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The Poet | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Connelly
Publisher: Orion
Category: Book
List Price: £6.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £6.98 (100%)
New (51) Used (133) from £0.01
Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 10024
Media: Paperback
Edition: Re-issue
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.5
ISBN: 0752809261
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780752809267
ASIN: 0752809261
Publication Date: May 6, 1997
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...
Meeting Evil Face-to-Face September 10, 2008
Donald Mitchell (Boston)
Jack McEvoy is a crime-beat reporter in Denver whose twin brother, Sean McEvoy, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after obsessing over the murder and mutilation of a girl. Jack starts asking the kind of questions that only a journalist would think of, and bingo . . . he finds that there's something strange going on: There have been a lot of so-called suicides of police officers who have been investigating the murders of children and those who teach and tend them. The link seems to be that they all left notes that contain quote from Edgar Allen Poe.
Soon, Jack is on the hunt and his investigation draws the attention of the FBI when he tries to access a data base of police suicides. Can Jack find out what's going on . . . or will the FBI stonewall him?
This story doesn't start off as fast as most books about serial killers do. That's a shame. With a more powerful beginning, this story would be a classic. But be patient; the story speeds up as it goes.
One of the most appealing parts of this book is looking at the challenge of investigating crimes as a journalist rather than as a law enforcement professional. I think you'll find the contrast to be interesting.
The book also features lots of opportunities to get to know the serial killer so character development is excellent for building tension and interest.
 Another Connelly classic August 28, 2008
Red (Liverpool)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've read all of the Harry Bosch series with moderate to ecstatic enjoyment, so I figured I should check out the beginning of the series and read them through. The books all revolve around Detective Bosch on the Homicide Squad of the Hollywood division, having apparently been demoted from the elite LAPD Robbery Homicide division for his questionable action in a high-profile serial killer case a year previously. (The events of that "Dollmaker" case are detailed in the book The Concrete Blonde, and be warned that key information about that case is revealed in this book.) This backstory establishes Bosch as a highly capable high profile detective who's somewhat of a loose cannon and marked man for LAPD Internal Affairs.
Once it's clear that there's been a murder, Bosch latches onto the case like a pit bull, pushing it through the procedural red tape.
Connelly spent many years covering local crime for the LA Times, and as in the other books of his I've read, has a good eye and ear for bringing all the little bits and pieces of procedure to life. The investigations always seem to point at a series of obvious suspects, but as any good thriller writer will tell you, it isn't always the butler that done it!! Bosch always seems to find himself tangled up with the FBI agents tasked with the investigation into his investigations ! Meanwhile, Internal Affairs has targeted him big time, and he spends a lot of energy evading their slimy grasp. There's a good deal of internal police politics at work, and Connelly does a nice job of bringing the depressing realities of this into the story.
Somewhat less convincing is the character of Bosch himself. He's the ultimate embodiment of the maverick, anti-establishment, "lone wolf"cop, always rubbing superiors the wrong way for no good reason, and generally being obnoxious and provocative in a way that only gets him in hotter water. For someone as self-avowedly committed to justice as he is, you'd think he would be a little smarter about when to mouth off, since the trouble he gets himself into only diverts him from pursuing justice. And of course, he drinks a bunch, smokes a bunch, listens to jazz, and doesn't have a lot of luck with women. Conspiracy-thrillerish by the end. Readers of serial books, Lee Child`s, `Jack Reacher` books are always excellent, as are the `Rebus` books by Ian Rankin, much more violent are the `Soft Target` thrillers by Conrad Jones, but the common threads are the common characters that make us go back for more of the same. Bosch is addictive reading and this is an excellent novel.
It also doesn't help that Connelly gives away what should be a shocking twist toward the end by providing a very obvious clue halfway through the book. These flaws, combined with the coincidence the story is built on and the cliché nature of Bosch, result in a book that works in fits and starts, but isn't nearly as good as it could have been.
Very good thriller June 13, 2008
Fergal Woods (Leitrim, Ireland)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Connelly breaks away from his highly-accomplished Bosch series to tell the tale of a reporter Jack McEvoy who's brother(a detective) has apparently taken his own life. McEvoy eventually works out it was homicide,sees links to other suspicious cases and convinces the FBI there's a serial killer at work(lines from poems by Edgar Allan Poe are found on all the victims - hence the nickname) He then inveigles his way into the investigation.The story fairly rattles along giving good insight into the world of tabloid reporters,as well as the skills used in the Bureau task force.Tension builds up nicely as the force gets closer to the killer, and twists and false trails abound.Most of these are predictable, and the ending is a little too convenient.Despite obvious cliches this is still a very good read and is strongly recommended.
Connelly tries a Deaver May 25, 2008
Clive
I'll give Connelly 7/10 for a brave attempt at Jeffrey Deaver's territory of mis-direction and twists. I have enjoyed the Bosch novels and with the strong reviews of The Poet, I was hooked. It's a strong story with Jack McEvoy, a journalist outwitting the Poet and the FBI. It's good to see Jack re-appear in later Connelly novels but he is never as smart as he is here. A good read and recommended but if you are looking for the mis-directions, they are not as opaque as the Master in Deaver. Try The Coffin Dancer.
Excellent story with a disappointing ending December 8, 2007
one-eyed Jack (England)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Michael Connelly is a crime fiction writer I rate very highly, and in this well-paced thriller - a departure from his Bosch series - he presents us with a carefully structured and thoroughly researched story about a multiple killer who traverses the nation over a period of some years and leaves a calling card in the form of quotations from the works of the 19th-century American poet Edgar Allan Poe.
I enjoyed everything about it except for the very end. With such an enjoyable build-up, and knowing that Connelly normally delivers the goods to the last page, it was something of a surprise and a disappointment to be given a slightly corny conclusion, one that was quite out of sorts with the solidity of all that had gone before. Very early in the tale I had a good idea that the identity of the Poet differed from the target everyone was chasing but I didn't mind that, I just looked forward to the revelation of who the Poet really was. When that moment came I felt a little short-changed because of a lack of explanation behind the motives of this highly intelligent serial killer. It's still a worthy read though, if not up to the standard of one of Connelly's later standalones THE LINCOLN LAWYER.
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