About Me

My photo
Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada
I am a lawyer in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada who enjoys reading, especially mysteries. Since 2000 I have been writing personal book reviews. This blog includes my reviews, information on and interviews with authors and descriptions of mystery bookstores I have visited. I strive to review all Saskatchewan mysteries. Other Canadian mysteries are listed under the Rest of Canada. As a lawyer I am always interested in legal mysteries. I have a separate page for legal mysteries. Occasionally my reviews of legal mysteries comment on the legal reality of the mystery. You can follow the progression of my favourite authors with up to 15 reviews. Each year I select my favourites in "Bill's Best of ----". As well as current reviews I am posting reviews from 2000 to 2011. Below my most recent couple of posts are the posts of Saskatchewan mysteries I have reviewed alphabetically by author. If you only want a sentence or two description of the book and my recommendation when deciding whether to read the book look at the bold portion of the review. If you would like to email me the link to my email is on the profile page.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

29. – 492.) The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly – Wesley Carver is the Scarecrow of a huge data farm scaring off hackers attempting to steal some of the crops of data being stored. Jack McEvoy is an L.A. Times reporter, previously appearing in The Poet, who is being laid off as the Times seeks to cut costs. (Connelly obviously laments the diminishment of a currently great newspaper.) He is given the opportunity to prolong his departure by training his replacement, the young and photogenic and less expensive Angela Cook. He looks for a last great story and settles on clearing a young Latino from a murder charge where the body of a young woman is found in the trunk of a car on a beach that came from the inner city. Checking out other trunk murders leads him to Las Vegas and rural Nevada where former lover and FBI agent, Rachel Walling, saves him from a killer. When Angela is murdered he is even more determined to find the killer. Together they pursue a twisted trail that leads them to the Scarecrow. The amount of information whose security is dependent on the security of independent data storage companies is frightening. The main clients of the Scarecrow’s company are large law firms. Connelly is in fine form. Carver is a character who sends chills up your spine. You cannot stop reading it. (Aug. 2/09)

2 comments:

  1. Bill - Thank you for an excellent review of this novel. Connelly is best known of course for his Harry Bosch novels and also his Mickey Haller work. But the fact is, McEvoy is a great character too. Thanks for the reminder of this excellent novel. Connelly just never seems to disappoint, does he?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Margot: Thanks for the comment. I have read more books by Connelly than any other author over the past 11 years.

    ReplyDelete