Mysteries Galore.com

Reviewed by Allen Hott

If you have never read this book, get it and read it. Without a doubt this may have been Michael Connelly at his best (and his best is not reached by many writers in today’s writing world). The story that he started with The Poet transcended into several more of his books but the original really put it all into motion.

Jack McEvoy is a crime reporter who works for the Rocky Mountain News but he always has visions of more. Either a similar job with one of the bigger newspapers in L.A., New York, or Chicago or else to someday finish the book he has written. If he could get one book published then he is certain he could move up in his journalistic field of endeavor.

However the immediate future is extremely clouded. Two detectives from the Denver Police Department have just informed him that Sean, his brother, is dead. Jack and Sean, though twins, are not overly close. Not at this time anyway. Throughout their lives they have been in and out of the closeness thing. However Jack is still shocked and he begins to look into how and why Sean died.

All things point to suicide, even to the leaving behind of a few poetic lines as a suicide note. But to Jack it just doesn’t ring true so he begins to go deeper and deeper into the whole death thing.

What he does find out fairly early on that his brother did not commit suicide and that his death seemingly matches some other police officer “suicides” that have taken place recently across the country.

Jack’s investigation becomes so thorough and involved that not only does he travel across country but he gets the FBI involved in the investigation. And that is where things begin to evolve quickly. The Poet as he is nicknamed becomes the FBI target.

How Jack becomes more and more into the whole situation (including becoming very involved with one of the FBI female agents) is the story that Connelly has put together. And it is quite a story. So much so that several of the main characters move on into other stories that Connelly eventually writes.

As is always the case with Connelly’s books the action is fast and there are no dull spots to put the reader to sleep. And as usual the storyline moves so well because of the dialogue that he uses. There is not a lot of description, over blown sex escapades or foul language. Just great reading to keep the reader moving and wondering right up to THE END.