The Scarecrow (Jack McEvoy, 2) Mass Market Paperback – September 25, 2018

THE SCARECROW (Jack McEvoy Book 2) [2009] By Michael ConnellyMy Review Five Stars*****I have been a huge fan of Michael Connelly's works for literally decades. I re-read THE POET (1996) last summer, in fact a year ago this month. I have been excited about the release of FAIR WARNING (2020) in the summer of this year, and have been looking forward to reading it. Having said that, it is Connelly's third novel to feature Jack McEvoy, the hero of THE POET (1996) and later of course THE SCARECROW (2009). It has been over a decade since I read THE SCARECROW but I certainly recall how much I loved it. I felt like it would enhance my enjoyment of Jack's new adventure in FAIR WARNING if I were to re-read THE SCARECROW.I will readily acknowledge that it is one of my favorite Connelly works, in part because I liked the protagonist, journalist Jack McEvoy, and of course FBI Agent and former profiler Rachel Walling is a fascinating character. Another reason that I feel that this novel felt so genuine and riveting is the fact that Connelly actually worked as an LA Times crime reporter. The author's technique of alternating the chapters and points of view between Jack and the chilling sociopath who inhabits this dark and captivating serial killer thriller is superbly effective. The "Scarecrow" is every bit the genius and the sadistic psychopath when we compare him to "The Poet". Character development is one of Connelly's strong suits, well to be fair so is writing dialogue, and ratcheting up suspense and tension. I'm not sure Connelly has an Achilles Heel. The story pulls you in right at the beginning and proves to be "unputdownable". I loved reading it again after all these years, and it is simply an outstanding thriller.In any case, adoring fans over the past nearly a decade since this book first fit the shelves nine years ago have delivered far more articulate and comprehensive accolades than I could ever manage to do. I love Connelly and he is among my very favorite authors. THE SCARECROW is a 5-Star Read with no need to even ponder the rating for a millisecond.Bonus materials in the Kindle Edition I purchased included an in-depth interview with the author about writing "The Scarecrow" which I enjoyed very much. It is pertinent that in part the author intended for this novel to be a swan song for the newspaper industry. It was obvious to Connelly when he wrote the book that the internet was the future of journalism and that all facets of reporting were rapidly going digital. Obviously now, almost a decade down the road, his instincts were "spot on". I am ready to start reading his new novel just released this summer FAIR WARNING. It was a coincidence that I spotted a review on Amazon that was indicative that the recent release featuring Jack McEvoy is politically slanted. I am SO HOPING that as a former reporter himself, and one of the most successful crime fiction writers on the planet, that the niggling feeling I have right now is simply paranoia. I guess I will find out soon...

Great story line! Full of action and twist. I like the Mc Elvoy character!

I am on record for heaping praise on Michael Connelly's standalone novels. They are not necessarily superior to the Bosch novels, but they are certainly the equal of those books. One of the very best is The Poet. Now, in The Scarecrow, Connelly reunites the central characters of The Poet: journalist Jack McEvoy and FBI Special Agent Rachel Walling.At the outset of the story Jack has been given two weeks notice by the L.A. Times. Another victim of the internet, the paper is downsizing and Jack, with his high salary, is a tasty target for the corporate beancounters. He vows to go out on a high note by writing one last, big story. He investigates a murder case in which a drug dealer has been convicted of a brutal sex crime. His grandmother claims that he could not possibly have done it. As Jack examines the facts of that case he discovers a cognate case and realizes that the two individuals convicted must each be innocent. Ironically, while he is investigating the case the real perp is investigating him. It is doubly ironic, since the perp is an IT whiz, a master of the technology which is destroying the Times and Jack's journalism career. Reunited with Rachel, the couple discover a web of evil which they proceed to examine and, finally, dismantle. The serial killer (like Harris' Buffalo Bill) is a boy with mom problems, mom problems that have distorted his personality and set him off, somehow, on a life of rape, torture, murder, fetishism and computer fraud.I am not spoiling the novel, for we learn much of this information early in the book. This is not a mystery, but a cat-and-mouse suspense thriller. Actually cat-and-mice, with Rachel in the picture. Actually cats-and-mice since the eponymous killer has a sidekick.So why are we seeing The Scarecrow on the shelves of grocery stores and Wal-Mart as well as on the point-of-purchase rack in your local bookstore? Because Michael Connelly is a master story teller. Because here he has recreated two superb characters, whose personal interactions are as interesting as their investigations. Because we want to know how a major reporter investigates major crimes and Connelly's nonfiction book, Crime Beat, wasn't quite as satisfying as this fictional depiction of the process. Because Connelly plots like a master and knows just what information (and how much of it) to reveal at any moment. Because we're fascinated by contemporary technology and we want to know how it operates and how it displays a capacity for good as well as for evil. And, finally, because the book builds to a crescendo and disrupts all of our plans for the day as we sit locked in our chairs, reading the book to its conclusion.This is Connelly at the top of his form. It's not Conrad and it's not Dostoyevsky (nor does it attempt to be), but it is the beach and airplane book of the summer and you'll love every word. Caution: it starts a little slowly as Connelly erects his superstructure. Be patient, the death race is coming.