The Poet

Wow ,this a remarkable tale, kept on thev edge of my chairc, through each chapter!!!! I am hooked, on to the next story !!

The story has many twists and turns which kept me guessing. Best of all were the characters and how human emotions played into the plot. Even the ending leaves won wondering what comes next.

Got hooked on first book I read of his. Have read majority of his books. None has been disappointing. Well written held my interest hard to put down.

Kept me glued until the end. Do not start reading unless you have the time to finish the novel. The end will flip you.

The level of suspense in Edgar Award-winning Michael Connelly's riveting whodunit, "The Poet," is so intense that even though I read the thriller's sequel, "The Narrows," first and therefore knew some of the more important aspects of the plot, including the identity of the serial murderer, I was still caught off guard and surprised throughout the novel. I do suggest, however, that one read the books in order for maximum enjoyment - although both are easily 5 Star reads.The opening lines, from the mouth, (or mind), of protagonist Jack McEvoy, are knock-outs. And the quality of prose only gets better. "Death is my beat. I make my living from it. I forge my professional reputation on it. I treat it with the passion and precision of an undertaker - somber and sympathetic about it when I'm with the bereaved, a skilled craftsman with it when I am alone. I've always thought the secret of dealing with death was to keep it at arm's length. That's the rule." McEvoy is the Denver Rocky Mountain News' crime reporter. Author Connelly was a crime reporter himself, and his obvious expertise when describing the investigation, along with his knowledge of police procedures and the newspaper business, lends enormous credibility to his narrative.When Jack is informed of the suicide of his twin brother, Sean, a homicide detective who was obsessed with a particularly heinous murder case, he has serious doubts that his brother was capable of taking his own life. Jack breaks his own rule. How can he keep his twin's death at arm's length? He begins to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death on his own, and discovers that Sean was murdered - a murder ingeniously disguised as a suicide. His research also brings to light several similar "apparent" suicides by homicide detectives, in various US cities. All of the dead cops were deeply disturbed by exceptionally grisly cases they were working on. Also common to all the deaths are brief and cryptic suicide notes, quoting lines from some of the more obscure writings of Edgar Allen Poe. Cases in Chicago, Baltimore, Dallas, New Mexico and Florida are eventually reopened. Jack continues to follow his leads, and to protect his sources, until the FBI discovers what he has uncovered and puts an end to his detecting. Obviously, they want to take over - these are federal crimes, after all, and Jack is a journalist. McEvoy threatens to print the story, which is his right - but would give the killer a heads-up. However an agreement is struck that Jack will temporarily sit on the scoop if the feds allow him to sit-in on the case. Thus, an unlikely team is forged. Several members of the FBI's Behavioral Science Section, and one Denver reporter, race against the clock to track the killer(s) and prevent the next murder(s).This is one scary, chilling thriller. Add Poe's writing to this unnerving mix, and I'd advise you to read during daylight hours, or keep all the lights on in the evening. If you are squeamish, this may not be the book for you, as it deals with mutilation, child molestation and pedophilia.Connelly is an excellent writer and his characters are every bit as compelling, complex and convincing as his narrative. The psychological aspects behind the motivations of many of these personages are just plain fascinating. To me Thomas Harris' "Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon" are the best books I have every read in this particular category/genre. I have yet to read anything which induces the terror evoked by these two novels. This one comes close.JANA

Written in 1996, it is an excellent example of Michael Connelly’s original writing style, when he created complex characters and well developed and complex stories. I suspect this was a labor of love. Most of the Connelly books are 400-ish pages long. At 640 pages, it seems like he just could not stop himself. He no more than kills off the psycho killer they have been hunting for in the first 496 pages, than a even more diabolically evil psychopath, who has been hiding in plain sight, emerges. I usually don‘t like 640 page mysteries, but the Poet kept me reading and kept me interested.

The story is literally all over the map, and the details leak out one by one. What originally created the Poet is not so clear cut, but that might be what holds the story together. It’s a very nice read.

I come to the detective genre with hesitation. Im skeptical of white knights and this shows in my reading. I find them boring and predictable and highly overdone in fiction, both novels and movies. Another catch is that they often turn into series of tremendous length and i didnt want to sink the money into it. But, some of the best writing is in this genre and i cant really investigate Noir without at least trying it. So i eased myself into it.Now i know what youre thinking, "this isnt a detective novel." Not necesarily, it lands the same patterns and story beats, they just change the main characters profession. But really, everything else is identical.First impression, impressive. Really. Jack as a main character isnt terribly intriguing, but he has enough wit and smarts to keep me interested. I also sympathized with him, his personal demons were relatable. A cricial component to any novel.The protagonist was sickening and disturbing in his presentation, but they still managed to sneak in a tragic backstory so that he doesnt seem like evil incarnate with no history, but really a victim and evetually perpetrator of his own trauma.The plot was pretty basic, what youd expect from this genre. Not boring, but expected. Its why people come to this genre. As far as the twists are, i legitimately didnt expect them. I thought for sure i knew who the killer was, but i was expertly thrown.I think a key part of the novel was what happens at the hotel, as they set the duplicity that leads to the climax. Connely creates a scenario with multiple solutions, a puzzle that is really the heart of any murder mystery, though in this case the clue is among the team. Good stuff.Pitfalls. Hero inexplicably gets the girl. Its a weird trapping that connely hasnt figured out yet. Im not mad that the MC has a romantic interest or that they end up together. More like, i never saw that moment where they connected as humans, and the emotional intensity the held never felt justified.Another problem, and this might be personal taste, is the novel rapidly lost that noir feeling of the early chapters when it started to travel. Connely made colorado feel like a dirty grungey location, perfect for murder. Than it moved to airplanes and fancy hotels, losing that sense of grit and turning it into a thriller.Anyway, great novel. Kept me guessing, kept me reeling, and most importantly, kept me turning the page. Will read the next book, and maybe some of his BOSCH novels. Im still not sold on the white knight stuff, but we shall see.

Overall, this was a good solid read that I really enjoyed from the beginning. I was drawn in from the first chapter and was excited to see how the plot of the story unfolded. It was a more unusual storyline compared to other books in the same thriller genre that I have read previously and this aspect further stimulated my interest.The book throughout had a good pace and rhythm to it, which helped keep the story moving. There were quite a few twists and turns, of which some I definitely did not see coming. I quite liked Jack McEvoy overall as a character, although I did feel he lacked a bit of depth and feeling at points. I did feel like I changed my opinion of him as the book neared its conclusion, from a character that was in shock and grief from losing his brother, to a character that felt a little shallow in his methods as a reporter to get a good scoop and headliner story. The other characters I felt were alright but provided the glue for the story to come together.Furthermore, even though I really enjoyed the read, I did feel there were a few holes in the plot and wished the book had been more conclusive, especially in revealing the motives behind the killing. The use of poetry was a great touch of intrigue, but again I wished the ending would have tied it in more to the reasons for the use of particular poetry lines for particular murders and this to have be explained and expanded on. Nevertheless, the 10th book 'The Narrows' in the Harry Bosch series also by Michael Connolly teases us with a potential sequel. I enjoyed this read so much that I have purchased this book in the hope of answers.Additionally, it was only after finishing the book that I realised it was first published in 1996. Despite this, it had no impact on my enjoyment of the book, although throughout I did wonder why they weren't checking the internet or receiving updates as frequently. It makes more sense now knowing the publication year and realising how everything technologically has changed since then.

...This is my sixth Michael Connelly book and the fifth Detective Bosch thriller. I haven't yet finished reading it but there are plenty of plot twists to keep you page turning...

Michael Connelly non sbaglia mai e suoi romanzi sono sempre intriganti e invitano ad andare avanti, pagina dopo pagina

Seems a little drawn out at times - a bit far fetchedOtherwise - a great read.

Michael Connelly’s tight informative writing