"The Poet" by Michael Connelly

We've already touched upon some of Michael Connelly’s fantastic novels (The Drop and The Last Coyote), and we've already met detective Harry Bosch, Michael’s ever-lasting protagonist.

Despite all the troubles which have taken hold of Bosch’s life throughout time, he is back for yet another murderous adventure in The Poet.

Jack McEvoy is a reporter who has a slightly unsettling obsession: murder. He sought it everywhere he went, being completely fascinated by what it does to man, and where it takes us. However, his latest encounter with death led him to write a story he would prefer to never touch… it also gave him a mystery that needed to be solved.

Well, death isn’t always quiet and peaceful… there are some who in the spirit of Jack the Ripper turn it into the most savage and gruesome thing to exist on this planet.Such is the case here, as some kind of terribly deranged serial killer is lurking in the streets, waiting and stalking his (or is it her?) next victim.

What is truly fascinating about the killer though, are the targets he chooses: homicide cops who are haunted by unsolved cases… which is why McEvoy needs to solve the case from his past as soon as possible, for the last victim was his brother, and he may be the next one.

So where does Harry Bosch come in? Well, I really don’t want to spoil some fantastic scenes and plot twists, but I’ll simply mention that he has somewhat of a different role than usual. As a matter of fact, it seems like Connelly chose to break all the rules and traditions he set up in the past with his previous stories.

However, regardless of conventions and traditions, the story remains quite an amusing thriller with some very interesting and vivid descriptions, not to mention a few insightful looks into death.

All in all, it’s definitely something I would recommend to thriller and murder mystery fans.

---

Michael Connelly Personal site Michael Connelly is perhaps one of the most popular modern writers, starting has career when he discovered Raymond Chandler’s writings at his university. To support himself, he worked at the local newspaper while specializing in crime, which shows in virtually all of his works touching on criminal subjects, such as The Black Box and The Lincoln Lawyer.