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.

Great serial killer novel.

I loved the dark tones of this book. The story kept you listening and was hard to put down. Looking forward to the next one in this series.

Is Connelly the Best Crime Writer Or What?

Michael Connelly is a master. Connelly started out as a writer for a newspaper so it makes sense he would have a story about a reporter. I really like how he switched the point of view between Jack McEvoy (the reporter) and a creepy pedophile/murderer. At first there seems to be no connection in the storyline, but eventually it becomes apparant that these two are destined to clash. When I realized how early the book was was climaxing I was happy that my radar for the bad guy seemed to be intact. I was wrong.

Isn't it fun to read 20 year old books? People having to find pay phones, dial-up internet connections and no cell phone tracking.

Story good; narrator awful

I hate knowing I would have enjoyed this book, but for the narrator.

Or, as the narrator would say,

'Twould have been good; 'twas not I but the reader. 'Twas a good story read by a narrator with the audible emotion of a canned yam. 'Twould have been much better 'fth Mr. NarratorMan recognized the "i" nth words "if," "in" and especially "it." 'Twould have been a good one ndeed.

Masterful

I have enjoyed every Michael Connelly book so far. The Poet was a standout. The story line moved quickly and the characters were varied and well developed. The plot twists kept you wondering what would happen next. I hope there are more books based on these main characters.

Barely finished this book

I first put down this book because suicide is a sensitive topic and I had a hard time making it through the first half hour of dwelling over suicide/depression etc.
After that I kept getting fed up with the 'getting the story' aspect of the book. The journalist gets criticized for being a journalist and sometimes he does act kind of sleazy trying to get his story.

If you can make it through that there is a good murder mystery with some good plot twists.

Another great summer read!

Well written, creepy, exciting, satisfying great performance by Mr. Schirner. Perfect for the beach or backyards

Fabulous as ever with Michael Connelly

I've enjoyed so much of Connelly's work and this novel was as always outstanding work.

Not one of Connelly’s best

The female love interest seems way too two dimensional and the narration was over the top. The voices the narrator used for the different characters were done well, however, and nearly made up for the over dramatization of the main character’s first person perspective.

nothisbestwork

But then he was a young author. The hero was actually a naive and bumbling boon who falsely accused every character and is somewhat responsible for several deaths. 3-4 endings of the book lster, I ran out of patience. Still, it makes me appreciate the stellar author who is Today's mr. Connelly.

Disappointed

What did you like best about The Poet? What did you like least?

I had high expectations - I usually really like Michael Connelly. However, this story is somehow disjointed, with a really weird ending. I wish I had spent the 20 hours doing something else. Well read though.

Was The Poet worth the listening time?

No