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Chasing the Dime

Chasing the Dime

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Uncharacteristic of Connelly
Review: So thin is the plot, so sketchy its development, that this book is almost breezy to read. And ALL of it turns on a level of predictability to human behavior that defies anything any psychologist knows or ordinary person believes. People just aren't this mechanistic--or if they are, it's at such a micro-level that it is not detectable in normal life. And the reader figures out "whodunnit" long before the protagonist. Finally, the resolution is rather unbelievable--a cop who is convinced the protagonist is a murderer, and never evinces a single doubt about that, decides to put his own career on the line to help the protagonist pursue someone else? And that someone falls easily into a sophomoric trap?

This really does feel like one of those books where the author thought, "Okay, my contract calls for a book a year, but I'm really tired and don't have the emotional wherewithal to go through the intensity of what I usually write, and besides I'm a star so this will sell anyway, so let me just kick one out right quick."

This is the only Connelly novel I've been disappointed in. it's still much better than the avergae genre work, but not at all what I've come to expect from Connelly.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A "Long Moment" Over and Over Again
Review: This was the first book that I read by this author, and I thought it was a total flop. The hero is a purported scientific genius, but he repeatedly does very dumb things, such as running around crime scenes touching various objects, and leaving his fingerprints everywhere, guaranteeing that he will be suspected of the crime, which is what happens. This does not help build credibility.

I found the protagonist void of any endearing characteristics. All of his statements to others in the book sound like technical instructions written by someone with a poor grasp of English. The dialog is absolutely lifeless. None of the characters are real or sympathetic. Example: the hero has lived with a woman for three years, they supposedly loved each other, and she is the first to hear that has been terribly beaten by thugs. Yet, she calls the police to aid him, but doesn't bother to visit him in the hospital or show any interest in his condition whatsoever, and is rude to him when he next meets her, with a black and blue face. The impression is that all the characters are merely inserted to support a plot device.

For some reason, the author kept repeating the annoying and meaningless phrase "a long moment" over and over again, and I kept wondering, how did the editors miss it? I agree that this book appears to be just a product put out by someone who is just trying to meet a production quota.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: MY "TEN CENTS" WORTH
Review: In order to truly enjoy Connelly's latest endeavor, the reader has to put their imagination in high gear because the scenario is a bit far-fetched. If Harry Bosch was at the helm of this mystery, it would be more believable but the main character is not Harry Bosch....he's Henry Pierce, a scientist and former chemistry major from Stamford. Pierce is thirty-something and head of a technology company presently in a race against time to be the first in the industry to discover molecular computer. Unfortunately, this race has destroyed his personal life as he has been spending more time in the lab and less time at home with his live-in love Nicole. Time has come to a halt for that relationship and he has moved out of their home and gotten a new apartment in order to give Nicole her space.

Lonely and depressed, Henry moves into his new place only to find numerous messages on his answering machine for someone named Lilly. He'll soon find out that Lilly is a beautiful escort whose website obviously draws a number of calls. But why are these calls coming to Henry's new telephone number? This mystery will lead Henry on the chase of his life as he tries to find out who Lilly is, where she is and why the phone number she no longer uses is still listed on her website even though it now belongs to Henry. Henry is relentless in his pursuit of Lilly's whereabouts even when his own safety and freedom are at risk.

This is the part I found hard to believe. Come on......he's a mild-mannered chemist not a persistent private eye, so I found it hard to imagine his throwing caution to the wind as he recklessly tries to figure this out. But he'll surprise everyone by using his scientific methods of deduction and reasoning to try to solve this puzzle. While Henry is chasing Lilly, his own company could be going down the tubes as the clock is running out on the financing they need to pursue their dreams.

I'm a huge fan of this author having already read eight of his other books but I found this one a tad disappointing. It just didn't have Connelly's usual "unputdownability" quotient. I found myself eager to finish it so I could move on to my next book....something that has never happened before with a Connelly offering.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: disappointed
Review: I have read everything else Connelly has written and I was horribly disappointed by this one.
I kept checking the author photo cause the writing was so amatuerish and the plot so ridiculous. I expect so much - but maybe our freind Michael has fallen prey to his own reviews. This book is silly.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Don't gone soft on yourself as John Grisham, Sir.
Review: What is this? What has become of this author since the lousy Void Moon, or even earlier, the Trunk Music? The writing is obviously downhilled since then. First was the once great author, Stuart Wood, after his Palindrome, then came the okay guy, John Grisham. Was fame and wealth so corrosive to an author's pen, imagination and creativity? Now, these once great writers are writing like James Patterson with a deadbeat formatted formula. They have become book factories, the products are deteriorating with very bad quality control, all they consider might just the quantity instead. I'm very sorry for them and myself, loosing grips on both ends.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Techno-Thriller - Entertaining but Overly Complex
Review: In an attempt to create drama, I think the author built in too many subplots and story lines. It would have been sufficient to tell the story of industrial espionage and sabotage, and keep the personal dramas to a minimium. If you enjoy the whole shebang, this ought to please you. I enjoyed both the plot and personal dramas, but I can understand people who got lost, lost interest, or gave up. The basic plot is right out of the headlines, and should be of interest and concern to us all.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappoints
Review: I have been a fan of Michael Connelly since his book, The Concrete Blonde. The Harry Bosch novels have always been my favorites, but his other books have been good too. This was the first book of Connelly's that I didn't like. The main character, Henry Pierce didn't grab me and his actions just didn't seem natural. The plot was fairly interesting, but in the end, seemed forced. Chasing The Dime disappoints.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: sherylval
Review: I've enjoyed all of michael connelly's books, especially the Bosch books and I thought the Poet was fantastic. While I enjoyed reading this book, I too agree, that this is by far not his best book. However, evidenced by this one, even a bad Connelly book is better than most of the thriller fare.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: truly bad
Review: tried reading it but had to stop after 100 pages: it's the kind of book that makes you feel silly for actually reading it.
the story is so incredibly stupid and unlikely that you go ahead just to make sure you aren't missing some bigger picture..........
pretty disappointing from - in other occasions - a good author

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not Connelly's Best Work
Review: Chasing the Dime

I'm a big fan of Michael Connelly having read all of his novels. Unfortunately, this one falls very short when compared to his other works.

(..)

There are two main problems with this book caused by the use of two overused literary clichés. First, everything that happens is built around the real culprit knowing exactly what Henry is going to do every step of the way. (Many of us don't even know what we're going to do ourselves half the time.) Second, the plot also uses what I like to call the "Stupid Cop Syndrome". This is where a police detective is so focused in on the hero as being a criminal, that he ignores all logic or common sense in developing the case. (Like Henry nearly being beaten to death.)

Connelly has written a number of very good books, but the last few have not been up to his prior standards. "Chasing the Dime" isn't the worst book around, but there are so many books out there that are so much better.


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