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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Connelly is presently my go to author when I am tired and just need to be entertained. I also have to say that he is a true artist who has the uncanny ability to take the reader through four hundred or so pages without letting the pace drop once. ‘The Scarecrow’, second in the Jack McEvoy series, is yet another well crafted procedural that doesn’t disappoint. McEvoy, although not always an ethical role model, is a solid character you can root for, and despite feeling that FBI agent Rachel Walling is never really given enough depth to be a real ‘partner’, the novel works for me. Can’t wait for that day , sometime in the future , when Jack McEvoy and Renée Ballard find themselves on the same case.
Michael Connelly could teach Dan Brown ten thousand things about how to write a technology thriller. The Scarecrow deals with a lot of the same kinds of technological encryption and security issues that some of Dan Browns books do but it does it in a believable manner. One that actually makes sense — and is completely absent of hot silicon fireballs.
This is the second book featuring Jack MacAvoy, the journalist who featured in The Poet. As with the previous book I entered into it with a great deal of skepticism about the premise. A journalist as the cover for a super hero is just fine but a journalist trying to get the scoop on the latest serial killer story couldn’t possibly be interesting unless it throws reality to the wind. Throwing reality to the wind can work under some circumstances but when I’m reading a mystery I expect it to at least be real enough to fool me.
I am happy to say that The Scarecrow was not only realistic enough to keep me from noticing, but it was also an edge of the seat thrill ride.
Some of Connelly’s books are better than others, that goes without saying, but I have yet to find one that wasn’t good. He’s got something figured out. There’s an obvious formula involved in his stories like most crime fiction. The trick is in Connelly’s proficiency with his authorial sleight of hand. He pulls off the formula so smoothly and quickly, twisting and tweaking it in each book so that I don’t see it until after the book is over. At that point, it doesn’t matter anymore.
In The Scarecrow Jack loses his job, he has two weeks to clean out his desk and go home. In a last effort to stick it to the man he sets out to write what he thinks will be a Pullitzer Prize winning article about a young gangster falsely accused of murder. What he finds is a trail of bodies halfway across the United States, each one with a falsely accused suspect, each one fitting the same modus operandi.
The FBI gets involved and Jack gets shoved into the middle of an investigation into the coldest, smartest criminal mind in the last century at least.
The Scarecrow is gripping, thrilling, exciting, powerful and at times terrifying. In short it’s just another Michael Connelly novel.
This is the second book featuring Jack MacAvoy, the journalist who featured in The Poet. As with the previous book I entered into it with a great deal of skepticism about the premise. A journalist as the cover for a super hero is just fine but a journalist trying to get the scoop on the latest serial killer story couldn’t possibly be interesting unless it throws reality to the wind. Throwing reality to the wind can work under some circumstances but when I’m reading a mystery I expect it to at least be real enough to fool me.
I am happy to say that The Scarecrow was not only realistic enough to keep me from noticing, but it was also an edge of the seat thrill ride.
Some of Connelly’s books are better than others, that goes without saying, but I have yet to find one that wasn’t good. He’s got something figured out. There’s an obvious formula involved in his stories like most crime fiction. The trick is in Connelly’s proficiency with his authorial sleight of hand. He pulls off the formula so smoothly and quickly, twisting and tweaking it in each book so that I don’t see it until after the book is over. At that point, it doesn’t matter anymore.
In The Scarecrow Jack loses his job, he has two weeks to clean out his desk and go home. In a last effort to stick it to the man he sets out to write what he thinks will be a Pullitzer Prize winning article about a young gangster falsely accused of murder. What he finds is a trail of bodies halfway across the United States, each one with a falsely accused suspect, each one fitting the same modus operandi.
The FBI gets involved and Jack gets shoved into the middle of an investigation into the coldest, smartest criminal mind in the last century at least.
The Scarecrow is gripping, thrilling, exciting, powerful and at times terrifying. In short it’s just another Michael Connelly novel.
Serial-killer thrillers are by nature formulaic: Cop/FBI agent/psychologist/ reporter tracks a ruthless killer, hoping to stop him before he kills again. There’s nothing wrong with the formula — plenty of entertaining books follow this framework.
What separates mundane thrillers from the good ones are the plot, the characters and the pacing. Particularly the pacing, which Michael Connelly has down cold.
In this thriller, a reporter and an FBI agent are tracking down a serial killer who operates out of an Internet "server farm" where he has access to all sorts of data (this is introduced in the first few pages, and is very scary when you think about it). The story bounces back and forth between Jack McEvoy and "The Scarecrow," who's one step ahead until the very end.
Plot: Engrossing. Characters: Engaging. Pacing: Roller coaster. Three out of three, which makes “The Scarecrow” a perfect summer vacation read.
What separates mundane thrillers from the good ones are the plot, the characters and the pacing. Particularly the pacing, which Michael Connelly has down cold.
In this thriller, a reporter and an FBI agent are tracking down a serial killer who operates out of an Internet "server farm" where he has access to all sorts of data (this is introduced in the first few pages, and is very scary when you think about it). The story bounces back and forth between Jack McEvoy and "The Scarecrow," who's one step ahead until the very end.
Plot: Engrossing. Characters: Engaging. Pacing: Roller coaster. Three out of three, which makes “The Scarecrow” a perfect summer vacation read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Jack McEvoy may be 4th string in terms of Connelly characters after Bosch, Ballard, and Haller, but he is still a good protagonist to build a serial killer story around. I enjoyed this quite a bit, and I'm pleased to hear there will be another McEvoy book coming out next year.
It's a good thing Connelly writes really quickly. LOVE his books, characters, style of writing and stay up until the wee hours devoring them. I had missed this one when it was published. Now need to wait for the next Harry Bosch or Lincoln Lawyer book. Sigh.
It just didn’t hook me like “The Poet”. I just didn’t care about the characters enough to keep reading.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am so glad my Goodreads friend introduced me to Michael Connelly. Even though this is only the second book I have read by him, I love his characters and his carefully-thought-out mysteries. Now that I have read both Jack McEvoy books, I look forward to starting the Harry Bosch series.
This is a reliable author. His books are good, his stories tight, his characters likeable.
This is a reliable author. His books are good, his stories tight, his characters likeable.