Reviews

Blood Work by Michael Connelly

scott_a_miller's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

5 Stars. Awesome read! Connelly has officially filled the shoes of Robert B. Parker for me. He’s just that good. I never even knew this series existed, just finding it trying to read the Bosch Universe in order. Going to have to give the movie a shot, too. 

 

This was as good of a mystery that I have encountered. Great characters and it held until the right time. I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong. I’m actually glad that I was. Definitely looking forward to the two in the series left. Thank you, Michael Connelly.

jpuckey36's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

essie_may's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

d_audy's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

gailm's review against another edition

5.0

Really enjoyed this book.

judithdcollins's review

4.0

Really liked this book! (Terry McCaleb Series). I missed the movie with Clint Eastwood (my favorite actor), so plan on viewing it as well! When Graciella Rivers steps onto his boat, ex-FBI agent Terrell McCaleb has no idea he's about to come out of retirement. He's recuperating from a heart transplant and avoiding anything stressful. But when Graciella tells him the way her sister Gloria was murdered, it leaves Terry no choice. Now the man with the new heart vows to take down a predator without a soul. For Gloria's killer shatters every rule that McCaleb ever learned in his years with the Bureau--as McCaleb gets no more second chances at life...and just one shot at the truth.

charlotterobinson's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Not his best but still enjoyable, caught the twist fairly early on which isn’t normally the case with Connelly’s books.

retiredlibrarylady's review

4.0

The start of Connelly's books about McCaleb. More than a touch unbelievable, but still, as with all of his books, entirely readable.

steffanie406's review

1.0

Let me preface this by saying I’m a loyal Connelly fan, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Bosch series, Lincoln Lawyer series, and even the one-off books like Void Moon. However, I had a lot of problems with Blood Work. Terry McCaleb is the protagonist, and he’s an ex-FBI agent who just had a heart transplant. He supposedly has a reputation for his brilliance, although his actions throughout the book really undermine that claim. Terry is approached by the sister of a murder victim, who asks him to solve the open case. Turns out, this victim is the source of Terry’s donor heart. The premise sounds compelling enough, but the rest of the book was a huge let down.

Terry is incredibly unsympathetic as a main character. He’s hot headed, impulsive, and selfish; but we don’t get enough of his background to understand why he acts this way, so he comes across as very unlikeable. He directly defies his doctors instructions, and even bullies her throughout the book. He leaps to conclusions, gets angry easily and lashes out at people who are on his side, and he treats his neighbor (who does him favors all through the book) with condescension and barely even acknowledges him as a person. I found myself beginning to actively loathe him by the end of the book.

The plot also has serious problems. The clues to the identity of the murderer are very obvious, which I was surprised by since Connelly usually has me fooled until the big reveal. I found myself skipping pages just trying to get past the filler, only to find that I was right in my suspicions while it took genius Terry McCaleb ages to put the pieces together. Furthermore, it’s also obvious that Connelly’s research into organ donation/transplant care was superficial at best.

If you’re reading through the Bosch series and feel compelled to read this book to understand future events (A Darkness More Than Night also features Terry McCaleb, unfortunately) I think just reading the plot summary on Wikipedia is good enough. Overall this book was a huge miss for me, and I was very disappointed I spent my money on it.

msarendt's review

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75