Rating: 
Summary: First Rate Stand-Alone Thriller
Review: Having read several Harry Bosch novels by Connelly, and not having been satisfied by the last one I'd gotten to (City of Bones, a well-written but dull story), I had no preconceptions of what to expect when I picked up Void Moon. Well, what a surprise. Connelly starts us off in LA as usual, but takes us back to Las Vegas almost immediately-- six years back to a crime that went awry. His heroine, Cassie Black, is on parole and bored selling Porsches, still picking up the pieces of the casino-hotel burglary that cost Cassie her freedom and her lover and partner-in-crime his life. Cassie's got a secret, and in order to stay connected to it, she's got to do one more job. When she does, the complications come fast and furious.The buildup is slow but smooth and the heist is thrilling, but it's the aftermath-- when the heavies, led by a psychopath PI named Jack Karch, go after the booty Cassie stole-- that kicks the story up to a very high level. Connelly perfectly depicts Karch's brilliant criminal mind and thought processes, and he's a damned scary operator. Meanwhile, Cassie becomes increasingly human and understandable; ultimately, she's just a sad young woman whose life seems to have already passed her by. Yet she doesn't have a spare minute to feel sorry for herself-- she must act, and act fast. Great characterizations, none of which ever slow the story down (Grisham should be reading this author as a how-to on this count). Connelly is a master of the genre. My only (minor) criticism is that the final plot twists and revelations between Karch and his boss, Vincent Grimaldi, seemed too slick and all-encompassing, and not really necessary. But overall, this is a top-notch thriller with great characters and marvelous details (the high-tech burglary stuff was jaw-droppingly smart). An engrossing read.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Characters!
Review: Many writers can develop decent plots but Connelly also does a great job developing his characters. Karch is the kind of great villian who would be right at home in a James Bond novel. From the main characters to the bit players Connelly uses superb dialogue to create an unforgetable cast. A fast exciting read. This is the 2nd Connelly book I've read and I will be reading more.
Rating:
Summary: Well-plotted, highly suspenseful, paradigmatic good v. evil.
Review: Much more involving than Bosch novels, this novel explores the ambiguities of human nature, especially with equivocal female criminal, committing crime for admirable end; likable criminal middle-man, who sets up crimes; and maniacal, highly intelligent Vegas hotel "detective" who will use any means to achieve his goal of recovering the hotel's money. This in-depth, thoughtful, well-paced novel is Connelly's best, and ranks right up there with the best of Ruth Rendell and Thomas Cook's Breakheart Hill. Void Moon is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Hit the Jackpot With this Book
Review: Cassie Black is out on Parole after serving time for the manslaughter of her partner in a Vegas robbery that ended with him taking a dive from twenty stories up onto a craps table. Life is going according to plan, she has a great job in an LA Porsche car yard and is content to wait out her parole but unforseen events she has no control over force her to need money real fast. Her ex crime contact Leo sets her up with a high paying robbery scheme, only thing is she has to go back to Vegas and to the Cleopatra as well, which is where Max her partner died. A late night phone call to her victim while she is in his room forces her to stay during the time of the void moon as she awaits his return to sleep. Bad luck happens when there is a void moon. There was one when Max took his dive as well. Jack Karch an evil, soulless individual who works for the Cleopatra has been assigned the job of getting back the money and ridding the world of those who participated in the crime. Cassie should have got out of that room before the void moon. This is a pretty good action packed crime thriller. It will keep you reading until the last page.
Rating:
Summary: Second generation Las Vegas
Review: This was a page turner. It was very interesting to read about people whose parents emigrated to Las Vegas when Las Vegas was just starting to grow. These children of the first generation are a rotten bunch, but no one more rotten than Jack Karch. Call him whatever you want, ..., a psychopathic murderer (yes, he's that, too), a guy who knows some cool magic tricks, and a guy who gets so involved in his work he can go without sleep or food for several days. Karch makes the book, but of course he's the villain so he has to die in the end, a gruesome death at that. I liked Karch, as a character. I don't think many people do and I don't think I'd actually want to meet someone like Karch in "real life," but as a villain he's so grotesquely evil that he just makes the book. For Cassie Black, the heroine, I had no feeling. She does seem a little mixed up, but then she's second generation Las Vegan also, so maybe that explains that. Read it and weep. Diximus.
Rating:
Summary: Connelly Keeps 'Em Coming
Review: Cassie Black served prison time for a Las Vegas heist that went bad. Now, she is on parole in L.A. and trying to stay on the straight and narrow. The trouble is, she has a sudden need for a large sum of money. She decides to take a chance on pulling another burglary, even though the job is in the same place she was caught six years ago. Worse still, things continue to go wrong. Not only does the job not go as planned, but it turns out that things were different than they seemed initially. People start dying and Cassie finds herself running for her life. VOID MOON is the fifth book by Connelly that I've read and the first one that didn't feature Detective Harry Bosch. The Bosch tales were all excellent and this one continues in that vein. It is taut, suspenseful and keeps you turning the pages even in those instances when you think you know what's going to happen next. It's also very well researched. Cassie is a sophisticated, high-tech crook and every aspect of what she does is related in fascinating detail. It's another Connelly book that I simply didn't want to put down. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ!!
Review: Really surprising, actually, how good it was. I read the Harry Bosch series and enjoy them. I bought this book along with a Bosch novel and it sat in my drawer because I was not looking forward to reading one out of the series. I went on to read many other novels (by different authors) and then when I was out of reading material, I forced myself to start in on Void Moon. I could not put the book down until I was done! I do not usually lose sleep for a book unless it is really, really good :). It may be the low expectations I had going into the read? I am sure that played into my surprise, but it had a storyline that I enjoyed. Connelly put his normal intrigue and twists into this book. It had believable characters and a plot that kept me interested. I have never written a review before, so that tells you how much I enjoyed this book :). I am also keeping this book to pass on to my friends and family which is not something I usually do either. Buy it, read it... I think you will not regret it!!
Rating:
Summary: A good read!
Review: Another good book by Michael Connelly. I could not put this one down until i finished it. This one was different from the other connelly books I have read. I was pleasantly suprised.
Rating: 
Summary: Read it, but don't make it your first Connelly!
Review: I had read all the Harry Bosch stories and started branching out to Connelly's other books when I reached Void Moon on the list. It was ok, 3 stars, when I'd give the first 3 Harry Bosch novels by Connelly 4.5- 5 stars, Angels Fight too, I think. Read the other reviews for plot specifics. Here is my lowdown; spend the money to buy the book and you'll feel ok about it in the morning. It is not his best stuff, but this one had some trademark Connelly twists, nice research and detail into the topic (thievery) and reasonably well rounded characters. On the down side it felt a little too contrived, a little too pat, almost like this was written as much by the author as by the editor and publisher. The criminal is the hero so we have to like her. It is hard to make a felon the good guy, and in doing so it stretches the believability quotient a bit. Connelly has been successful long enough to be a brand name, and not simply an artist as he was in the beginning with Black Echo and Black Ice. The result is that he is expected to produce a new novel every 2 years, whether it is worth publishing or not. This one was ok, but don't make it your first experience with Michael Connelly.
Rating:
Summary: What do you think when you are gambling in Vegas?
Review: This is an excellent book it keeps you reading page after page and makes you think two or three things about the security systems in Las Vegas.
If you think that security of any Las Vegas hotel is always with the good guys you will have to read this book to convince yourself.
The book has three stories in one, the private investigator, the security manager and a gifted thief who knows everything of the casinos.
The book begins with a robbery of half million dollars and Cassie robs 2.5 million, of course she thinks that is money from the casino until she discover that the mafia is after that money, but not only the mafia...
Thinking better, this book deserves SIX STARS.
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