The Poet

By: Michael Connelly

Narrated by: Buck Schirner

Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE HARRY BOSCH AND LINCOLN LAWYER SERIES

An electrifying standalone thriller that breaks all the rules!

Death is reporter Jack McEvoy's beat: his calling, his obsession. But this time, death brings McEvoy the story he never wanted to write - and the mystery he desperately needs to solve. A serial killer of unprecedented savagery and cunning is at large. His targets: homicide cops, each haunted by a murder case he couldn't crack. The killer's calling card: a quotation from the works of Edgar Allan Poe. His latest victim is McEvoy's own brother. And his last...may be McEvoy himself.

©1996 by Michael Connelly. (P)1996 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Not so good.

Not nearly as good as the Bosch or Mickey Haller books. Plotting alternates between the obvious and the arbitrary. Narration not up to snuff with poorly delineated characters.

Like Michael Connely but this one not for me

Interesting story. Liked first person account. But too predictable. Left too many questions unanswered. Why did the killer kill and why in the way that he did? Needs one more chapter to plug the holes and fill in the answers.

Not enough Poe

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes. Although I would have liked to see the Poe connection elaborated on a bit more the story was good and kept me interested.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes

Any additional comments?

a bit too much character development not enough action.

Rollercoaster Thriller

Just when you. think the story is going in particular direction, it takes a hairpin turn. I. Couldn't wait to listen to the next sequence of events. The book is loaded with mystery, romance, intrigue with the plot leading to an unpredicted corkscrew ending.

Good, easy listen.

Where does The Poet rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Poet is a good listen for an easy-to-follow mystery. It ranks just average in all the audiobooks I've listened to so far.

What was most disappointing about Michael Connelly’s story?

It was a little slow in the middle.

What does Buck Schirner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He moved the book along, but was a little boring at points.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I listened while commuting for my job.

A good read

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Great understanding of the frailties of the characters, and how far they will go to get answers. Slow moving, but great character development. Reads like a typical murder mystery, but more from the prospective of a writer, someone outside the usual investigative world of cops and FBI. Just when you think it's all going to be solved and end, there comes a very fast unsuspected conclusion. A good read.

One of Connelly's Best

Where does The Poet rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 10%.

Have you listened to any of Buck Schirner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Neither, but it was an attention grabber and keeper.

Any additional comments?

Excellent. Lots of twists and turns and unexpected happenings. Highly recommend this book.

Great book, not so great narration

What did you love best about The Poet?

I love a good murder mystery, and this was a good one! There were twists and turns and I couldn't figure out how it would end!

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I was really distracted by his narration. He blended some of his words together often - maybe it's an accent or common in the part of the country he was from? For example, he said, 'i twas', instead of 'it was'. For some reason, it bugged me. He also sounded like he was much older than the character seemed to be. I had a hard time imagining his voice as that of Jack.

Wow!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Poet to be better than the print version?

n/a

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rachel. Her character kept you wondering her motives

Have you listened to any of Buck Schirner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but he was very good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Jack found out about why his brother had the foreign substance in his mouth. Very real and sad.

Any additional comments?

I will read/listen again!

entertaining

good story, good reading. a little cheesy, but what do you really want from a murder mystery?