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Jack McEvoy #2
The Scarecrow by Connelly, Michael (2010) Mass Market Paperback
For Jack McEvoy, the killer named The Poet was the last word in evil.
Think again, Jack.
Jack McEvoy is at the end of the line as a crime reporter. Forced to take a buy-out from the Los Angeles Times as the newspaper grapples with dwindling revenues, he's got only a few days left on the job. His last assignment? Training his replacement, a low-cost reporter just out of journalism school. But Jack has other plans for his exit. He is going to go out with a bang — a final story that will win the newspaper journalism's highest honor — a Pulitzer prize.
Jack focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a 16-year-old drug dealer from the projects who has confessed to police that he brutally raped and strangled one of his crack clients. Jack convinces Alonzo's mother to cooperate with his investigation into the possibility of her son's innocence. But she has fallen for the oldest reporter's trick in the book. Jack's real intention is to use his access to report and write a story that explains how societal dysfunction and neglect created a 16-year-old killer.
But as Jack delves into the story he soon realizes that Alonzo's so-called confession is bogus, and Jack is soon off and running on the biggest story he's had since The Poet crossed his path years before. He reunites with FBI Agent Rachel Walling to go after a killer who has worked completely below police and FBI radar—and with perfect knowledge of any move against him.
What Jack doesn't know is that his investigation has inadvertently set off a digital tripwire. The killer knows Jack is coming—and he's ready.
Think again, Jack.
Jack McEvoy is at the end of the line as a crime reporter. Forced to take a buy-out from the Los Angeles Times as the newspaper grapples with dwindling revenues, he's got only a few days left on the job. His last assignment? Training his replacement, a low-cost reporter just out of journalism school. But Jack has other plans for his exit. He is going to go out with a bang — a final story that will win the newspaper journalism's highest honor — a Pulitzer prize.
Jack focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a 16-year-old drug dealer from the projects who has confessed to police that he brutally raped and strangled one of his crack clients. Jack convinces Alonzo's mother to cooperate with his investigation into the possibility of her son's innocence. But she has fallen for the oldest reporter's trick in the book. Jack's real intention is to use his access to report and write a story that explains how societal dysfunction and neglect created a 16-year-old killer.
But as Jack delves into the story he soon realizes that Alonzo's so-called confession is bogus, and Jack is soon off and running on the biggest story he's had since The Poet crossed his path years before. He reunites with FBI Agent Rachel Walling to go after a killer who has worked completely below police and FBI radar—and with perfect knowledge of any move against him.
What Jack doesn't know is that his investigation has inadvertently set off a digital tripwire. The killer knows Jack is coming—and he's ready.
Unknown Binding
First published May 26, 2009
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About the author
Michael Connelly
380 books35k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,050 reviews
October 20, 2018
Jack McEvoy, the reporter who earlier broke the case of The Poet returns in this novel. Jack is now working at the Los Angeles Times. But even back in 2008, when this book first appeared, the newspaper business had fallen into deep trouble, thanks largely to the arrival of the Internet. Even major papers like the Times are hemorrhaging money and have been forced to downsize.
As the book opens, Jack learns the sad lesson that even a seasoned and gifted reporter is not exempt from the harsh realities of the new day and age. Jack is laid off, but is informed that he can keep his job for another two weeks if he will train his replacement, a young woman who has virtually no experience and who does not have the connections essential for a reporter to be successful on the crime beat, but who will do the job for a lot less money than McEvoy.
Having little or no choice, Jack reluctantly agrees, but he is determined to go out on a high note with a major story that will make his editors regret their decision. Jack had earlier written a relatively minor story about a gangbanger who had been arrested for the murder of an exotic dancer. The woman was found stuffed in the trunk of a car; the kid's fingerprints were found in the car, and after a few hours of interrogation, the kid allegedly confessed to the crime. Case closed.
Just after Jack learns he's been laid off, he gets a call from the banger's grandmother claiming, naturally, that the kid is innocent. Jack doesn't believe that, of course, but he sees a story in the tale of how this young man wound up committing such a horrendous crime. His young replacement, Angela Cook, is assigned to work the story with him, but in doing some preliminary research, the two discover a similar crime that had been committed in Las Vegas. Jack suddenly realizes that maybe the kid really is innocent and has been set up to take the fall for a crime he didn't commit.
That turns the story in an entirely different direction, and before Jack can hardly begin working it, the F.B.I. suddenly appears on the scene in the person of Rachel Walling, who had worked the Poet case with Jack. With that the book is off and running and Jack and Rachel find themselves hard on the trail of a very clever and dangerous criminal. No one will be safe.
Michael Connelly is a very good writer, and this is a perfectly serviceable serial killer tale, although it's not among Connelly's best books. What struck me most about the book, though, was the depressing subplot about the sad state of journalism in the country in this day and age. The story of what is happening at the L. A. Times and, by extension, at other papers across the country was, for me, really the scariest part of the story. Any democracy, if it's going to thrive and prosper, depends on the foundation of a well-informed citizenry. That, in turn, depends on having a vigorous and thriving free press. In a day and age when journalists are under attack, when newspapers across the country are scaling back their operations and in some cases are disappearing altogether, serial killers may turn out to be the least of our worries.
As the book opens, Jack learns the sad lesson that even a seasoned and gifted reporter is not exempt from the harsh realities of the new day and age. Jack is laid off, but is informed that he can keep his job for another two weeks if he will train his replacement, a young woman who has virtually no experience and who does not have the connections essential for a reporter to be successful on the crime beat, but who will do the job for a lot less money than McEvoy.
Having little or no choice, Jack reluctantly agrees, but he is determined to go out on a high note with a major story that will make his editors regret their decision. Jack had earlier written a relatively minor story about a gangbanger who had been arrested for the murder of an exotic dancer. The woman was found stuffed in the trunk of a car; the kid's fingerprints were found in the car, and after a few hours of interrogation, the kid allegedly confessed to the crime. Case closed.
Just after Jack learns he's been laid off, he gets a call from the banger's grandmother claiming, naturally, that the kid is innocent. Jack doesn't believe that, of course, but he sees a story in the tale of how this young man wound up committing such a horrendous crime. His young replacement, Angela Cook, is assigned to work the story with him, but in doing some preliminary research, the two discover a similar crime that had been committed in Las Vegas. Jack suddenly realizes that maybe the kid really is innocent and has been set up to take the fall for a crime he didn't commit.
That turns the story in an entirely different direction, and before Jack can hardly begin working it, the F.B.I. suddenly appears on the scene in the person of Rachel Walling, who had worked the Poet case with Jack. With that the book is off and running and Jack and Rachel find themselves hard on the trail of a very clever and dangerous criminal. No one will be safe.
Michael Connelly is a very good writer, and this is a perfectly serviceable serial killer tale, although it's not among Connelly's best books. What struck me most about the book, though, was the depressing subplot about the sad state of journalism in the country in this day and age. The story of what is happening at the L. A. Times and, by extension, at other papers across the country was, for me, really the scariest part of the story. Any democracy, if it's going to thrive and prosper, depends on the foundation of a well-informed citizenry. That, in turn, depends on having a vigorous and thriving free press. In a day and age when journalists are under attack, when newspapers across the country are scaling back their operations and in some cases are disappearing altogether, serial killers may turn out to be the least of our worries.
July 28, 2012
I've said it before, I will say it again: it's tough to be Michael Connelly. His writing is so consistently excellent -- I'm on track to have read all of his existing novels in about 11 months -- that when he writes a book that is simply good and not spectacular, it is tempting to see it as a letdown. If you have never read a Connelly book before, and pick up this one, you will be pleased. But faithful readers will recongize that this is an average effort for Michael Connelly -- not his best work.
Jack McEvoy is back, the first book about him since "The Poet". He has just been laid off by his paper and is assigned to train his replacement. Some of the most enjoyable passages in the novel have to do with Connelly's descriptions of the newsroom. They are both nostalgic (Connelly got his start as a journalist) and cutting. He shows us both the good and the bad. McEvoy is looking to score two weeks pay and do a good story as he walks out the door forever.
From there, a plot unfolds around an initial murder. By the way, this murder is depicted from FBI Agent Rachael Walling's point of view in the short film "Conflict of Interest" on YouTube. One murder eventually leads to something that is a lot more serious. McEvoy is taken into the world of hacking, trolling and cyber-crime, eventually teaming up with his old flame, Walling.
Unfortunately, while easy to read and entertaining, the book has a by-the-numbers feel to it. It seems as though Connelly brought back McEvoy and Walling, brought in computer crime, then did some research on sexual fetishes and brought in a serial killer angle. All these parts of the book are interesting, but they don't quite fit together. The bad guys in this book, from the gang bangers to the killers, seem a bit stale. One reason Connelly is so great to read is the reality of his characters, and here, they don't seem too real.
In addition, there is a logistical issue with getting McEvoy as a journalist into all of these criminal investigations. Connelly has to resort to the same device from "The Poet" to get McEvoy involved. It was a stretch the first time, but the second time around it really seems far-fetched. If you don't believe me, call your local police department and ask if you can tag along on a few calls and get involved in some murder investigations.
All that being said, this is an entertaining book. Like watching old movies, you get the sense that a lot of this has been done before, but you can still go along for the ride and enjoy it.
Jack McEvoy is back, the first book about him since "The Poet". He has just been laid off by his paper and is assigned to train his replacement. Some of the most enjoyable passages in the novel have to do with Connelly's descriptions of the newsroom. They are both nostalgic (Connelly got his start as a journalist) and cutting. He shows us both the good and the bad. McEvoy is looking to score two weeks pay and do a good story as he walks out the door forever.
From there, a plot unfolds around an initial murder. By the way, this murder is depicted from FBI Agent Rachael Walling's point of view in the short film "Conflict of Interest" on YouTube. One murder eventually leads to something that is a lot more serious. McEvoy is taken into the world of hacking, trolling and cyber-crime, eventually teaming up with his old flame, Walling.
Unfortunately, while easy to read and entertaining, the book has a by-the-numbers feel to it. It seems as though Connelly brought back McEvoy and Walling, brought in computer crime, then did some research on sexual fetishes and brought in a serial killer angle. All these parts of the book are interesting, but they don't quite fit together. The bad guys in this book, from the gang bangers to the killers, seem a bit stale. One reason Connelly is so great to read is the reality of his characters, and here, they don't seem too real.
In addition, there is a logistical issue with getting McEvoy as a journalist into all of these criminal investigations. Connelly has to resort to the same device from "The Poet" to get McEvoy involved. It was a stretch the first time, but the second time around it really seems far-fetched. If you don't believe me, call your local police department and ask if you can tag along on a few calls and get involved in some murder investigations.
All that being said, this is an entertaining book. Like watching old movies, you get the sense that a lot of this has been done before, but you can still go along for the ride and enjoy it.
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November 19, 2025
4-Stars for "The Scarecrow, (Harry McEvoy #2)
I Liked It!
Original audiobook added in 2009, lost, found in 2016, lost again, then re-added in 2020😀
Michael Connelly - such a fine writer!
July 18, 2020 Review to come - eventually!
In the meantime I am trying even harder to catch up on listening to my audiobooks 🤨👋
I Liked It!
Original audiobook added in 2009, lost, found in 2016, lost again, then re-added in 2020😀
Michael Connelly - such a fine writer!
July 18, 2020 Review to come - eventually!
In the meantime I am trying even harder to catch up on listening to my audiobooks 🤨👋
August 23, 2024
Connelly's back into top form ... thank goodness!
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 his intention is to write the story of Alonzo Winslow, a young black man in a run down public housing project, and how he evolved from a child through street punk to a drug dealer and killer, all in the astonishingly short space of a brutal and cruel 16 years. But as he begins to investigate the details of the story he uncovers the likelihood that Alonzo is innocent and that there is another fiendish murderer out there escaping the attention of the police by expertly framing more likely suspects.
When I read Michael Connelly's last Harry Bosch novel, THE NINE DRAGONS, I was disappointed and, frankly, terrified at the prospect that Connelly's train had finally run out of steam, that he was threatening to jump the shark. But ... thank goodness, no worries mate! THE SCARECROW is a return to peak form and the pages once again virtually turned themselves with all the intensity that I expected with Connelly's typical thrillers.
More than that, THE SCARECROW, as only the very best thrillers do, provides educational and informative background material on the setting of the story. In this case, we are first treated to a wonderfully atmospheric description of the daily internal workings of a major metropolitan newspaper and the travails that they are encountering as they compete with other media such as radio, television but most notably and most immediate, the internet. Equally interesting, we are treated to an extensive explanation of the workings of an off-site data storage and server "farm" for those organizations such as legal firms that require air-tight security for the protection of their working data and client files.
While it's a first-rate thriller, THE SCARECROW is not without its faults. Most notably, the ending, while satisfactory, goes a little bit over the top and seems to fall a little more into the domain of Hollywood special effects screenplay rather than thinking man's thriller.
That said, I'm pleased once again to be able to give an unqualified thumbs up to a Connelly novel and express the hope that we haven't seen the last of writer Jack McEvoy and his new found love, FBI agent Rachel Walling. (You just gotta love how Connelly's characters all populate the same L.A. universe and manage to show up in all of the different novels!)
Paul Weiss
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 his intention is to write the story of Alonzo Winslow, a young black man in a run down public housing project, and how he evolved from a child through street punk to a drug dealer and killer, all in the astonishingly short space of a brutal and cruel 16 years. But as he begins to investigate the details of the story he uncovers the likelihood that Alonzo is innocent and that there is another fiendish murderer out there escaping the attention of the police by expertly framing more likely suspects.
When I read Michael Connelly's last Harry Bosch novel, THE NINE DRAGONS, I was disappointed and, frankly, terrified at the prospect that Connelly's train had finally run out of steam, that he was threatening to jump the shark. But ... thank goodness, no worries mate! THE SCARECROW is a return to peak form and the pages once again virtually turned themselves with all the intensity that I expected with Connelly's typical thrillers.
More than that, THE SCARECROW, as only the very best thrillers do, provides educational and informative background material on the setting of the story. In this case, we are first treated to a wonderfully atmospheric description of the daily internal workings of a major metropolitan newspaper and the travails that they are encountering as they compete with other media such as radio, television but most notably and most immediate, the internet. Equally interesting, we are treated to an extensive explanation of the workings of an off-site data storage and server "farm" for those organizations such as legal firms that require air-tight security for the protection of their working data and client files.
While it's a first-rate thriller, THE SCARECROW is not without its faults. Most notably, the ending, while satisfactory, goes a little bit over the top and seems to fall a little more into the domain of Hollywood special effects screenplay rather than thinking man's thriller.
That said, I'm pleased once again to be able to give an unqualified thumbs up to a Connelly novel and express the hope that we haven't seen the last of writer Jack McEvoy and his new found love, FBI agent Rachel Walling. (You just gotta love how Connelly's characters all populate the same L.A. universe and manage to show up in all of the different novels!)
Paul Weiss
April 17, 2021
After a decade covering crime for The Los Angeles Times, Jack McEvoy has just gotten let go due to budget cuts. He has two weeks left to train his replacement, but he also intends to use that time to write one last major story. He thinks he’s found that story when he hears about Alonzo Winslow, a sixteen-year-old drug dealer in prison for a brutal murder he denies committing. As Jack investigates, he once again crosses paths with FBI agent Rachel Walling. Can the two of them figure out what is really going on?
I enjoyed Jack and Rachel’s first book, so I was glad to finally get to their second novel. They make a great team, and their characters are as strong as ever. The rest of the cast is just as great. The mystery is full of twists and thrills, and I always had a hard time putting the book down. The book did get a bit too far into the details a couple of times for my taste, but fortunately, those scenes didn’t last long. I do wish that author Michael Connelly would figure out a way to set up his climatic set pieces without stopping the story to give us data dumps. It’s always obvious when that happens, too. It’s a minor issue, but still something that makes me rolls my eyes. Overall, this is a strong thriller that kept me engaged until I reached the end.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
I enjoyed Jack and Rachel’s first book, so I was glad to finally get to their second novel. They make a great team, and their characters are as strong as ever. The rest of the cast is just as great. The mystery is full of twists and thrills, and I always had a hard time putting the book down. The book did get a bit too far into the details a couple of times for my taste, but fortunately, those scenes didn’t last long. I do wish that author Michael Connelly would figure out a way to set up his climatic set pieces without stopping the story to give us data dumps. It’s always obvious when that happens, too. It’s a minor issue, but still something that makes me rolls my eyes. Overall, this is a strong thriller that kept me engaged until I reached the end.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
May 15, 2022
What an excellent book starring somebody else than Haller or Bosch, namely one Jack McEvoy the reporter who once upon a time wrote a book on a serial killer named the Poet. This time through sheer coincidence Jake comes across a series of strange accidents who actually appear to be no coincidence and look more or less the work of a serial killer.
This time he finds himself opposite a really dangerous creature whose skills are so dangerous he can really mess your life up without resorting to murder. But that would be no fun as Jake finds when he gets saved by his FBI friend and is almost being framed for murdering another innocent woman.
It becomes a race against logic and the internet skills of this serial killer who really is able to hide in plain sight and laying very convincing false tracks.
A really exciting and rollercoaster of a thriller that can only be written by M Connelly, really enjoyable. And now I have to reread The Poet which I have not read in a really long time. Being actually the first time I ever read a Michael Connelly book, which I received from my mother visiting friend in the US and she came back with the Connelly book and two Tom Clancy novels.
This time he finds himself opposite a really dangerous creature whose skills are so dangerous he can really mess your life up without resorting to murder. But that would be no fun as Jake finds when he gets saved by his FBI friend and is almost being framed for murdering another innocent woman.
It becomes a race against logic and the internet skills of this serial killer who really is able to hide in plain sight and laying very convincing false tracks.
A really exciting and rollercoaster of a thriller that can only be written by M Connelly, really enjoyable. And now I have to reread The Poet which I have not read in a really long time. Being actually the first time I ever read a Michael Connelly book, which I received from my mother visiting friend in the US and she came back with the Connelly book and two Tom Clancy novels.
May 17, 2016
This marks the fourth Michael Connelly book that I have read. I was drawn to this particular choice because of the main protagonist, a reporter, Jack McEvoy who I first met in Connelly’s, The Poet.
In the Scarecrow Jack is still a reporter, writing for the LA Times, but one who has just been served a pink slip. Adding insult to injury Jack is given two weeks notice providing he agrees to train his successor, Angela. Jack sucks up his pride and decides that during the time he has left he will write a killer story designed to make the executive at the newspaper rethink their decision to lay him off.
In the process of investigating the arrest and incarceration of a young, drug dealer who confessed to the brutal murder of a young, Los Angeles woman found strangled in the trunk of her car, Jack begins to realize that all is not as it seems. As he digs deeper Jack finds a new connection to another brutal murder, this time in Las Vegas.
And he is off and running on the tail of another serial killer and chasing a huge lead the likes of which he has not had since his encounter with The Poet. What Jack does not realize is that in the process he has tripped some digital traps, traps designed to let the killer know who he is and what he is up to.
Unlike most thrillers Connelly exposes the killer to his readers right up front and allows the perpetrator to narrate the story from his own perspective, while Jack, who has by then teamed up with FBI agent Rachel Walling, is hot on his trail.
Don’t get me wrong I love a good thriller and was blown away by The Poet, but while The Scarecrow certainly contained all of the requisite elements and was quite successful in keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout most of this story, in the end I found it to be quite anticlimactic. I wanted to know more about the scarecrow himself, what motivated him, what fuelled his insatiable need to commit such heinous acts. Instead I felt a little cheated and found myself wondering (and I do hope I am wrong) if this was not intentional on Connelly’s part.
In the Scarecrow Jack is still a reporter, writing for the LA Times, but one who has just been served a pink slip. Adding insult to injury Jack is given two weeks notice providing he agrees to train his successor, Angela. Jack sucks up his pride and decides that during the time he has left he will write a killer story designed to make the executive at the newspaper rethink their decision to lay him off.
In the process of investigating the arrest and incarceration of a young, drug dealer who confessed to the brutal murder of a young, Los Angeles woman found strangled in the trunk of her car, Jack begins to realize that all is not as it seems. As he digs deeper Jack finds a new connection to another brutal murder, this time in Las Vegas.
And he is off and running on the tail of another serial killer and chasing a huge lead the likes of which he has not had since his encounter with The Poet. What Jack does not realize is that in the process he has tripped some digital traps, traps designed to let the killer know who he is and what he is up to.
Unlike most thrillers Connelly exposes the killer to his readers right up front and allows the perpetrator to narrate the story from his own perspective, while Jack, who has by then teamed up with FBI agent Rachel Walling, is hot on his trail.
Don’t get me wrong I love a good thriller and was blown away by The Poet, but while The Scarecrow certainly contained all of the requisite elements and was quite successful in keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout most of this story, in the end I found it to be quite anticlimactic. I wanted to know more about the scarecrow himself, what motivated him, what fuelled his insatiable need to commit such heinous acts. Instead I felt a little cheated and found myself wondering (and I do hope I am wrong) if this was not intentional on Connelly’s part.
January 9, 2019
The Scarecrow is a mixed bag of hits and misses. It is no 'The Poet' in terms of storyline or twists but it is still a solid serial killer/police procedural.
I was able to predict almost the entire story when I met the characters - which is quite strange for a book written by Michael Connelly. It was easy to figure out who were the throwaway ones and who weren't.
The investigative work is thankfully, as solid as ever though. And I did like the semi-happy resolution at the end.
I was able to predict almost the entire story when I met the characters - which is quite strange for a book written by Michael Connelly. It was easy to figure out who were the throwaway ones and who weren't.
The investigative work is thankfully, as solid as ever though. And I did like the semi-happy resolution at the end.
April 11, 2020
I really like Jack McEvoy series and ready for book 3! In The Scarecrow, Jack is about to get laid off from The LA Times due to budget cuts while also digging deeper into one of the articles he wrote after a woman claimed her son was innocent of murder.
October 29, 2024
I'm writing this review years retroactively, which means it'll be in generalities rather than specific to the story. This is a review of all three Jack McEvoy books. (So they will all say the same thing.)
I first encountered Michael Connelly in the movie version of The Lincoln Lawyer. I loved the movie and started reading the books. I had no idea how prolific a writer he was, and I was busy for several years (I read a lot less back then than I do now). I eventually caught up and read every one of his books. He is one of my favorite writers. There's always lots of action, lots of suspense and tension, lots of unsavory villains (no one I can think of whom I feel sorry for even a little), and an indomitable hero of unimpeachable principle (even if their integrity has to negotiate a lot of gray areas).
This was true of this very short series. Given how many Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller books have been written, I am a little sad for Jack McEvoy. I'd love to see him get his own book again.
I first encountered Michael Connelly in the movie version of The Lincoln Lawyer. I loved the movie and started reading the books. I had no idea how prolific a writer he was, and I was busy for several years (I read a lot less back then than I do now). I eventually caught up and read every one of his books. He is one of my favorite writers. There's always lots of action, lots of suspense and tension, lots of unsavory villains (no one I can think of whom I feel sorry for even a little), and an indomitable hero of unimpeachable principle (even if their integrity has to negotiate a lot of gray areas).
This was true of this very short series. Given how many Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller books have been written, I am a little sad for Jack McEvoy. I'd love to see him get his own book again.
August 13, 2023
Another great crime story interrupted with Rachel Walling emotional drama.
Don't get me wrong - I have no objection to FBI Agent Rachel Walling. I do object to the female FBI Agent that just *must* fall into bed with the male protagonist.... again. Between Bosch and McEvoy... can't she just show up in a story and do her job the way the male FBI Agents do? What's with the relationship drama? Why does it have to exist just because she's a woman?
Anyway, it was otherwise a good story. McEvoy is working on a story of an innocent man, wrongly accused of a crime when the Scarecrow rears his psychotic head. Suspense and action ensue. Bosch does not appear, but that's okay. Peter Giles was a great narrator, again.
Recommended for fans of Connelly crime fiction and maybe Harlequin Romance fans.
Don't get me wrong - I have no objection to FBI Agent Rachel Walling. I do object to the female FBI Agent that just *must* fall into bed with the male protagonist.... again. Between Bosch and McEvoy... can't she just show up in a story and do her job the way the male FBI Agents do? What's with the relationship drama? Why does it have to exist just because she's a woman?
Anyway, it was otherwise a good story. McEvoy is working on a story of an innocent man, wrongly accused of a crime when the Scarecrow rears his psychotic head. Suspense and action ensue. Bosch does not appear, but that's okay. Peter Giles was a great narrator, again.
Recommended for fans of Connelly crime fiction and maybe Harlequin Romance fans.
May 5, 2024
No Bosch in this book but on the plus side Rachel Walling is prominent. Crime reporter Jack McEvoy is the main character, bored and facing dismissal from the LA Times job that is his life. He sets out to right a wrong with an article he wrote and ends up on both the trail and hit list of serial killer The Poet.
June 28, 2020
The main reason why I am not giving this five stars is that it's a bit much that Jack keeps facing off against killers. It's okay that he's a reporter and that's it. Also the story gets a little lost at times I thought. It picks up when Jack meets Rachel again, but I wish that Connelly actually spent more time in going into Jack's life up until this book. We just get a really quick series of things dropped on us as readers. Jack is now divorced (to who?) is working for the paper (what happened to his book thing? We get that addressed eventually) what happened to his sister in law? What happened with his parents? There's a lot of things I still don't think got addressed int his one. I am glad I finished though since I plan to read the next book in this series soon.
"The Scarecrow" picks up 12 years after the events in the first book in the Jack McEvoy series. Jack is working for the Los Angeles Times and is number 99 on the list of journalists who are getting RIFed (I work for the government, we have a fear of that acronym). Jack is told to train his replacement (which ouch people) and decides on the last two weeks of the job to look into a case where a grandmother says her grandson did not murder a woman and leave her body in a trunk. Jack quickly runs down leads and realizes that it appears a serial killer is on the loose. He calls up ex-lover Rachel Walling who is still with the FBI. Rachel initially dismisses Jack, but soon enough realizes he may be telling the truth. The two of them go head to head with a serial killer who seems to know their every move.
So first off, I ended up liking Jack more in this one. The petulance of the character seems to be way down in this installment. He still tries to get indignant about things, but it didn't bug me as much as it did in the first book. We know that Jack has been keeping tabs on Rachel, and Rachel rightfully so has wanted nothing to do with him since the events in the first book. I liked the two of them together in this one and I definitely enjoyed it when Rachel explains about the whole "one bullet" theory. We get more characters in this one, but I have to say that I didn't really have interest in the "Scarecrow." Per usual we get some hints about the serial killer in this one, but nothing is ever definitely found in the end. I think I like Bosch novels more because at least with Harry, he's chasing down leads so you can see the full picture of the bad guy(s) that he is after.
The writing was good in this one, it's a bit different since Connelly rails at times about how the world of journalism has changed because of the internet. I wonder how Connelly would change up this book in the year of 2020 with so many newspapers and sites going under?
The flow was off a bit, since Connelly switches between Jack's POV and then the "Scarecrow.". Those sections were so short that you won't miss anything by skipping them. They started to read very repetitive after a while.
The ending leaves things on a new note with Jack and am interested to see how things work out in book #3. I do have to say that the book kind of loses steam at the last 10 percent. I just think Connelly wanted to throw in a twist without seeing if it worked and then we are left going wait did I miss something? This also I think is a bit shorter than his usual novels. I got to the 87 percent mark on my Kindle and that was it. The book just does sneak peeks and an interview with Connelly.
"The Scarecrow" picks up 12 years after the events in the first book in the Jack McEvoy series. Jack is working for the Los Angeles Times and is number 99 on the list of journalists who are getting RIFed (I work for the government, we have a fear of that acronym). Jack is told to train his replacement (which ouch people) and decides on the last two weeks of the job to look into a case where a grandmother says her grandson did not murder a woman and leave her body in a trunk. Jack quickly runs down leads and realizes that it appears a serial killer is on the loose. He calls up ex-lover Rachel Walling who is still with the FBI. Rachel initially dismisses Jack, but soon enough realizes he may be telling the truth. The two of them go head to head with a serial killer who seems to know their every move.
So first off, I ended up liking Jack more in this one. The petulance of the character seems to be way down in this installment. He still tries to get indignant about things, but it didn't bug me as much as it did in the first book. We know that Jack has been keeping tabs on Rachel, and Rachel rightfully so has wanted nothing to do with him since the events in the first book. I liked the two of them together in this one and I definitely enjoyed it when Rachel explains about the whole "one bullet" theory. We get more characters in this one, but I have to say that I didn't really have interest in the "Scarecrow." Per usual we get some hints about the serial killer in this one, but nothing is ever definitely found in the end. I think I like Bosch novels more because at least with Harry, he's chasing down leads so you can see the full picture of the bad guy(s) that he is after.
The writing was good in this one, it's a bit different since Connelly rails at times about how the world of journalism has changed because of the internet. I wonder how Connelly would change up this book in the year of 2020 with so many newspapers and sites going under?
The flow was off a bit, since Connelly switches between Jack's POV and then the "Scarecrow.". Those sections were so short that you won't miss anything by skipping them. They started to read very repetitive after a while.
The ending leaves things on a new note with Jack and am interested to see how things work out in book #3. I do have to say that the book kind of loses steam at the last 10 percent. I just think Connelly wanted to throw in a twist without seeing if it worked and then we are left going wait did I miss something? This also I think is a bit shorter than his usual novels. I got to the 87 percent mark on my Kindle and that was it. The book just does sneak peeks and an interview with Connelly.
February 1, 2016
Michael Connelly has done it again with The scarecrow a brilliant book that takes the reader on a ride of their life a well written book & the 2nd in the Jack Mcevoy series.
Jack Mcevoy is a reporter who is virtually thrown to the scrap heap due to budget cuts angry & defiant he wants to go out with a bangusing his final days at the paper to write a finalmurder story of his career.
Alonzo Winslow a 16 year old drug dealer in jail after confessing to raping & strangling one of his crack clients the case has all the elements of a winning novel a kid from the projects born into society with no hope while looking into Alonzo's case he has doubts that Alonzo did it & believes he is innocent.
So Jack believes that the killer is still out there a killer with some very special skiils that have enabled him not to be caught after twelve years leaving no trace a killer who takes a perverse pleasure in destroying his enemies,
I absolutely loved this series Michael Connelly is a genius of this genre & keeps you enthralled from beginning to end.
Jack Mcevoy is a reporter who is virtually thrown to the scrap heap due to budget cuts angry & defiant he wants to go out with a bangusing his final days at the paper to write a finalmurder story of his career.
Alonzo Winslow a 16 year old drug dealer in jail after confessing to raping & strangling one of his crack clients the case has all the elements of a winning novel a kid from the projects born into society with no hope while looking into Alonzo's case he has doubts that Alonzo did it & believes he is innocent.
So Jack believes that the killer is still out there a killer with some very special skiils that have enabled him not to be caught after twelve years leaving no trace a killer who takes a perverse pleasure in destroying his enemies,
I absolutely loved this series Michael Connelly is a genius of this genre & keeps you enthralled from beginning to end.
September 12, 2017
I liked the first in the series (The Poet), so much, so I was happy that it was followed up by another great read. Jack is down on his luck as a reporter and is going to be layed off when he gets a call about a murder he covered. The caller insists that the suspect is innocent and was tortured into a confession. Jack starts to look into the case himself and red flags start to pop up all over. His investigation starts to upset someone and crazy things start happening to him. This is when he knows he is on the right track. Rachael is also back and her FBI skills come in very handy the closer they get to the truth. Great characters and smart suspenseful story.
February 27, 2023
Connelly for me hits it out of the park with this story. Jack McEvoy a crime reporter has 14 days before he leaves his job as a journalist at the LA Times. He stumbles upon a serial killer who we know is Carver immediately who is the Scarecrow. No mystery as we know the Scarecrow is Carver a computer security wizard.
Lots of Wizard 🧙♂️ of Oz mentions later in the story. Carver and his sidekick are nasty pieces of work and with some twisted fetishes involving leg braces! Weird and bizzare.
Jack is also reunited with Rachel Walling the FBI agent he got deported to North Dakota in The Poet. What she sees him goodness knows. The build up, twists and characterizations are excellent. Connelly also once a crime reporter harps on about the ☠️ of newspapers and the shallowness of television news and CNN.
I could not stop reading this story and for me was a page turner.
Lots of Wizard 🧙♂️ of Oz mentions later in the story. Carver and his sidekick are nasty pieces of work and with some twisted fetishes involving leg braces! Weird and bizzare.
Jack is also reunited with Rachel Walling the FBI agent he got deported to North Dakota in The Poet. What she sees him goodness knows. The build up, twists and characterizations are excellent. Connelly also once a crime reporter harps on about the ☠️ of newspapers and the shallowness of television news and CNN.
I could not stop reading this story and for me was a page turner.
August 24, 2018
Number two in the Jack McEvoy Series.
This is real scary. The story is yet another epic from Michael Connelly but the really scary thing is seeing just how vulnerable the internet has made us all to identity fraud and cyber stalking.
Jack McEvoy has been given two weeks notice to quit his job at the LA Times. Jack has seen the writing on the wall for some time. News print is becoming a thing of the passed. So Jack is determined that his last story will be his best story.
He starts investigating a story about the body of a young female found dead in a car trunk. Before long things in his life turn really bad. All his credit cards have been cancelled, his mobile phone no longer works, all his savings have been removed and the account closed, but worst of all, his new rooky trainee, is found dead under Jack's bed. The very bed where Jack and Agent Rachel Walling have just had hot steamy sex.
The Scarecrow, a computer genius, is the one responsible for all this murder and mayhem. But; who is the Scarecrow? Jack and Rachel are now working together but no matter what they do the Scarecrow is always a step ahead.
This is a page turner of the first order. It’s easy to empathise with Jack whose world just gets blacker and blacker.
At the same time the book highlights the demise of printed news papers. And will we be better off with out them???
Also, just how scary the cyber world is.
I give this 5/5 and highly recommend it.
November 13, 2018
3.5 stars
April 6, 2020
In 'The Scarecrow', Michael Connelly brings back journalist Jack McEvoy as he's on his way out the door at the financially challenged LA Times. Jack wants to go out on top, and what better way to do so than by writing about a gang-banger who's in prison for a crime he says he didn't commit. However, McEvoy is also charged with training his replacement, and this is where it becomes interesting. Jack intended to write about how the gangbanger turned murderer, his replacement was to detail the life of the murder victim, yet it turns out the prisoner wasn't the killer and Jack's 'replacement' is murdered. McEvoy contacts his old pal (and more) FBI agent Rachel Walling and they begin to peel back the layers, revealing what might be a serial killer case. But in doing so they alert the killer and a deadly cat and mouse game begins.
Connelly's strength is in his stories and his knowledge of law enforcement, and in this case journalism, practices and procedures. He's OK as a writer and, at least to me, comes across more as a journalist than novelist, which makes sense with his background as a crime reporter. The Scarecrow does a great job showcasing his strengths and his writing approach was a fine fit for this story. I liked how he tackled some tough topics beyond the serial killer investigation (the demise of print journalism, wrongful incarceration, privacy issues, mental illness, etc.) within the story without having them interfere with his plot. The Scarecrow was a welcome 2nd act for the Jack McEvoy character and a good change of pace for Connelly.
Connelly's strength is in his stories and his knowledge of law enforcement, and in this case journalism, practices and procedures. He's OK as a writer and, at least to me, comes across more as a journalist than novelist, which makes sense with his background as a crime reporter. The Scarecrow does a great job showcasing his strengths and his writing approach was a fine fit for this story. I liked how he tackled some tough topics beyond the serial killer investigation (the demise of print journalism, wrongful incarceration, privacy issues, mental illness, etc.) within the story without having them interfere with his plot. The Scarecrow was a welcome 2nd act for the Jack McEvoy character and a good change of pace for Connelly.
June 9, 2009
If this book only had a brain.
Ok, check this absurd shit out. Below is a quote from the second page of the book -- all you need to know for context is that Carver is the head of computer security at some company that protects its clients from hackers:
All the while he spoke, Carver was thinking about the intruder they had been chasing. Out there somewhere, not expecting the comeuppance that was speeding toward him. Carver and his young disciples would loot his personal bank accounts, take his identity and hide photos of men having sex with eight-year-old boys on his work computer. Then he would crash it with a replicating virus. When the intruder couldn't fix it he would call in an expert. The photos would be found and the police would be called.
Two points I'd like to make:
1. How much respect does Michael Connelly have for his reader here? After the third sentence about putting porn on the intruder's computer, I'd say that the vast majority of this book's readers would get the point trying to be made. Maybe some would need to know that he'd crash it with a virus to get the point, but is there anyone out there who could possibly need the last two sentences to get it? Why stop there, Mike? What about adding: "The police would show up and arrest the intruder. The intruder would go to jail for a very long time. The intruder would probably get violated in jail and while in the middle of one such violation the intruder would probably wish that he had never learned how to be a hacker."
2. What sort of hacker would need to call in an expert? Isn't the hacker an expert? Wouldn't he know how to re-format the hard drive? If the hacker worked for a company that had an IT division, wouldn't he most likely work in the IT division?
I should have stopped reading right then and there.
Ok, check this absurd shit out. Below is a quote from the second page of the book -- all you need to know for context is that Carver is the head of computer security at some company that protects its clients from hackers:
All the while he spoke, Carver was thinking about the intruder they had been chasing. Out there somewhere, not expecting the comeuppance that was speeding toward him. Carver and his young disciples would loot his personal bank accounts, take his identity and hide photos of men having sex with eight-year-old boys on his work computer. Then he would crash it with a replicating virus. When the intruder couldn't fix it he would call in an expert. The photos would be found and the police would be called.
Two points I'd like to make:
1. How much respect does Michael Connelly have for his reader here? After the third sentence about putting porn on the intruder's computer, I'd say that the vast majority of this book's readers would get the point trying to be made. Maybe some would need to know that he'd crash it with a virus to get the point, but is there anyone out there who could possibly need the last two sentences to get it? Why stop there, Mike? What about adding: "The police would show up and arrest the intruder. The intruder would go to jail for a very long time. The intruder would probably get violated in jail and while in the middle of one such violation the intruder would probably wish that he had never learned how to be a hacker."
2. What sort of hacker would need to call in an expert? Isn't the hacker an expert? Wouldn't he know how to re-format the hard drive? If the hacker worked for a company that had an IT division, wouldn't he most likely work in the IT division?
I should have stopped reading right then and there.
May 26, 2017
Meh, not Connelly's best.
This is the second book in the Jack McEvoy series, which has nothing to do with the Bosch series. I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Poet, but didn't enjoy The Scarecrow as much. Since the readers know who the Scarecrow is, it takes a lot of the mystery out of the novel. I liked Jack as a character, but he doesn't compare to Connelly's other leads, Bosch and Haller.
For Connelly fans I would suggest picking up the Poet, but skip the Scarecrow.
This is the second book in the Jack McEvoy series, which has nothing to do with the Bosch series. I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Poet, but didn't enjoy The Scarecrow as much. Since the readers know who the Scarecrow is, it takes a lot of the mystery out of the novel. I liked Jack as a character, but he doesn't compare to Connelly's other leads, Bosch and Haller.
For Connelly fans I would suggest picking up the Poet, but skip the Scarecrow.
March 28, 2020
** Continuing my read and review of Michael Connelly’s novels **
“The Scarecrow” is Michael Connelly’s 21st book, published in 2009. It features Jack McEvoy, the news reporter from Connelly’s 1996 novel, “The Poet”, now living in Los Angeles, and FBI agent Rachel Walling, appearing in several of Connelly’s previous “Harry Bosch” series books.
The novel kicks off with Jack being fired from his job at the Los Angeles Times (daily paper and online news) due the dying of the newspaper industry. The good news is that Jack’s given two last weeks to train his replacement – new college graduate and cheaper payroll expense, Angela Cook. The other good news is that Jack gets handed one last chance at one last big story before when he receives a call from the grandmother of an arrested 16-year-old drug dealer, Alonzo Winslow, who the police claim confessed to brutally raping and murdering one of his customers with a plastic bag tied over her head, and leaving her body stuffed in the trunk of her own car.
The Grandma claims that Alonzo did not commit the alleged crimes, nor did he confess his guilt to the cops. Doing his own due diligence, Jack gets access to the defense files, and discovers that Alonzo only admitted to stealing the car without knowing there was a body in the trunk. This sends Jack into investigation mode, and along with Angela, they find evidence of another similar murder that took place in Las Vegas. However, their internet research includes visiting a web page that is a trap site built by the real killer to catch anyone on his trail.
When Jack heads to Vegas to connect the murders, the killer has canceled his credit cards, killed his cell phone, and drained his bank accounts. Then Angela goes missing and no one can find her. Needing help and resources beyond his own, Jack gets a burner phone and calls FBI agent, Rachel Walling, a former girlfriend that he worked with ten years when they hunted the serial killer known as “The Poet”. Unfortunately, their short-lived relationship ended badly and they haven’t spoken since. However, even if Rachel decides to help him, he is being tracked by a killer who operates under the police radar, knows ever move that Jack is making, and has no plans to let him end his career with his biggest story ever.
Connelly is mostly known for his popular Detective Harry Bosch series, followed by Lincoln lawyer and half-brother, Mickey Haller. That is fine and duly noted. However, I also enjoy his lesser used characters of Jack McEvoy and Rachel Walling. Jack’s career as a beat writer feels reflective and personally connected to Connelly’s own previous beat writer job and the dying out of the printed newspaper industry to the online format. It’s also nice to see Rachel back in action in her FBI role. I find her to be a strong female lead that is even more smart and analytical than she is pretty. I enjoyed her previous relationship with Harry Bosch hat unfortunately flamed out due to his vigilante police attitude and anger management issues. I respect her independence, appreciate her knowing what she wants and doesn’t want, and find her a better fit with Jack than with Harry.
Although Jack McEvoy is not Harry Bosch or Mickey Haller, Connelly writes Jack with a personally experienced passion. He is an extension of Connelly, lamenting the death of a public service that kept the political world in check cue the rising wild west technology that the internet and social media has stripped away. It is both sentimental and exciting at the same time.
As with all Connelly novels, the pace of the story is smooth, fast, and full of twists and turns along the way. And what really marks Connelly as a great crime writer is when you are most of the way through the book, he finds ways to turn things upside down with surprises that not only catch the reader off-guard, but deliver a strong climax that stays with you well past finishing the book. This one provides several twisted mental shivers and images.
Connelly focuses his energy on using strong characters and complex, multi-layered, plotlines that barely allows the reader enough time to catch their breath between scenes. I especially enjoyed the interaction and relationship renewal between Jack and Rachel. They are both strong, smart, and sympathetic in their own emotional ways, bringing a certain vulnerability to the story that adds tension to their behaviors, as well as their pursuit of a twisted killer before he gets them.
Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this novel. It may not have been Bosch, but it was still Connelly wiring at his highest level. I just don’t know how Connelly keeps raising the bar, but he’s found the magic in combining real world issues with the best elements of mystery to create some of the best crime thrillers I have ever read. I have fully drunk from the joy of his fandom and I cannot wait to read his next one.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
“The Scarecrow” is Michael Connelly’s 21st book, published in 2009. It features Jack McEvoy, the news reporter from Connelly’s 1996 novel, “The Poet”, now living in Los Angeles, and FBI agent Rachel Walling, appearing in several of Connelly’s previous “Harry Bosch” series books.
The novel kicks off with Jack being fired from his job at the Los Angeles Times (daily paper and online news) due the dying of the newspaper industry. The good news is that Jack’s given two last weeks to train his replacement – new college graduate and cheaper payroll expense, Angela Cook. The other good news is that Jack gets handed one last chance at one last big story before when he receives a call from the grandmother of an arrested 16-year-old drug dealer, Alonzo Winslow, who the police claim confessed to brutally raping and murdering one of his customers with a plastic bag tied over her head, and leaving her body stuffed in the trunk of her own car.
The Grandma claims that Alonzo did not commit the alleged crimes, nor did he confess his guilt to the cops. Doing his own due diligence, Jack gets access to the defense files, and discovers that Alonzo only admitted to stealing the car without knowing there was a body in the trunk. This sends Jack into investigation mode, and along with Angela, they find evidence of another similar murder that took place in Las Vegas. However, their internet research includes visiting a web page that is a trap site built by the real killer to catch anyone on his trail.
When Jack heads to Vegas to connect the murders, the killer has canceled his credit cards, killed his cell phone, and drained his bank accounts. Then Angela goes missing and no one can find her. Needing help and resources beyond his own, Jack gets a burner phone and calls FBI agent, Rachel Walling, a former girlfriend that he worked with ten years when they hunted the serial killer known as “The Poet”. Unfortunately, their short-lived relationship ended badly and they haven’t spoken since. However, even if Rachel decides to help him, he is being tracked by a killer who operates under the police radar, knows ever move that Jack is making, and has no plans to let him end his career with his biggest story ever.
Connelly is mostly known for his popular Detective Harry Bosch series, followed by Lincoln lawyer and half-brother, Mickey Haller. That is fine and duly noted. However, I also enjoy his lesser used characters of Jack McEvoy and Rachel Walling. Jack’s career as a beat writer feels reflective and personally connected to Connelly’s own previous beat writer job and the dying out of the printed newspaper industry to the online format. It’s also nice to see Rachel back in action in her FBI role. I find her to be a strong female lead that is even more smart and analytical than she is pretty. I enjoyed her previous relationship with Harry Bosch hat unfortunately flamed out due to his vigilante police attitude and anger management issues. I respect her independence, appreciate her knowing what she wants and doesn’t want, and find her a better fit with Jack than with Harry.
Although Jack McEvoy is not Harry Bosch or Mickey Haller, Connelly writes Jack with a personally experienced passion. He is an extension of Connelly, lamenting the death of a public service that kept the political world in check cue the rising wild west technology that the internet and social media has stripped away. It is both sentimental and exciting at the same time.
As with all Connelly novels, the pace of the story is smooth, fast, and full of twists and turns along the way. And what really marks Connelly as a great crime writer is when you are most of the way through the book, he finds ways to turn things upside down with surprises that not only catch the reader off-guard, but deliver a strong climax that stays with you well past finishing the book. This one provides several twisted mental shivers and images.
Connelly focuses his energy on using strong characters and complex, multi-layered, plotlines that barely allows the reader enough time to catch their breath between scenes. I especially enjoyed the interaction and relationship renewal between Jack and Rachel. They are both strong, smart, and sympathetic in their own emotional ways, bringing a certain vulnerability to the story that adds tension to their behaviors, as well as their pursuit of a twisted killer before he gets them.
Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this novel. It may not have been Bosch, but it was still Connelly wiring at his highest level. I just don’t know how Connelly keeps raising the bar, but he’s found the magic in combining real world issues with the best elements of mystery to create some of the best crime thrillers I have ever read. I have fully drunk from the joy of his fandom and I cannot wait to read his next one.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
January 28, 2021
Reporter And FBI Agent Together Again...An Internet Killer Who Knows All...
Jack McEvoy is Back, losing his job and sense of worth in one day...But He Still has a story...A 16 year old boy is in jail for murder...But the cops didn't investigate much after finding their suspect, and Jack sees things differently...Soon He is entangled with a man who hacks the internet to learn Everything about a person before choosing his victim...And just like that Agent Rachel Wallington is Back by his side...And the danger gets deeper the further the investigation goes....
Jack McEvoy is Back, losing his job and sense of worth in one day...But He Still has a story...A 16 year old boy is in jail for murder...But the cops didn't investigate much after finding their suspect, and Jack sees things differently...Soon He is entangled with a man who hacks the internet to learn Everything about a person before choosing his victim...And just like that Agent Rachel Wallington is Back by his side...And the danger gets deeper the further the investigation goes....
October 7, 2025
This book was very interesting to me. Jack McEvoy is in this book and I liked him in The Poet.
I loved the explanation of why the killer is known as the Scarecrow!!
I loved the explanation of why the killer is known as the Scarecrow!!
December 8, 2018
It's been over ten years since Jack McEvoy wrote his bestseller about "The Poet" before taking a job as a crime reporter at the Los Angeles Times. Newspapers are currently having a hard time, so Jack isn't surprised when he is told that he has two weeks to train someone else for his job before he is let go. Jack decides to find a story that will make them regret laying him off. When an angry reader calls him concerning a story he wrote about a murder confession made by her 16-year-old grandson, Jack decides to look into her accusations. He quickly finds that the police may have arrested the wrong person. He also finds himself on the trail of a killer who may be ready to take his next victim.
This book is an excellent follow-up to The Poet. Jack contacts FBI Agent Rachel Walling to help him find a killer who has been undetected so far. This story is vintage Michael Connelly. I wouldn't mind reading another book featuring Jack McEvoy in the future. My rating: 4.5 Stars
This book is an excellent follow-up to The Poet. Jack contacts FBI Agent Rachel Walling to help him find a killer who has been undetected so far. This story is vintage Michael Connelly. I wouldn't mind reading another book featuring Jack McEvoy in the future. My rating: 4.5 Stars
January 15, 2018
I am working my through the "Harry Bosch Universe" and this second book featuring Jack McEvoy turned out to be one of my favorites. H0pe to see Jack return one day.
August 9, 2021
Inteligente, sorprendente y tan bueno como el primero.
April 15, 2023
Almost as good as the Poet. Yet in the end the scarecrow was defeated too easy for an evil genius
February 24, 2021
This is the second in the Jack McEvoy series that finds Jack made redundant from his job at The Times. He must also train his replacement while seeking one more big story. An underage murder suspect is to be trialled as adult, when the grandmother berates Jack for his initial reporting. So, the investigation begins, with many a surprise and danger ominously lurking. A gripping Connelly thriller with a four-star rating.
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