Blood Work (Blood Work)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Search for a Killer
Review: Michael Connelly is one of the best crime novelist writers I've ever read. Every book I've read of his has been a rollercoaster of emotions & suspense. I haven't been disappointed yet!

I'll admit it took me a little bit to get used to Terry McCaleb, since I'm a huge fan of the Harry Bosch series, and who can top that? However, before long I was enjoying Terry almost just as much.

Blood Work is full of twists & turns, in search of a killer. Terry McCaleb, who has just had a heart transplant is supposed to be at home resting, retired from the FBI. Until the woman who's sister died so he could have his heart, asks Terry for his help in finding her killer. How can he turn her down? I don't want to reveal too much, so I'll leave it at that. If you like crime novels and murder mysteries, I guarentee you'll love this book. There wasn't a dull moment. And I'd also recommend the Harry Bosch series, including Concrete Blonde, Trunk Music and Angels Flight.

Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced, Exciting Mystery
Review: Michael Connelly steps away from his hard-boiled Harry Bosch novels and introduces us to retired FBI Profiler Terry McCaleb. McCaleb is recovering from a heart transplant and living on a boat in the marina when the sister of the woman whose heart Terry received asks him to find her sister's killer. What appears to be a routine robbery begins to take on a more sinister direction as McCaleb begins to piece together some overlooked evidence. This thriller adds a lot of suspense not just from the events surrounding the murder but also from Terry's unstable physical condition. He can't drive, he doesn't know when he's hungry, has to constantly monitor his temperature and blood, and is easily fatigued.

Connelly populates the book with an excellent supporting cast of characters such as Graciella Rivers, the heart donor's sister and potential romantic interest for McCaleb; Detective Arrango, a detective who resents McCaleb looking into his investigation; and Buddy Lockwood, McCaleb's beach bum neighbor and part time chauffer. The plot may be a little contrived, but it's Terry's pain at how he received his new heart and the debt he feels he owes that drive this story. McCaleb is a thoroughly enjoyable character. As Terry begins to make certain discoveries, the suspense builds to a final satisfying conclusion.

Rating:
Summary: A different, excellent thriller
Review: This is my first Michael Connelly book. His flowing, easy writing style grabbed me from page one, and along the book the cool plot and the above-average developed, human and likable characters did the rest of the job for me. His other books will be part of my reading list, no doubt.

The main character is Terry McCalleb, a retired FBI agent, now living in a boat anchored at a marina in LA. He's retired because his heart played a trick on him, and he had to wait two years at the organ-receiving line, almost loosing his life in the process. Finally, two months after a successful transplant, all he wants to do is fix his boat and drive to Catalina. But then, suddenly, a beautiful woman comes along and asks him to investigate the violent murder of her sister. McCalleb says he's off the game and won't do it, but then Graciela (that's the woman's name) says he should think about it, since the heart now in McCalleb's chest once belonged to her deceased sister.

From then on, the book goes from a seemingly simple situation to a very complex plot. It's interesting to see how Connelly makes McCalleb work, sometimes even to complete loose ends, just to a little bit later discover something he had previously missed. McCalleb is a coherent character, and the reader can't help but like him. Other characters are intersting as well, good ones and bad ones.

After reaching the end, I noticed that the solution is in plain sight in the middle of the book, if the reader pays enough attention or is interested in spoiling the fun for the end. I suggest not an investigative reading, but an enjoyable one. Just go along with McCalleb and it will be fine. Not the usual serial-killer-forensic-investigation thriller. Way above average.

Grade 9.1/10

Rating:
Summary: Engaging
Review: This was the first Michael Connolly book I read, and because of it I have since bought five others. The plot is engaging from the very start. Ex-FBI agent Terry McCaleb, whose speciality was profiling serial killers, has retired from the Bureau after a heart transplant and is living on his boat in LA harbour. Having turned his back on fighting crime, he has no intentions of helping Graciela Rivers, a woman whose sister has been murdered, until he finds out that the transplanted heart that saved his life belonged to her. With this knowledge, he feels obliged to investigate Gloria's death, against the express wishes of his doctor and knowing it could have serious consequences for his health.

All McCaleb has to go on is a video tape from a convenience store showing a masked man hold up the owner and then shoot the two witnesses. Add to this the hostility he receives from the two LAPD detectives assigned the case, and it seems like McCaleb isn't going to get far. However, it soon becomes clear that the crime is not as random as it seems, and McCaleb is on the trail of someone a lot more sinister than an opportunistic thief.

Connolly writes "Blood Work" with an unrelenting pace and a real flair for knowing exactly how to string the reader along. You'll be as hooked as one of the fish in the harbour!