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Oct 16, 2009

Kemper rated it:

Oh, mid-‘90s, how quaint you seem in this book published in ‘96 with your dial-up internet connections, faxes, pagers, landline phones, and new-fangled digital cameras. It’s like we were all Amish as we walked around in our flannel shirts and work boots.

Perhaps the thing dating this the most is the idea that The Rocky Mountain News editors’ biggest concern is that they’ll get scooped by another newspaper in the fast paced world of print journalism, and not that their entire indust More...

0 comments like (23 people liked it)

Dec 29, 2011

Dolphe rated it:

"The Poet" shows that Michael Connelly is certainly a very capable writer. The first half of the book is an incredibly interesting read despite some elements you can see coming a mile away. That may be intentional -- a nod to the Miss Marple in all of us who exclaim "AHA, skullduggery afoot!". The twists and turns of the story are handled expertly enough, yet the second half of the book still falls apart. Much of that is due to the odd murder scenario which seems to belong mo More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 03, 2009

Georg rated it:

I really liked this book. It has a strong beginning and a lot of credible characters. What I liked most was the fact that it seemed to end on page 450. I thought: Ok, not a bad solution, but a bit obvious. But then I noticed there were still 100 pages to go. Finally I realized the end was not the end, but only a fake end, and then the "real story" was about to begin. Very strong and surprising until the very last page.

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Dec 28, 2007

Jen rated it:

When reporter Jack McEvoy learns his twin brother, a police detective, has committed suicide, he starts to notice some "hoaky" details. Those details soon lead him to discover that Sean's death was only made to look like a suicide - in reality it was murder, part of a nation-wide serial spree by a Poe-quoting killer. Jack sets off to find his brother's killer and the story of a lifetime.

I was convinced that Connelly was going to let me down on this book. It was getting t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 09, 2007

Jack rated it:

There are a lot lot of serial killer novels out there. Michael Connelly's "The Poet" rests a cut above much of the slasher genre. "Poet" tells the story of Jack McEvoy, a crime reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, in Denver. His twin brother Sean, a homicide detective for the Denver police has just committed suicide, despondent over his inability to solve a grisly murder.

Connelly crafts his story with quiet force - in the hearse traveling to the funeral with More...

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Mar 23, 2011

Randy rated it:

In catching up on some Connelly I'd missed, I came across this, what I believe is the first of the McEvoy novels. Mid stream, I turned to my wife and confessed that I was taking it slow because this book, was candy. Connelly is a great writer, a great character sketcher and this book bears testament to that. What it doesn't bear testament to is the sensible finishes that Connelly generally includes. I don't mean that you're left with unfinished business, just that by the time I hit the end of th More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 08, 2008

Tracy rated it:

This review is for the abridged audio cassette version of the book. You don't need another description of the plot, because you can find it in multiple reviews already.

This was a good read (listen). Abridging the novel to approx. 3 hours was a bit severe - there were quite a few jumps in "detection" that were probably explained more believably in the book.

I can see how this has the potential to be pretty creepy in its full figure.

The reader was More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 17, 2008

Amiee rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 04, 2008

Bill rated it:

For years I've been following Susan Dennis' mystery reviews website.
It was through there that I had first heard of Michael Connelly. His Heironymous Bosch series is excellent and I urge you to read them, starting with Black Echo.
Now, The Poet is a departure from this series, this time the lead character is a crime reporter (Connelly's profession; write what you know, right?). This novel is about a killer who leaves clues referring to Edgar Allan Poe. There's also an extremely creepy More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 03, 2008

Ron rated it:

He's my favorite mystery/thriller writer. His most featured protagonist, Harry Bosch, is the most human of lead characters in this genre; less video-game like mow-'em-down violence, more cerebral of an approach.

This is a compelling drama: the search is on for a vicious killer who leaves poetic clues behind. A lot of twists and turns. High energy unfolding.

I won't give away anything. The only caveat I have, which I have with a lot in this genre, is that endings can have to More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 09, 2011

Bambola rated it:

Woah, I guess I should have expected a massive plot kick at the end but this one really took me by surprise. He is such a good writer. Wish Goodreads allowed 4 1/2 stars!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 16, 2012

Richard rated it:

Rating: 3.5 very pleased stars of five

Connelly's Harry Bosch series will either make you want to read this book, or run from it. I liked the Harry Bosch mysteries well enough, but I really respond more to Jack McEvoy, Denver journalist and crusader for the rights of victims of crime.

This is the first appearance by McEvoy. He's hot on the trail of a cop-killer, one whose talent for murder makes him able to turn a crime scene into a suicide scene. Jack's brother, a homicide cop More...

5 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jul 31, 2011

Jane rated it:

5 stars for the book. Excellent mystery suspense. I didn’t want to stop reading. 2 stars for the “narrator” of the audiobook.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This is wonderful. I never wanted to stop reading (listening). I was engaged all the way through. The minute I finished the book I purchased the sequel, because I wanted to keep going with more about Jack. I understand Jack is a minor character in some other books, but only one sequel has him as the main character (The Scarecrow) More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 13, 2011

Tony rated it:

One of the more disturbing and occasionally creepy of Connelly's crime novels, this one introduces reporter Jack McEvoy and FBI agent Rachel Walling, both of whom will return in later books, even meeting up with Connelly's mainstay character Detective Harry Bosch. In the present work, McEvoy tries to come to grips with the apparent suicide of his twin brother, a Denver detective who was investigating a horrific murder. It leads him to delve into nationwide police suicides where he begins to find More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 01, 2011

CJ rated it:

One of the best I've read of Connelly's suspense thrillers. This is not a Harry Bosch novel, but one featuring both Bosch's sometimes FBI girlfriend Rachel Walling and recurring reporter Jack McEvoy. The suspense sizzles from beginning to end and it is not without Connelly's typical plot twists and surprises either. McEvoy is a likable character who is struggling with the supposed suicide of his twin brother and determined to get to the bottom of it. He does, but in the process exposes himself a More...

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Nov 15, 2010

Zen rated it:

"The Poet is 100% Brilliant - a Crime Fiction Masterpiece"

"The Poet" is a Stunning and Suspenseful Psychological Thriller

Jack McEvoy is a crime reporter working for the Rocky Mountain News. His only brother is a homicide detective, that committed suicide, because of depression from a traumatizing case. In hot pursuit of the truth, relating to his brother's death, Jack becomes involved in a stellar pursuit of a killer called "The Poet".
More...

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Oct 04, 2010

Jenn rated it:

I did not enjoy this book. The early Bosch novels feel like they're powered mostly by mystery and by the main character's need to solve all of these crimes. This book -- well, its main character is a reporter whose brother was a police officer. After said twin brother commits suicide, the main character, Jack McEvoy, gets suspicious of the circumstances and ends up launching a nationwide investigation into a serial killer. THAT ALONE would have been fascinating and an intriguing story to follow More...

5 comments like

Sep 20, 2010

Sheila rated it:

The first Michael Connelly book I read was the Black Echo, starring Harry Bosch. My husband moved swiftly on to Black Ice, Concrete Blonde and beyond, but I stalled on book one—not that I didn’t enjoy it; it just felt too long and hard to follow as I read between tasks during the day. Blood Work was good, but I still wasn’t hooked. But now The Poet has won. I shall be raiding my husband’s bookshelves for months to come, catching up on all I’ve missed.

The fact that Stephen King wrote More...

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Aug 09, 2010

Tim rated it:

I am undoubtedly a Michael Connelly fan, however I have tended to read the books out of sequence so references to the poet didn't mean a whole lot before.

I have greatly enjoyed his books but few have lived up entirely to the promise of the first one I read "Chasing the Dime". That is until I read this one, it is vintage Connelly, providing lots of detail and imagery and getting you thinking that you know where it's going, even having the characters agree with you th More...

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Jul 04, 2010

Jerry rated it:

Fine standalone police thriller -- but one too many endings!

Our book club recently introduced ourselves to Michael Connelly with his (non-Harry Bosch) great crime thriller "Void Moon", so we've been busy catching up on some of his earlier work, including this also non-series novel "The Poet". While it takes a little background work to lay out the premise, we do get hooked hard and then it's off to the races to see what happens. When Denver reporter Jack McEvoy get More...

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May 15, 2010

Tony rated it:

Michael Connelly- The Poet (Warner Books 2004) 3.75 Stars

Jack McEvoy has a comfortable position in the newspaper he works for. He gets to cover death and picks his own stories. Suddenly police brother dies and it is ruled suicide, but that just doesn’t add up for Jack. Now he is choosing to write a story about police deaths, which means he can investigate the circumstances around his brother’s death. He quickly discovers that his suspicions were actually fact, his brother was murdere More...

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Jan 24, 2010

Smush rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jan 09, 2010

J rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jul 21, 2009

Michael rated it:

My love affair with Michael Connelly ends.

The plot leaves so many threads unresolved that it feels like Connelly just cheated. I usually don't notice things like this, so it must be pretty egregious.

Whatever speaks to me about Harry Bosch, Jack McEvoy ain't got it. I think the Bosch books work better because the mysteries are so intertwined with Bosch's experiences. There's an attempt to set up the same situation here with McEvoy's sister, but it fell flat for me.
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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 19, 2009

Kayeb rated it:

I will look for more books by this author. This book was compelling. The ending was very unexpected to me, and even going back to review left me not see the clues as to the end. I enjoyed his writing style, and his character development is the kind I enjoy. We don;t get a lot of the idle thoughts, but rather more the "big" questions, that are woven in naturally with out seeming out of context. I still enjoy these books for the way life questions, ethical dilemnas, questions of pur More...

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May 12, 2009

Mom rated it:

I was reading the Harry Bosch series when I noted that he has several series characters who intersected in some novels. I therefore took a time out to read this book which introduced Jack McEvoy. This is an excellent mystery and got my hopes up with his tight plot and character development. However, when he reappears in A Darkness More than Night it is both a bit part and one unworthy of him I have lost interest in following the parallel series. Harry Bosch maintains my interest...so far.
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Nov 06, 2010

Dana rated it:

Jack McEvoy is a journalist based in Denver. He is able to pick the stories he works on, which are usually murder stories in more depth. His next story is the story of his brother's suicide. Sean McEvoy was a cop and his suicide is thought to be because of a particularly troubling murder case Sean couldn't solve.

Jack starts to research policemen's suicides and comes up with the troubling coincidence of deaths very similar to his brother's right down to the detail of a Edgar Allan Poe q More...

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Jan 07, 2010

Dave rated it:

Connelly affords yet another point of view on serial killers with protagonist Jack McEvoy, a crime beat journalist ("Death is my beat") for a Colorado regional newspaper who is also the twin brother of murdered homicide detective whose killing was made to look like a suicide. This story involved more macabre and potentially disgusting details than some of Connelly's other crime/mystery/suspense stories, so some readers might prefer to skim those scenes or even avoid this book if they More...

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Apr 13, 2011

Gina rated it:

From the very first sentence Michael Connelly hooks the reader into Jack McEvoy's dark world. A newspaper reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, McEvoy has chased after death and written numerous articles dealing with not only the victim's story but the survivor's as well. How do you feel, one of his first line of inquiries when chasing a story, has now settled around him like a thick, wool blanket rubbing against bare skin when news of his twin brother's death reaches him.

Marred by a More...

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Sep 17, 2010

F.R. rated it:

This is undeniably an efficient thriller, albeit one that uses far too many huge red herrings. Thrillers are of course supposed to use red herrings to confuse and distract, but the ones in this novel stand on top of a piano, dressing in neon lights, singing “Red Herrings are here again!” Okay, they don’t give away who actually dunnit, but it’s perfectly clear that they are not the answer to the puzzle.

A journalist investigates the suicide of his brother and discovers there’s a serial More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)