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The Scarecrow (Jack McEvoy #2)

by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 11,082 ratings · 1,140 reviews

Forced out of the Los Angeles Times amid the latest budget cuts, newspaperman Jack McEvoy decides to go out with a bang, using his final days at the paper to write the definitive murder story of his career.

He focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a 16-year-old drug dealer in jail after confessing to a brutal murder. But as he delves into the story, Jack realizes that Winslow's so-ca...more

Hardcover, 419 pages

Published May 26th 2009 by Little, Brown and Company (first published 2009)

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May 26, 2009 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't much like this. It eked out 2 stars 'cause there were moments--a good 100-page stretch in the middle--where I remained engaged, but it may squeak into "ok" territory simply out of nostalgia, a great appreciation for The Poet.

Since we've been debating/discussing genre on Eric W's group thread about fiction, I figured I might toss out a few reasons why I felt disappointed, and where I felt satisfied, to tease out something about what I think I'm getting when I pick up a mystery.

Propositio...more I didn't much like this. It eked out 2 stars 'cause there were moments--a good 100-page stretch in the middle--where I remained engaged, but it may squeak into "ok" territory simply out of nostalgia, a great appreciation for The Poet.

Since we've been debating/discussing genre on Eric W's group thread about fiction, I figured I might toss out a few reasons why I felt disappointed, and where I felt satisfied, to tease out something about what I think I'm getting when I pick up a mystery.

Proposition 1: Mysteries are about the little details that pieced properly together, or expertly excluded as irrelevant, lead to a coherent whole. I recall an old Connelly, Trunk Music I think, which had some throwaway details about the use of hemorrhoid cream to reduce swelling in the bags underneath models' eyes--and how this impact on tissue had some bearing on the plot. Where Connelly works is in the patient accrual of detail--my friend jo is reading procedurals, so I'm curious what she'd say, but I get a meta-narrative kick out of the whole thing. Reading mysteries is like untangling how stories work: the wiring exposed, the pipes connected or set off in a trash pile, and you get to the end and flip the switch, and the lightbulb goes off.

On the other hand, what I loved so much about The Poet was that all that patient accrual of detail took you in entirely the wrong direction. Without spoiling that fun, I'll suggest Proposition 2: Mysteries are about misdirection, the legerdemain that makes you think the details will piece together properly but ultimately confounds you, shows at tale's end that other pieces really mattered, and those you focused on were so much finger-waggling and scarf-waving. I tend to love Prop 1 and Prop 2 in intense dialectic; Scarecrow seemed lackluster in terms of detail, and while protagonist McEvoy gets thrown off by a red herring, we're getting the full picture in other chapters. In fact, it felt somewhat like reading a blueprint; if I like that in many mysteries I can figure out the wiring, it's absolutely no fun when the wiring is shown to me in such a heavy-handed dunderheaded fashion.

Proposition 3: Mysteries flirt with resonant traumas, anxieties, fears--personal and cultural. The stately bonhomie of the small town is peeled back to reveal corruption, lust, sin; the city's government is really conspiring against its citizens; children are at risk; terrorists circle 'round the homestead; death lurks. Etc. Connelly here pulls out a tired old foolish cultural demon (the serial killer), which seemed worn out 10 years ago, but he doesn't just play the old tune, he uses shorthand to hum a few bars, giving us a (good gravy) flashback to childhood trauma which is meant I guess to fulfill certain conventions about our understanding of that demon. He also tosses out the big scary internet (you can lose your identity! fiends and fetishists commune online!) and the death of newspapers. More on that last bit in a second, but re the others: go back to Prop 1--ideally, if you're going to trot out a cultural fear, you ground it in the kind of mundane details which convey such a rich sense of the world where readers live, to give 'em the heebie-jeebies. (Hey... Prop 3b: mysteries are actually horror stories, the uncanny sense that our worlds are dank and horrid behind the veil of everyday life.) Scarecrow's scary demons seem like shadowpuppets, banging on the wall and jumping around. More like an episode of Dateline than a truly fear-inducing thrill-ride.

Proposition 4: the particular plot--and all those details--are far less important than the exposure of systems and institutions, and how they shape (and misshape) our lives. This is where sociology, or a whiff of the old existential, can emerge as so central to the genre. For instance, what journalists and cops do is they see not just criminals, but the systems which produce crime, which reward and cover up illicit behavior--ostensibly, they see past the mere case being solved (or left ambiguously open) to deep-rooted portraits of reality, and how we live. Connelly's journalist, Jack McEvoy, seems to know things about the realities of LA, and of the LA Times. But what he knows seems surface-level to us--McEvoy confidently engages with drug dealers in Watts, but what he knows could have been learned on any episode of Law and Order: boilerplate pop sociology. After the riches of The Wire, or Lehane, Price, Pelecanos--or reach back to Himes, Hammett, MacDonald--bah. You can get away without 4 if you've got 1, or 2, I guess, but ... Connelly was really bugging the shit out of me. McEvoy's ostensible intelligence and ability seemed mostly an implicit assumption, based on the archetype, rather than any explicit illustration of his skills.

This is particularly, egregiously annoying when it comes to the death of newspapers, something about which a vet reporter like Connelly would you'd guess know quite a bit. But McEvoy simply mutters about corporate thinking, the new mojo (mobile journalist) and all their gadgets, the generally empty premise of the blogger... but never shows any worth to the old-school journalism he waxes nostalgic about. McEvoy can ask a hard question at a police press conference, but all he seems to think about is how to shape a story, as if the story is nothing but Proposition 1--which is unsettling when the hard questions he asks are ostensibly tied to Proposition 4. Connelly tempts you with social milieu and authenticity, but delivers a kind of freezedried tv dinner of such context.

I could imagine a few other Propositions--re the detective/s, re the villain/s, re tension and suspense. And, lord, with the best of 'em, you gotta talk language--hardboiled patter, the Leonardian deployment of the gerund, Chandler's thick-on-the-ground metaphors, the lush descriptions of Price, and so on.

I bet I could also take Propositions 1, 2, 3, and 4 and deploy them in most any genre, against any fiction... so maybe I'm not saying anything particular about mysteries per se. What novel isn't teasing us with 1 and/or 2? What litfic worth its salt doesn't deploy 3, and aim for 4?(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 David rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've said it before, I will say it again: it's tough to be Michael Connelly. His writing is so consistently excellent -- I'm on track to have read all of his existing novels in about 11 months -- that when he writes a book that is simply good and not spectacular, it is tempting to see it as a letdown. If you have never read a Connelly book before, and pick up this one, you will be pleased. But faithful readers will recongize that this is an average effort for Michael Connelly -- not his best wor...more I've said it before, I will say it again: it's tough to be Michael Connelly. His writing is so consistently excellent -- I'm on track to have read all of his existing novels in about 11 months -- that when he writes a book that is simply good and not spectacular, it is tempting to see it as a letdown. If you have never read a Connelly book before, and pick up this one, you will be pleased. But faithful readers will recongize that this is an average effort for Michael Connelly -- not his best work.

Jack McEvoy is back, the first book about him since "The Poet". He has just been laid off by his paper and is assigned to train his replacement. Some of the most enjoyable passages in the novel have to do with Connelly's descriptions of the newsroom. They are both nostalgic (Connelly got his start as a journalist) and cutting. He shows us both the good and the bad. McEvoy is looking to score two weeks pay and do a good story as he walks out the door forever.

From there, a plot unfolds around an initial murder. By the way, this murder is depicted from FBI Agent Rachael Walling's point of view in the short film "Conflict of Interest" on YouTube. One murder eventually leads to something that is a lot more serious. McEvoy is taken into the world of hacking, trolling and cyber-crime, eventually teaming up with his old flame, Walling.

Unfortunately, while easy to read and entertaining, the book has a by-the-numbers feel to it. It seems as though Connelly brought back McEvoy and Walling, brought in computer crime, then did some research on sexual fetishes and brought in a serial killer angle. All these parts of the book are interesting, but they don't quite fit together. The bad guys in this book, from the gang bangers to the killers, seem a bit stale. One reason Connelly is so great to read is the reality of his characters, and here, they don't seem too real.

In addition, there is a logistical issue with getting McEvoy as a journalist into all of these criminal investigations. Connelly has to resort to the same device from "The Poet" to get McEvoy involved. It was a stretch the first time, but the second time around it really seems far-fetched. If you don't believe me, call your local police department and ask if you can tag along on a few calls and get involved in some murder investigations.

All that being said, this is an entertaining book. Like watching old movies, you get the sense that a lot of this has been done before, but you can still go along for the ride and enjoy it.

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Jul 01, 2009 Teresa in Ohio rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: connelly-michael

THis book ends up being a 3.75. The actions of Jack are not what a journalist would normally do. YES some journalist go quite far to get THE STORY, but what Jack did became unbelievable at times. And Racheal is on the radar with the FBI as a rogue agent so what she does puzzles me. As for the story it is the typical serial killer, the killer was abused and that is what made him the killer he is today. It also has many typical things serial killers do, torture victims, stalk victims, and how they...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Ellen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Rave Read, November 30, 2012
By Ellen Rappaport (Florida)
This review is from: The Scarecrow (Hardcover)
Jack McEvoy is your true to life everyday reporter. Jack finds himself the victim of a lay off in the newsroom. While trying to makle his mark on the grand finale of murder cases politics in the workroom rears its ugly head. Jack not only is asked to show his replacement the ropes in the reporting business...his replacement as well as his boss take his hardwork and use it as their own. It'...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Ashland Mystery Oregon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-us-california

Michael Connelly doesn't disappoint in this 2009 Jack McEvoy thriller. McEvoy is RIF #100 in the LA Times' latest cutback, the paper responding to the economic downturn and loss of print revenue. He's angry, sure, but it's not entirely unexpected as he's not been putting out the big prize winners that he's had in the past - McEvoy uncovered The Poet, a serial killer years ago and made some money on the deal. But that was then, and now is now - a reporter's only as good as their latest headline.

W...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Rob Kitchin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Connelly is a crime writing heavyweight and thankfully, unlike some mega-sales writers, his books are generally consistently well written, plotted and entertaining. His writing is deceptively easy on the eye, honed through years of working as a crime journalist, and he draws extensively on his knowledge of the newspaper business, law enforcement and the legal system to provide, for the most part, a confident degree of realism. His dialogue is credible and his characters are well drawn. Where The...more

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May 04, 2012 James A. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Michael Connelly delivers another thrilling and interesting read in THE SCARECROW, the sequel to THE POET.

This one is not as good, but close. It is 10 years later and Reporter Jack McEvoy is at the end of the line in his job as crime reporter for the LA TIMES. Jack is the victim of the latest round of layoffs. He decides to go out with a bang, using his final days to write the definitive murder story of his career.

Jack focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a 16-year-old drug dealer in jail after confessing...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jack McEvoy is at the end of the line as a crime reporter. Forced to take a buy-out from the Los Angeles Times as the newspaper grapples with dwindling revenues, he's got only a few days left on the job. His last assignment? Training his replacement, a low-cost reporter just out of journalism school. But Jack has other plans for his exit. He is going to go out with a bang — a final story that will win the newspaper journalism's highest honor — a Pulitzer prize.
Jack focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

book on tape
one of the BEST stories i've read/listened to in a very long time. i rarely give 5 stars. (I rarely give 2 stars, too.)
terrific story line.
as an over the hill internet user, that entire universe is daunting and, at times, disconcerting.
The Scarecrow doesn't help my trepidation at all.
in fact, it just underlines my concern about on line banking, bill paying, etc.
really liked the here Jack.
it seems i prefer Connelly's more recent novels.

Jack McEvoy is at the end of the line as a crime...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Sam Quixote rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

We meet Jack McEvoy in his first outing since The Poet being fired from his journalism job as newspapers around the world lose money and make cutbacks. Deciding to make a final last ditch article that highlights all the good journalism can do he investigates a recent murder by a gang member in LA only to find it leads him onto the trail of the true murderer, a killer called The Scarecrow. "The Scarecrow" is a serial killer whose victims wind up with bags around their heads and supports on their...more We meet Jack McEvoy in his first outing since The Poet being fired from his journalism job as newspapers around the world lose money and make cutbacks. Deciding to make a final last ditch article that highlights all the good journalism can do he investigates a recent murder by a gang member in LA only to find it leads him onto the trail of the true murderer, a killer called The Scarecrow. "The Scarecrow" is a serial killer whose victims wind up with bags around their heads and supports on their legs making them resemble scarecrows. He joins Agent Rachel Walling on the chase to stop this murderer before he escapes once again.

This was my third Michael Connelly book after the brilliant two books on Mickey Haller the Lincoln Lawyer, and I found myself floundering a bit. I felt that this was the one book where my confidence in Connelly would be tested and I'd find the book to be his first dud. It starts with a lot of polemic on the failing newspaper industry and leads onto what seems to be a dull murder.

It takes a while to get going and it's not a whodunit like the previous two books where you find out in the end. Connelly makes a very interesting choice with this book by telling you straightaway who the murderer is. This is a risky choice as shown by some of the negative reviews on this site where people didn't appreciate it. In my opinion it makes for a more thrilling story as we know who the murderer is but watch the characters try to find out themselves.

While it does take a while to get going, it quickly goes from 2nd gear to 5th and stays that way until the blistering finale. The finale and the background of the killer is chilling and just imagining some of the flashbacks of the killer and the mentality behind the killings was terrifying.

There may be a number of blank pages as the action switches from McEvoy to the murderer so the book is really only about 370 pages rather than 400+ but it's still a damn fine thriller and I heartily recommend it. Forget all this "he's producing them too quickly" nonsense, he may be writing quickly at the moment but who cares when it's this good? So for me it's another hit for Connelly. (less)

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Aug 02, 2011 Jane Stewart rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery-thriller, 5-star-other

4 ½ stars. Entertaining and engaging crime solving mystery thriller (serial killer). Likeable lead characters.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
What a talented writer. I was engaged and enjoyed this all the way through – except for one minor thing close to the end which is why I gave it 4 ½ stars instead of 5 stars. It’s a logic issue. Everyone believes the serial killer is A. Then Jack sees something and concludes the killer is B. To me what Jack saw could implicate B, C, or others. I wasn’t sold on the way J...more 4 ½ stars. Entertaining and engaging crime solving mystery thriller (serial killer). Likeable lead characters.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
What a talented writer. I was engaged and enjoyed this all the way through – except for one minor thing close to the end which is why I gave it 4 ½ stars instead of 5 stars. It’s a logic issue. Everyone believes the serial killer is A. Then Jack sees something and concludes the killer is B. To me what Jack saw could implicate B, C, or others. I wasn’t sold on the way Jack assumed it was B and no one else. I also wanted more explanation about the killer’s past. How many times did he kill? Did he do things differently? Aside from that, the story was a fun escape. I liked the characters Jack and Rachel. The killer’s computer abilities and actions frightened me. Connelly is a full writer. The scenes, dialogue, build up, events - everything is done fully. He shows. He doesn’t tell the way weak writers do.

There was a scene I loved. It’s one of the reasons I liked Jack so much. He and Rachel both lost their jobs. He jokingly suggests they form a private investigating firm called Walling and McEvoy. She smiles and says something about him putting her name first. He says “I’ll always place you first Rachel, always.” (**sigh**)

OTHER BOOKS:
I like Connelly’s Mickey Haller and Jack McEvoy series because I like and/or admire at least a few different characters (leads plus supporting characters). As I was writing this review I was a fourth of the way into Connelly’s first Harry Bosch novel. I’m not enjoying that story as much because too many people are mean, unpleasant, and unlikeable: his boss, other cops, internal affairs, the FBI. I don’t want to spend a lot of time watching meanness. I’m fine watching bad guys being mean, but not all the other supporting characters.

NARRATOR:
The narrator Peter Giles was good. He had a slight accent but I didn’t mind it. It reminded me of teenage-surfer-dude-valley-speak trying to sound grown-up. He was pleasant to listen to but the “valley-speak” didn’t fit middle-aged crime reporter Jack. It wasn’t bad – it just wasn’t the best fit. The book is told in first person from Jack’s point of view and third person for others.

STORY BRIEF:
A dead woman is found in the trunk of a car. She was sexually tortured and suffocated with a plastic bag over her head. A teenage gang member stole the car and drove it to another location before he opened the trunk. He ran off, but the police arrest him due to his fingerprints. Jack is a reporter for the Times. He has just been laid off and given two weeks’ notice. The Times replaced him with Angela a recent college graduate and asked him to train her. Together they investigate the murder.

The killer is a computer genius who discovers Angela and Jack investigating. He gets into their email accounts, puts spyware on Angela’s computer, cancels Jack’s credit cards, and other things.

DATA:
Unabridged audiobook length: 11 hrs and 16 mins. Narrator: Peter Giles. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: none. Sex scenes: one, told not shown. Setting: 2009 Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. Book copyright: 2009. Genre: crime mystery thriller.(less)

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May 22, 2011 Sidna Bookout rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is Connelly's second book about crime reporter Jack McEnvoy. In the first book he was a reporter for a newspaper in Boulder, CO, but he worked on a case that took him to LA. When this book opens, he has been in LA for several years and has the murder beat for the LA Times, but he is about to be laid off due to staff cuts. To add insult to injury, he has two weeks to train his replacement.

Connelly likes to link major characters from his books. In the first book where Jack was the main charac...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers

Comment: I enjoy Michael Connelly's books, and this is no exception to that rule. I've read each and everyone of the Harry Bosch series novels, and of course, Mickey Haller, and Jack McEvoy as well.

Synopsis: Jack McEvoy, ace newspaper reporter, and Rachel Walling, FBI Special Agent and some time consort of Harry Bosch, are the driving forces on the side of good in this sterling read. Connelly created a special antagonist in an earlier novel, The Poet.

Three issues weave their ways through the n...more Comment: I enjoy Michael Connelly's books, and this is no exception to that rule. I've read each and everyone of the Harry Bosch series novels, and of course, Mickey Haller, and Jack McEvoy as well.

Synopsis: Jack McEvoy, ace newspaper reporter, and Rachel Walling, FBI Special Agent and some time consort of Harry Bosch, are the driving forces on the side of good in this sterling read. Connelly created a special antagonist in an earlier novel, The Poet.

Three issues weave their ways through the novel. The main plot centers on the murders committed by someone who comes to be known as the Scarecrow Wesley Carver. He has a special way of killing, of course, but the police have not yet connected the dots; they have settled for the expedient solution. Computers figure heavily into the crimes as they provide a means of identifying potential victims. The problem is much more than a simple worm embedded into someone's computer, but it a very real concern both within the plot and in reality. A major plot device revolves around the newspaper business and the difficulties it is encountering even in real life. The face of this decline is Jack McEvoy who had won a Pulitzer for his reporting on The Poet. Now, he is number 99 in a planned reduction in force of 100 employees of the Los Angeles Times. Ironically, the fictional Rocky Mountain News that Jack worked for in The Poet has shut down in real life after 150 years.

Jack has only 2 weeks before he is RIFFED when he receives a telephone call from the mother of a juvenile gang banger who is supposed to have confessed to killing a young woman. She says he is innocent. Jack does not believe her, but he senses the possibility of a very nice "going-away" story, one that will say to the bosses, "You made a big mistake letting me go." A very small bit of investigation convinces Jack that the juvenile, while clearly a criminal, is innocent of this charge. His further investigation brings him back in touch with Rachel, his former lover, whom the FBI had relegated to a backwater office. She has just rehabilitated herself and is now back in the mainstream of the agency. However, her participation with Jack creates new problems, resulting in her suspension and resignation.

Will Jack save his job? Will Rachel save hers? Will the Scarecrow be caught? It takes only two pages to learn that Wesley Carver is the metaphorical scarecrow who minds the rows of "crops," banks of servers on a computer farm. Normally, this would be the good guy who ensures that data remain safe, but we learn right away that he crushes and destroys anyone who attempts to breech his security net. Is he the Scarecrow of the title or just a symbol? The final answer to that question is not delivered until near the end. Our journey to these revelations makes for a book that simply begs to be read and enjoyed as quickly as possible.
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Nov 22, 2010 Vershal Hogan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While the story itself was compelling enough to keep me reading the book, the plot of "The Scarecrow" relies heavily on two cliches that 1990s thriller films played into the ground: that a really smart hacker can do ANYTHING and always be ahead of everyone on his trail, and that serial killers leave behind esoteric clues that ultimately lead to their identification and downfall.

Connelly borrows heavily from the hacker cliche, but manages to hatch a plot that is readable and -- while not entirel...more

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Nov 19, 2010 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Michael Connelly- The Scarecrow (Grand Central Publishing 2008) 3.75 Stars

Jack McEvoy has cracked many a case wide open with his journalistic prowess, but now he finds himself being laid off for making too much money. Wanting to go out with a bang he digs into the case of Alonzo Winslow, a young punk who says he is being wrongly accused of murder, yet he has confessed. McEvoy must figure out just what Alonzo confessed to and in the process he discovers a connection to an identical murder in Las...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Richard Thompson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

I am a big fan of Connelly’s work and I actually purchased this book from amazon.ca as a pre-order when it first came out. When it arrived and I saw that the bad guy was a serial killer I kicked myself for not reading the blurb more carefully and promptly gave the book away — I usually avoid the serial killer genre. (THE POET which I gather features the same two protagonists, journalist Jack McEvoy and FBI agent Rachel Walling — was also “featured” a super clever serial killer, and it is the onl...more

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Apr 22, 2010 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book started out with Jack Mcevoy getting laid off from his job as a reporter for the LA times. The setting is LA. Jack is the protagonist. Jack has to train the girl thats taking over his job. Jack decides to write one last unforgetable story before he leaves, so he finds a trunk murder that had recently happened and decides he can investigate and prove the kid, Alonzo, guilty as his last story. He later realizes that the kid might be innocent when he finds out about other similar murders...more

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Apr 02, 2010 T. Edmund rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Scarecrow combines the depraved sexuality of serial killer novels with the paranoia inducing cyber-stalking theme of movies such as The Net or Eagle Eye.

The story begins with a brief insight into the killers world, and the seemingly unrelated plotline of a recently sacked journalist investigating a case of false murder accusation. The pace starts slow, which isn't too bad, we get to know our hero well and as the plot develops we really get the sense of panic as the killer closes in on our j...more

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Mar 27, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Jack's had a bad day. He's been let go from his position at the LA Times, chewed out by an infuriated mother/grandmother, extorted by a gang member, usurped by a fledgling young reporter, and now he finds himself at the center of a brutal murder investigation.

I found this story entertaining and engaging. What I really loved was the narrator Peter Giles. He really brought the characters to life in a way that I had not experienced previously with other audiobooks. He has a flair for voices, and th...more

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Feb 23, 2010 Erin Felder rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As many know, I love any novel by Michael Connelly, so this review is going to be a biased one, but not to the point of being irrelevant.

The Scarecrow was actually the first novel of Michael Connelly's that took me a while to get into. In the past I have been hooked on the first page, ripping through his well crafted scenes, absorbing his frightening characters to the point of sleepless nights. But in The Scarecrow, I found myself on page 50, wondering out loud when this was going to get going!

I...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

I love a good serial killer/thriller/techie book every now and then, and this adult audiobook helped me drive to Florida over break! Even my daughter was listening to it, and I was a little worried that I was corrupting her with the swear words and violence. I guess it's not any worse than Star Wars and Harry Potter, right?

Jack McEvoy just got pink slipped from the LA Times as a crime reporter and he hopes to go out with a bang. He innocently starts researching a inner city kid accused of murder...more

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Nov 06, 2009 Men D. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After the first hundred pages I was ready to throw the book down and type in my GoodReads evaluation, which would have been, "This book offends every single one of my sensibilities."

I'm glad I finished the book. Although I believe it continues to offend about 45% of my sensibilities, mostly those re: politics and justice, specifically my unease about simplistic retributive vigilantism and absolute ideas about evil, I found myself totally riveted after page 101 and flipping pages like my life dep...more

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Oct 18, 2009 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series, thriller

The Scarecrow is the tightly written story of reporter Jack McEvoy and FBI Special Agent Rachel Walling searching for a new serial killer, who they call the UnSub, for Unknown Subject. For Jack, finishing out his last two weeks at the Los Angeles Times before being downsized, it could be the second amazing story of his career. What better way to go out than on a high note? When he calls his former lover, Rachel, whom he hasn't seen in ten years looking for information, her sixth sense tells her...more

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Oct 07, 2009 Sandie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thrillers-and-mystery, 2009-books

THE SCARECROW is a two-fold story. The first part takes us into the mind and modus opperandi of a serial killer, while the second takes us into the personal and professional life of Jack McEvoy, crime reporter for the L.A. Times, and the impending demise of not only his job but newspaper business as we know it. The culprit aiding and abetting in both instances is the internet.

Michael Connelly’s story reads like it was taken from the nightly news report. The killer identifies and tracks his victi...more

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Sep 05, 2009 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This one lives up to Michael Connelly's reputation for being able to write an authoritative and exciting page-turner. Thoroughly grounded in vivid and trustworthy detail, this is about yet another serial killer who has murdered untold numbers of beautiful young women and who has flown beneath police radar for years. Hero reporter Jack McEvoy quickly figures out that he exists, while the killer simultaneously figures out that McEvoy is on to him. Each hunts the other with no letup of tension. The...more

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Aug 20, 2009 Chuck rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm not a crime novel nut -- the last book I read in that genre was probably Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. But I was attracted to The Scarecrow because it was written by a former newspaper reporter, and the novel's reporter-protagonist has just received his RIF ("reduction in force" notice) -- I thought this might give me some insight into my brother's situation, since he an accomplished journalist whose long career is now hanging by a thread on a once-distinguished paper whose corporate pa...more

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Jul 23, 2009 Debi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finished The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly late last night, a good thriller. Connelly's history as a newspaper crime reporter lends great authenticity to the story. Jack McEvoy, the protagonist, (seen earlier in the Poet & The Narrows) is pink slipped due to downsizing by LA Times. He wants to go out in a blaze of glory so writes a story about a wrongfully accused young gang-banger of murder and rape. I'll admit some of the scenes are sadistic and scary, so be aware. McEvoy calls Rachael W...more

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Jul 09, 2009 Nicky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Every few years I go through a thriller phase - I can't get enough of the pulpy stuff that authors like Grisham and Dan Brown churn out. The matchmaking feature on my Kindle thought I might enjoy The Scarecrow (still not sure why), so I took the bait, and now I'm prepping myself for a summer full of legal and newspaper-centric thrillers.
I guess I like these sort of books because they don't require anything from me - they're entertaining and procedural, they provide a glimpse into life as an inv...more

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Jul 09, 2009 Katy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Jul 08, 2009 LJ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: california, contemporary_post_1945, journalist, male_author, mystery, so_cal_la, unlicensed_investigator

First Sentence: Carver paced in the control room, watching over the front forty.

Jack McEvoy, the reporter from “The Poet” is now working for the LA Times. At least for now: he just received his pink slip.

He receives a call from an older black woman claiming the piece he wrote about her son/grandson having killed a woman and leaving her in the trunk of her car was false; her Alonzo is innocent. Following up with the woman and the boy’s attorney, McEvoy begins to believe she’s right, particularly...more

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About Michael Connelly

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teache...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with 18 more novels.
Connelly's books have been translated in 35 languages and have won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), and Premio Bancarella Award (Italy).
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael was one of the creators, writers, and consulting producers of Level 9, a TV show about a task force fighting cyber crime, that ran on UPN in the Fall of 2000.
Michael lives with his family in Florida.

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The Brass Verdict (Harry Bosch, #14; Mickey Haller, #2)

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“There were a billion lights out there on the horizon and I knew that all of them put together weren't enough to light the darkness in the hearts of some men.” — 14 people liked it

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The Scarecrow (Jack McEvoy #2)

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