The Poet

Rating:
Summary: A great read from a first class writer!
Review: Another good book from a fine author. I just discovered him this year and am reading through his collection. The Poet is a nice departure. Interesting concept from the beginning. The plot keeps you guessing right til the end. There were so many twists and turns in the last 100 pages of the book that I was even guessing right up til the last page that there might be another. A good book keeps you guessing right up til the end. Can't wait for his other books.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Harry
Review: This was an interesting book but not as engrossing as one of Connelly's "Harry Bosch" books. Connelly always has an abundant amount of twist and turns and "The Poet" is no exception. I don't want to be to critical of this book but compared to all the other Connelly' books I've read (all but "Angel's Flight") this was my least favorite. Having said that I think this book will still appeal to alot of mystery genre fans, just not as much to "hard-boiled" genre fans. Check out the "Harry" books if "hard-boiled" is your bag!

Rating:
Summary: better than I expected
Review: I read the reviews of this book before I read it. I almost took it backto the library without reading it. I am glad I didn't! I really enjoyed the book and especially references to a reporter Harry Bosch has mentioned and I assume Harry's house with coyotes. I am anxious to read the rest of Michael Connelly's books because I know they will be good.

Rating:
Summary: Not just a novel an addiction!
Review: I could not put this book down.I was hooked at every twist and turn.A serial killer so vile, and cunning just when you think you know who did it, Michael Connely lets you know, that you don't know anything.If you can't sleep or don't want to, get this book.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best police/detective books ever.
Review: Eureka!!! What a read. I started reading it in an airport in Europe and I almost missed my flight. The dinner that I had planned went down the drain as well as I could not put the book down. If you are a lover of twists and turns, guilt and innocence, the mysterious and the transparent, this book is for you.

Rating:
Summary: HARD TO PUT DOWN
Review: I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN, IT WAS REALLY GREAT! I WOULD GIVE IT FIVE STARS IF IT WASN'T FOR THE ENDING. THIS WAS MY FIRST MYSTERY SOLVING SUSPENSE BOOK, BUT STILL I FELT LIKE THE ENDING JUST DIDN'T DO IT. HOWEVER, I STILL RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE INTERESTED AND I HOPE THAT HOLLYWOOD DOESN'T PICK IT UP OR THEY WILL RUIN IT, JUST LIKE KISS THE GIRLS.

Rating:
Summary: Good but fundamentally flawed.
Review: I like Connelly's work a great deal but in this book and in Truck Music his work as a mytery story teller is flawed. Twists and turns are expected and it's fair game not to let the reader see everything. But in this book he uses two points of view -- first person and third focusing on the suspect we are supposed to believe committed the crime. By only letting us "see" these characters and not developing others, he does not create loose ends, much less tie them up. One is unable to achieve the "yes, that makes sense" feeling. Lazy or unimaginative plot development. Blood Work, Last Coyote, and Concrete Blonde are much better.

Rating:
Summary: What a travesty of an ending...
Review: The Poet is a solid read with the exception of a few minor annoyances in the plot. These include the FBI letting a reporter into the heart of their investigation (sympathy will not take you that far) and people actually committing bodily harm while under hypnosis. Nevertheless, I could easily get by these as the story unfolded. However, once I got to the ending, I was shocked at the abruptness and the randomness of the author's finale. Unfortunately, it left a bitter taste in my mouth after what had been a very enjoyable read. I still recommend it, as long as you're prepared for a letdown at the very end. This is the first book I've read by Michael Connelly and I plan to read more, assuming that his other books wrap-up with much smoother conclusions.

Rating:
Summary: WHAT A PLEASURE
Review: There is no middle ground for Connelly readers. I just finished this as my second non-Bosch book and was totally absorbed. If you have a long lonely weekend and need company, this is the book for you. If Michael was reading this I would tell him to get off the internet and keep writing.

Rating:
Summary: I felt cheated
Review: I read this book to the end, but by page 400 (yes, it has about 500 pages! They always have 500 pages, no matter how little they have to say! Do these guys get paid by the page or something?) the plot had began to exhibit more holes than a sieve, and I had not even got to the end yet! I don't mind open endings, but in this case the ending cannot be properly described as "open," rather, the author did feel like he should be bothered to explain anything at all. He just chose the most unlikely suspect and named him as the culprit... he might as well have said that the butler did it. I love crime novels, but lately, reading them has become a frustrating exercise, because the authors seem to believe we readers are idiots! The story is contrived and unbelievable, for example, do you really believe that the real FBI would have allowed a journalist (and a relative of one of the victims to boot) to get inside the investigation? Nah, me neither. You know you cannot force a person to commit suicide by hypnosis, and Connelly also knows it, but he breezily dismisses this fact. And so on. And to cap it all, the hero is a whiner! When he complains about losing always when playing solitaire with his computer I had to laugh, but not because I was amused. Ah, do I miss the Continental Op.