Books News

Critics raving about Connelly’s latest

By Jessica Schneider Jun 6, 2009, 10:00 GMT

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 paperto 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 ...more

“The Scarecrow” is the latest novel by Michael Connelly.

The AP describes the book as: “Two creepy serial killers stalk the landscape in this new thriller by Michael Connelly. There's a psychopathic geek who sniffs out his leggy victims on the Internet. And there's the Internet itself, making a mockery of the right to privacy and gradually strangling the life out of the nation's newspapers.”

Booklist notes: “Alternating point of view between villain and reporter, Connelly builds tension expertly, using dramatic irony to its fullest, screw-tightening potential. Even confirmed Harry Bosch fans will have to admit that this Harry-less novel is one of Connelly’s very best.”

Published by Little, Brown, the novel finishes at 448 pages.

The AP also notes that the novel: “is a dire warning about the dangers of electronic snooping and a reminder of what we will lose if newspapers continue to fail. And it is a page-turning thriller — cleverly plotted, fast-paced and crisply written.”

Read the full AP review here. The book has been available since May 26, and more info can be found on Amazon.