Rating: 
Summary: CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?
Review: Connelly continues to exhibit his virtuoso writing skills in "Chasing the Dime." While it is not as well done as his Bosch or McCabe books, the book holds it's own thanks to Connelly's deft use of English language and strong secondary characters.Henry Pierce is not the brightest hero in the world, although he is certainly a brilliant chemist. Even with the background of his dead sister Isabelle, his involvement in the whereabouts of Lilly Quinlan seem far-fetched. He is definitely a loner, even with his friends. His relatioship with Nicole is certainly understandable as he is totally devoted to his work. His attempts to reconcile are painful, but obvious. The character of Lucy LaPorte (aka Robin) is well developed, yet she seems a little too "golden" by the end. The identity of the culprit is quite a shock and I never suspected this character.
The ending is obviously open-ended, as we never find out who the biggest big shot is behind the setup. So I hope he does a sequel to satisfy this little bit of cliffhangerism!!! RECOMMENDED. (Void Moon is better, though!)
Rating: 
Summary: Connelly Breaks from Routine and Disappoints
Review: Henry Pierce, a techie on the verge of changing the modern world through his invention, stumbles upon a mystery when he receives numerous calls for a prostitute at his new phone number. Instead of doing what the rest of us would do-change the number, Pierce decides to find the prostitute and figure out what happened to her. Through a series of incredibly not-smart moves, including searching her apartment, stealing her address book, and ultimately moving her dead body, Henry ends up the prime suspect in her death. The premise is too outrageous and the characters are too unappealing to create a novel that captures and engages the reader. Even Connelly fans would do well to stay away from this one. Try (or reread) one of his masterpieces, Concrete Blonde or Black Ice, instead.
Rating:
Summary: A House of High Tech Mirrors
Review: Never having read anything by Michael Connely before, I read Chasing the Dime without any preconceptions. It will not be the last I read. Connelly sets his murder mystery in a high-tech, bio-genetics world. Following the Ludlum et al formula, he takes a high-powered acheiver out of his usual world, and drops him in the middle of a chaotic murder plot--or at least that what it seems at first. The deeper we get into the book, the more we see that the apparent chaos has an order to it. The revelations which are most important to the plot are not the typical "who done it", but the hidden interrelationships between teh characters, and their histories. According to other reviews, some of the back story in this book is set out in an earlier Connelly book, but you certainly do not need to have read the earlier books to enjoy this one. Of course, having read this one, I will definitely have to go out and get the "back story" book! My only criticism is that the plot takes too huge a jump at the end to "reveal" the solution. There needs to be more set up to explain why several characters completely change their stripes. That said, it is a book that anyone should enjoy who likes a good page turner.
Rating:
Summary: not what I expected
Review: I was truly disappointed in Connelly's latest book. I wanted to read this because I've read all of his books and enjoyed every one of them. I thought the plot was ridiculous. The main character (Henry Pierce) did not appeal to me at all. He seemed so.......drab! Why is he risking his life and career for someone he's never met before??? I know it explains why in the book but I thought it was overkill. The ending was very very weak. I was kind of hoping for something spectacular to save this book but no such luck. Connelly should go back to the Harry Bosch (or even Terry McCaleb) series. I would not recommend this book if you're a Connelly fan. Boring!!
Rating:
Summary: More exciting as you go...
Review: This is my first Connelly book to read after my wife's repeated recommendations. The book piqued my interest because of it's settings in the nanotechnology world. Henry Pierce, the main character, is a hot-shot scientist on the brink of a landmark project and strays off to chase personal demons that have haunted him for years.
The first 50 or so pages lay the groundwork for what is to happen and then it becomes a story I didn't want to put down. While the writing is fairly typical for this genre of book, I was kept hooked because of the ease in determining the top 3 choices for "who-dunit" in an effort to blackmail Pierce. In the end, I guessed right but the elusiveness of the writing didn't tell me why until the end of the story.
For relaxing, fun reading, Chasing the Dime is well worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: Hi Tech turned into the fun house at an amusement park!!
Review: I read Chasing the Dime in two sittings over the holidays and was totally knocked out by the character(s). The resolution of the story, was outstanding and I really did not know how the protaganist was going to escape blame. Nor did I see the solution coming, the high tech details are outstanding and interesting. I felt totally spun by the resolution, action packed! I love the fact that Michael writes one off's that are very different from the detective series he writes, but also contain a lot of needed detection. It's fun to stretch your storytelling skills, this book and Void Moon are so different from the Bosch novels, yet so vivid when you read them. I hope he keeps writing one off's, but I love the Bosch books too. Am I fan fan, guess so eh?? Michael Connelly is a master of the crime novel![.]
Rating: 
Summary: I've read this story before...
Review: Being a HUGE fan of the early Harry Bosch novels, I can only wonder what's happened to Connelly. He's definitely an author who should stick to what he does best, and that is write Bosch novels. (C'mon, there have got to be other readers out there who wanted to throw THE POET against the wall at the end of that book!!!) This novel is just as ridiculous, and so familiar, it's frightening. (The same subject matter -- internet prostitution, etc -- was covered in Gorman Bechard's NINTH SQUARE a year ago, and done so much better and a LOT more believably.) From an author that rivited me with Black Echo, Black Ice and Concrete Blonde, I just expect more. And it seems as if Connelly is just going through the motions now. (Like other best-selling authors, he's gotten lazy...and thus should move over and give title of best current LA crime novelist to Robert Crais, who ALWAYS rocks!) Henry Price is one dimensional, the entire cellular phone premise is ridiculous, the women are paper thin (Unlike in Bechard's book). Chasing The Dime would be Connelly's worst book (if The Poet didn't already exist), so it's his second worst. A REAL disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Even Chase A Nickel
Review: This is a departure from the hardboiled world of Harry Bosch and also from the world of believable storylines. Here we have a guy who is so totally driven by his work that his relationship with his girlfriend has disintegrated. He is so focussed on his company that he's brought it to the brink of one of the greatest breakthroughs in history. Yet that focus and drive can be diverted because he gets a few phone calls that were meant for someone else! Huh!?! I'm sorry, the premise for this is just a little too out-there for my liking.
Rating:
Summary: dime is dumb
Review: First book by Connelly I have not enjoyed. Whole plot is a bit unbelievable and "our hero" is the problem. Book gets a bit tiresome real quick. Save your dime and buy something else.
Rating:
Summary: A vast disappointment
Review: I had enjoyed all of the previous Connelly novels I'd read, so was very disappointed in this seemingly half-hearted effort from the author. Even Connelly seems less than enthusiastic in the writing, and the reader can hardly blame him.
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