Sign in with FacebookSam Quixote's Reviews > The Scarecrow
The Scarecrow (Jack McEvoy, #2)
by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)
by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)
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.
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.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read The Scarecrow.
sign in »
