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The Scarecrow
The Scarecrow

A book by Michael Connelly

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Connelly is back on top

  • Sep 4, 2009
  • by
Rating:
+4

When it comes to chilling suspense thrillers few can match the level of Michael Connelly. So it should then be no surprise to see all the good reviews his new work "The Scarecrow" is receiving. There are some very chilling and sadistic scenes that would make the Marquis de Sade envious - but there is a lot more to this book than grizzly murders. Jack McEvoy is the book's lead - a newspaper reporter (you may remember him from "The Poet") The Poet

Well, both newspapers that Jack is affiliated with (Rocky Mountain News and The Los Angeles Times) are on hard times. As with most Connelly, technology plays a key role in moving the story along. In the Scarecrow, the cyber villainy comes from a place known as The Farm - an underground desert bunker where all your cyber fears are realized. Jack gets laid off relatively early in the book and goes searching for "The Scarecrow" But before he can begin his investigation, Jack, must deal with a teen-aged kid that made a false confession of murder. Using good, old-fashioned detective work, Jack discovers the kid only confessed to stealing the murdered woman's car. Exciting so far, right?

And we're only getting started. I won't go further with the story, but The Scarecrow shows the reader just why Michael Connelly is in a league all his own when it comes to suspense thrillers. The characters, the story, the plot, the interaction, the flow, all refined and detailed by the touch of a true master

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September 09, 2009
I am a big Connelly fan too. Wondering if he will have another McEnvoy story in the future as his days as a newspaperman seem done. Did you read my review of Nine Dragons? McEnvoy is mentioned in that book by Mickey Haller.
 
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More The Scarecrow reviews
review by . July 02, 2010
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
Connelly delivers again with one of his early characters (Jack McEvoy) now paired with Rachel Walling who we last saw with Harry Bosch. McEvoy is told he is being let go from the his paper and has two weeks to train his replacement. Jack decides that he wants to go out with a bang and happens to follow-up on a tip from the mother of teen caught up in a murder that Jack reported. As Jack starts to probe he realizes that the teen couldn't have committed the crime and may be in fact innocent.   …
Quick Tip by . October 29, 2010
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
Jack McEvoy stars in a thrilling sequel to his debut in THE POET. In his final story for the LA Times, he's busy tracking down a clever hidden killer whose staying under the police radar by framing more likely suspects for his crime.
review by . October 29, 2010
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
Jack McEvoy, long time investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times, has fallen victim to the ravages of the internet and the modern economy and has received the dreaded pink slip. Angry at having been summarily dismissed after so many years, McEvoy decides that the most powerful message he could leave upon his exit would be a story with the potential to win a Pulitzer Prize, something to top even the story that he wrote about his encounter with THE POET.      Originally …
review by . June 29, 2010
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
Michael Connelly is one of my favorite mystery thriller writers of all time. And while Detective Harry Bosch is my favorite character of his, I'd probably say that Jack Mc Evoy is a close second. The Scarecrow is about Jack Mc Evoy and opens with him getting laid off from his job at the Los Angeles Times.  Which of course is probably very easy for many people to relate to right now, I know I certainly can, being a photojournalist myself. And if that isn't enough of a kick in the pants, …
review by . September 17, 2010
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
   The Scarecrow was my first Michael Connelly novel and probably not my last. A book that delves into the sick mind that relishes a specific torture/murder scenario should be fairly graphic. However, Connelly keeps the gore and horror fairly low-key, hinting at most of it, which was refreshing because it doesn't take much to hit overkill.      Crime scene aficionados, creepy bad guy collectors, fractured mind fans, police procedural junkies, cyber-crime masterminds, …
Quick Tip by . July 08, 2010
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
Great to see two old characters return. Loved this book. Connely proves he has more than one frachise character in him.
Quick Tip by . June 29, 2010
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
Michael Connelly, a compelling and engrossing read.
review by . November 03, 2009
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
Jack McEvoy became a national bestselling author when he wrote a book about his experience with a serial killer named the Poet, and since then, he's worked as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times. The Times, facing financial woes, decides to lay off 100 employees and Jack's number 99. Jack decides to make a grand exit by writing a book about a 16-year-old drug dealer who claims he did not confess to strangling a young woman and stuffing her in the trunk of her car, although the police investigators …
review by . May 26, 2009
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
Connelly delivers again with one of his early characters (Jack McEvoy) now paired with Rachel Walling who we last saw with Harry Bosch. McEvoy is told he is being let go from the his paper and has two weeks to train his replacement. Jack decides that he wants to go out with a bang and happens to follow-up on a tip from the mother of teen caught up in a murder that Jack reported. As Jack starts to probe he realizes that the teen couldn't have committed the crime and may be in fact innocent.    Me …
review by . August 05, 2009
Last seen primarily in "The Poet," Jack McEvoy returns in this novel which is both a mystery and a lament to the world of newspaper publishing. It's been a lot of years since the celebrity success of his book on the poet serial killer and Jack is on the wrong side of 40. The LA Times has seen its best days and in the latest round of staff cuts has included Jack. They will give him one break which at the same time is a bit of an insult. He can leave now or he can train his replacement, Angela Cook, …
see all The Scarecrow reviews (12)
About the reviewer
Justyn Joe Richardson ()
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My name is Justyn Richardson but I go by the name Shoyu - after joining the on-line gaming site, Pogo, I have reverted back to my childhood nickname of Tasteless Joe. I first acquired the name when I … more
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About this book

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Book Description
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-called confession is bogus. The kid might actually be innocent.

Jack is soon running with his biggest story since The Poet made his career years ago. He is tracking a killer who operates completely below police radar--and with perfect knowledge of any move against him. Including Jack's.

 

Michael Connelly and Janet Evanovich: Author One-to-One
In this Amazon exclusive, we brought together blockbuster authors Michael Connelly and Janet Evanovich and asked them to interview each other. Find out what two of the top authors of their genres have to say about their characters, writing process, and more. Janet Evanovich is the bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum novels, including Finger Lickin' Fifteen, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels, and . Read on to see Janet Evanovich's questions for Michael Connelly, or turn the tables to see what Connelly asked Evanovich.

Janet EvanovichEvanovich: So dude,... Okay, you're back in Florida. Do you ever get to the beach? And when and if you get to the beach...is Harry Bosch with you? And what kind of beachwear are you guys ...

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Details

ISBN-10: 0316166308
ISBN-13: 978-0316166300
Author: Michael Connelly
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
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"Connelly Delivers a Winner"
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