had a reviewer who compared Michael Connelly to Raymond Chandler. I'm sorry, but I don't share that opinion: Raymond Chandler's use of language and his ability to paint extraordinary human portraits does not appear part of Mr. Connelly's repertoire. I find Harry Bosch very bland, his love life could not be more pedestrian, and some of his plot devices -- an F.B.I. agent turned serial killer -- just fabrications. The two best mystery-thriller writers I have found in the last 10 years are both San Francisco writers: Oakley Hall, in his extraordinary series of Ambrose Bierce mysteries set in old San Francisco, and James Dalessandro, author of Bohemian Heart and the just-released 1906, a crime/corruption thriller set against the great San Francisco earthquake that is just mesmerizing. I have just starting posting these reviews, at the urging of a friend, and feel that in addition to telling people what I think about the book I just read, I should speak up about the truly wonderful writers I discover. James Dalessandro and Oakley Hall are the best.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular!!!
Review: Harry Bosch is asked by a friend's widow to investigate her husband's death. She suspects that it was murder, not a heart attack. Concurrently, tarnished FBI agent Rachel Walling (on a "hardship posting" in South Dakota) receives a late night phone call from Quantico indicating that a demonic serial killer, assumed dead, is back in business. The simultaneous plots converge at the Zzyzx Road exit on Highway 15 between Las Vegas and LA. Harry's quest and Rachel's investigation eventually lead to a partnership that adds tension to the story. The characters are well drawn and believable; their strengths and weaknesses probed. Mr. Connelly is a master at quietly producing continuous action that explodes exponentially into a white-knuckle ride. His ability to hide clues in plain sight is extraordinary Taut suspense, intricate plotting and the captivating premise propel Harry and Rachel in their pursuit of the diabolical villain. It is "cat and mouse" at the highest level. The overriding struggles and characters are potent and persuasive, the plot labyrinthine, the twists logical yet unforeseen. Michael Connelly is the magical virtuoso of present day crime fiction. He defines and refines the genre---never playing it safe. "The Narrows" is the most peerless example of contemporary noir writing imaginable. I am certain one can enjoy "The Narrows" without having read "The Poet"---but if one does, it will spoil one's reading of "The Poet."
Rating:
Summary: Connelly DELIVERS AGAIN
Review: Some of the editorial comments you see put Connelly at the top of the list as a writer. I ignore most of that to some degree as we must each determine what we like - and some of those who tout a writer do not necessarily read the book.
But, after this effort, I would have to agree. Connelly has not failed yet. Each book is really a darn good read.
The Narrows brings the dreaded Poet back and you will be on the edge of your chair from cover to cover.
Pick this one up
Rating:
Summary: No nonsense crime thriller...
Review: Michael Connelly's novels are habit forming. When picking up his latest, my intention was to savour the experience, only read a little at a time, maybe a few chapters before bed, so that that the pleasure would extend, lasting a long time. This did not happen. In fact, this text was completed in one sitting. After turning the last page, the story left me satisfied, though, wondering when Connelly would release his next one. This type of behaviour may sound a little on the neurotic side, but Connelly's stories are simply that good. I've come to have high expectations about his work, and thus far, have not been disappointed. The Narrows is an excellent piece of crime writing. Those of you familiar with Harry Bosch from Lost Light, Connelly's last novel, and many others, will find the character hasn't changed. Harry remains that sombre, fatalistic and determined individual. He's a cold realist without the cynicism. This character has a strong sense of his purpose in life, which he calls his mission, and the ability to stare evil directly in the eye without flinching. Bosch is a no nonsense type of guy, who manages to see that shred of goodness in the world, where others only see darkness. Harry is a good man. In a world filled with superheroes, fictional characters that are way over the top, here we have a hero in a rumpled suit, a man who knows himself, with a strong sense of his function in the world. He will get the job done no matter what happens, and without actually coming out and saying it, he would gladly lay down his life if it meant saving yours. The Narrows is a sequel to Connelly's fifth novel, The Poet. The killer is ex FBI, a sadistic murderer that was dubbed The Poet because he would leave clues that could be traced back to the poems and writings of the master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe. Special Agent Rachel Walling, in the first novel, shot the killer through a window, and all hoped he was dead. But now he's resurfaced with a new agenda. Through investigating the suspicious death of an old friend, Terry McCaleb, (the famous protagonist from the novel and film, Blood Work) Bosch uncovers a connection to the poet; the investigation takes him to the deserts of Nevada, where the bodies of several men have been uncovered. As usual, Bosch is ahead of everyone else in the investigation, teaming up with Rachel Walling, they discover this intelligent killer is playing with them, leading the duo towards his dramatic finale. Fans of Harry Bosch novels will not be disappointed with this new instalment. It's an absolute winner. Though new readers of Connelly's work will not have to read the previous novels, particularly The Poet, in order to appreciate this one.
Rating:
Summary: A Light Bosch
Review: This another enjoyable entry in the Harry Bosch series. Aficionados of this series will enjoy it but come away wanting more. The basic plot is excellent with the return of the Poet (the former FBI agent turned serial killer). He has created a cemetery in the desert of ten of his victims and has challenged the FBI to find him. Bosch will end up teaming with FBI agent Rachel Walling in tracking down the Poet. The chemistry between these two is pretty good. Unfortunately Connelly has a sex scene between the two that is just short of ludicrous. Almost like he was writing the scene for its value to a movie script than its need in the narrative story. Virtually all other characters are cardboard cutouts, particularly the the FBI agents. There must be a school all mystery writers have to attend where they learn only one way to portray the FBI. There is some very good detective work as Harry and Rachel work their way toward the Poet. The introduction of his daughter in the last book is cause for a lot of angst for Bosch, but was totally unnecessary. It does nothing for the storyline or our understanding of Bosch. Eleanor Wish is back in a couple small scenes. She is a wonderful character, but Connelly doesn't seem to have any real use for her anymore. Probably the biggest failing of the book is lack of development of the Backus character. He's simply the serial killer with no real fleshing out of his character and what really drives him. Why does he kill men rather than women (the overwhelming choice of all other male serial killers)? Who knows. The ending is okay, if forced. The plot twist at the end is absurd and doesn't fit the prior 400 pages of the book. Though it is part of the storyline it is very reminiscent of Maddie's introduction in the last book. You end of asking, "where the hell did this come from?". All in all Bosch fans will be pleased with this book. It is an enjoyable, if light, read.
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