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The Poet (Jack McEvoy, 1) Mass Market Paperback – September 26, 2017
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An electrifying standalone thriller that breaks all the rules! With an introduction by Stephen King.
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.
- Print length544 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
- Publication dateSeptember 26, 2017
- Dimensions4.5 x 1.25 x 7.75 inches
- ISBN-101478948310
- ISBN-13978-1478948315
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From the brand
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author
-
The Ballard & Bosch Series
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The Lincoln Lawyer Series
Editorial Reviews
Review
―-Kirkus Reviews
"TERRIFYINGLY REALISTIC....Connelly's plotting is near flawless....THE POET ranks with Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs."
―-Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Little, Brown and Company; Reissue edition (September 26, 2017)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 544 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1478948310
- ISBN-13 : 978-1478948315
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 4.5 x 1.25 x 7.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #43,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,357 in Murder Thrillers
- #1,519 in Police Procedurals (Books)
- #4,717 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty-five million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly's 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include The Waiting (2024), Resurrection Walk (2023), Desert Star (2022), The Dark Hours (2021), The Law Of Innocence (2020), Fair Warning (2020), and The Night Fire (2019). Michael is the executive producer of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee. He is the executive producer of The Lincoln Lawyer, streaming on Netflix, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, "Sound Of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story' and 'Tales Of the American.' He spends his time in California and Florida.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book easy to read with an intriguing plot and surprising twists. They praise the writing quality as decent and well-crafted. Readers appreciate the rich, well-developed characters that keep them engaged. The pacing is described as fast and engaging, keeping them hooked until the end.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book an engaging read with believable characters. They describe it as their favorite by Connelly, with a mix of ingredients that keep readers hooked. The plot is outstanding, with excellent character development and no dull moments.
"...To me Thomas Harris' "Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon" are the best books I have every read in this particular category/genre...." Read more
"...Good stuff. Pitfalls. Hero inexplicably gets the girl. Its a weird trapping that connely hasnt figured out yet...." Read more
"This is a story that keeps you engaged page after page, never a dull moment, taking you along at a fast pace-- so much that you almost can't catch a..." Read more
"...It's worth the time to read, and as with books regarding crime, it has scenes described that could be seen as disturbing, which is the nature of the..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's intriguing plot and surprising twists. They praise the author's ability to craft a complex yet fitting plot that keeps them hooked until the end. The story is described as suspenseful, with a progressively moving plot structure and a twisting ending.
"...an excellent writer and his characters are every bit as compelling, complex and convincing as his narrative...." Read more
"...The pages flew by without notice, and the ending was a surprise...." Read more
"...Well that review is BS in my opinion! The book is good with a nice twist at the end." Read more
"...Lol. I enjoyed this twisting and turning, around-the-bend-and-back case. There are a few red herrings...." Read more
Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book. They find it well-written with an intriguing plot and crafty writing style. The characters are well-drawn and the story keeps readers hooked with its twists and turns.
"...And the quality of prose only gets better. "Death is my beat. I make my living from it. I forge my professional reputation on it...." Read more
"...First impression, impressive. Really. Jack as a main character isnt terribly intriguing, but he has enough wit and smarts to keep me interested...." Read more
"...As a standalone story out of the Bosch Universe I enjoyed it. McEvoy is well drawn, but he's not nearly as compelling or as interesting as..." Read more
"Superb writing. Magnificent story development and real depth in developing characters. Good psychological profiling of all of the characters...." Read more
Customers enjoy the well-developed characters and complex plots in the book. They find the characters engaging, with believable traits. The story is easy to follow and keeps readers' attention.
"...Connelly is an excellent writer and his characters are every bit as compelling, complex and convincing as his narrative...." Read more
"...It is an easy story to follow with well written characters, which kept my attention...." Read more
"Superb writing. Magnificent story development and real depth in developing characters. Good psychological profiling of all of the characters...." Read more
"I like the character even with his flaws. Really felt as if you knew all the characters. Quite a look at why people act and think as they do...." Read more
Customers find the book engaging with its action, thrills, and surprises. They say the book keeps their attention with its wit and smarts. The characters are complex with enough twists and turns to keep them entertained. The plot and twists keep readers thinking and pulling them in. Overall, customers find the book appealing to a wide reading audience.
"...isnt terribly intriguing, but he has enough wit and smarts to keep me interested. I also sympathized with him, his personal demons were relatable...." Read more
"...It is an easy story to follow with well written characters, which kept my attention...." Read more
"Full of surprises Had me guessing all the way through One of the best crime novels I’ve read- and I’ve read a lot of them." Read more
"...This book will appeal to a very broad reading audience. It is basically a stand-alone, so it can be read at anytime...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find it fast-paced with enough twists and turns to keep them engaged. The story starts slowly but picks up speed near the end, making it hard to put down once you start reading.
"...keeps you engaged page after page, never a dull moment, taking you along at a fast pace-- so much that you almost can't catch a breath for want of..." Read more
"...It is basically a stand-alone, so it can be read at anytime. There is a second Jack McEvoy novel, “The Scarecrow”, which is written later...." Read more
"...I read it in a day while on vacation, never slowing down except to eat. What fun!..." Read more
"...That's why I didn't give it 5 stars. Spoiler Alert! The final twist was so quick and surprising, it gave me whiplash! It was very exciting...." Read more
Customers find the book well-researched and informative. They appreciate the author's detailed knowledge of law enforcement, including the workings of a major newspaper. The book captures the reality of investigative reporting on criminal behavior with a focus on profiling. Readers also mention that the female lead is tough, smart, and yet sexy. Overall, they describe the book as superb in every way imaginable.
"...Jacobs be an outsider, but his detecting skills are well-designed & flowing...." Read more
"...Not quite as good Harry Bosch--but since that is the absolute top of police procedurals, to even be mentioned in same paragraph with Bosch is..." Read more
"...as the narrator misinterpreting events which is a difficult literary convention to pull off in a third-person narrative...." Read more
"...his other works, Michael Connelly demonstrates his detailed knowledge about law enforcement, including the workings of the FBI and the G's..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find it suspenseful and a classic Connelly page-turner that keeps them turning the pages until the end.
"...almost every other reviewer here has mentioned, this book is a class-1 page-turner...." Read more
"...It's a great page turner." Read more
"...some grammatical mistakes notwithstanding, and a real page turner..." Read more
"...It was a real page turner that keeps of reader engaged, anxious to see what happens next...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2005The level of suspense in Edgar Award-winning Michael Connelly's riveting whodunit, "The Poet," is so intense that even though I read the thriller's sequel, "The Narrows," first and therefore knew some of the more important aspects of the plot, including the identity of the serial murderer, I was still caught off guard and surprised throughout the novel. I do suggest, however, that one read the books in order for maximum enjoyment - although both are easily 5 Star reads.
The opening lines, from the mouth, (or mind), of protagonist Jack McEvoy, are knock-outs. And the quality of prose only gets better. "Death is my beat. I make my living from it. I forge my professional reputation on it. I treat it with the passion and precision of an undertaker - somber and sympathetic about it when I'm with the bereaved, a skilled craftsman with it when I am alone. I've always thought the secret of dealing with death was to keep it at arm's length. That's the rule." McEvoy is the Denver Rocky Mountain News' crime reporter. Author Connelly was a crime reporter himself, and his obvious expertise when describing the investigation, along with his knowledge of police procedures and the newspaper business, lends enormous credibility to his narrative.
When Jack is informed of the suicide of his twin brother, Sean, a homicide detective who was obsessed with a particularly heinous murder case, he has serious doubts that his brother was capable of taking his own life. Jack breaks his own rule. How can he keep his twin's death at arm's length? He begins to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death on his own, and discovers that Sean was murdered - a murder ingeniously disguised as a suicide. His research also brings to light several similar "apparent" suicides by homicide detectives, in various US cities. All of the dead cops were deeply disturbed by exceptionally grisly cases they were working on. Also common to all the deaths are brief and cryptic suicide notes, quoting lines from some of the more obscure writings of Edgar Allen Poe. Cases in Chicago, Baltimore, Dallas, New Mexico and Florida are eventually reopened. Jack continues to follow his leads, and to protect his sources, until the FBI discovers what he has uncovered and puts an end to his detecting. Obviously, they want to take over - these are federal crimes, after all, and Jack is a journalist. McEvoy threatens to print the story, which is his right - but would give the killer a heads-up. However an agreement is struck that Jack will temporarily sit on the scoop if the feds allow him to sit-in on the case. Thus, an unlikely team is forged. Several members of the FBI's Behavioral Science Section, and one Denver reporter, race against the clock to track the killer(s) and prevent the next murder(s).
This is one scary, chilling thriller. Add Poe's writing to this unnerving mix, and I'd advise you to read during daylight hours, or keep all the lights on in the evening. If you are squeamish, this may not be the book for you, as it deals with mutilation, child molestation and pedophilia.
Connelly is an excellent writer and his characters are every bit as compelling, complex and convincing as his narrative. The psychological aspects behind the motivations of many of these personages are just plain fascinating. To me Thomas Harris' "Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon" are the best books I have every read in this particular category/genre. I have yet to read anything which induces the terror evoked by these two novels. This one comes close.
JANA
- Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2017I come to the detective genre with hesitation. Im skeptical of white knights and this shows in my reading. I find them boring and predictable and highly overdone in fiction, both novels and movies. Another catch is that they often turn into series of tremendous length and i didnt want to sink the money into it. But, some of the best writing is in this genre and i cant really investigate Noir without at least trying it. So i eased myself into it.
Now i know what youre thinking, "this isnt a detective novel." Not necesarily, it lands the same patterns and story beats, they just change the main characters profession. But really, everything else is identical.
First impression, impressive. Really. Jack as a main character isnt terribly intriguing, but he has enough wit and smarts to keep me interested. I also sympathized with him, his personal demons were relatable. A cricial component to any novel.
The protagonist was sickening and disturbing in his presentation, but they still managed to sneak in a tragic backstory so that he doesnt seem like evil incarnate with no history, but really a victim and evetually perpetrator of his own trauma.
The plot was pretty basic, what youd expect from this genre. Not boring, but expected. Its why people come to this genre. As far as the twists are, i legitimately didnt expect them. I thought for sure i knew who the killer was, but i was expertly thrown.
I think a key part of the novel was what happens at the hotel, as they set the duplicity that leads to the climax. Connely creates a scenario with multiple solutions, a puzzle that is really the heart of any murder mystery, though in this case the clue is among the team. Good stuff.
Pitfalls. Hero inexplicably gets the girl. Its a weird trapping that connely hasnt figured out yet. Im not mad that the MC has a romantic interest or that they end up together. More like, i never saw that moment where they connected as humans, and the emotional intensity the held never felt justified.
Another problem, and this might be personal taste, is the novel rapidly lost that noir feeling of the early chapters when it started to travel. Connely made colorado feel like a dirty grungey location, perfect for murder. Than it moved to airplanes and fancy hotels, losing that sense of grit and turning it into a thriller.
Anyway, great novel. Kept me guessing, kept me reeling, and most importantly, kept me turning the page. Will read the next book, and maybe some of his BOSCH novels. Im still not sold on the white knight stuff, but we shall see.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2024This is a story that keeps you engaged page after page, never a dull moment, taking you along at a fast pace-- so much that you almost can't catch a breath for want of keeping abreast of a reporter wanting a story who becomes part of that story. And so much more. Might be Connelly's best.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2024I have not read Poe since high school and was curious to know how his work was incorporated into the story.
It is an easy story to follow with well written characters, which kept my attention. The pages flew by without notice, and the ending was a surprise.
It's worth the time to read, and as with books regarding crime, it has scenes described that could be seen as disturbing, which is the nature of the beast.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2024I read Stephen King’s Debian’s it really pulled me in and made me afraid to read it. Well that review is BS in my opinion! The book is good with a nice twist at the end.
Top reviews from other countries
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IvanReviewed in Mexico on November 1, 2022
3.0 out of 5 stars Algo malo el libro.
Esperaba más, sobre todo por lo que leía en el prólogo. El final es súper malo.
- BobReviewed in Canada on July 30, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Meet Jack McEvoy . . .
. . . a journalist whose beat is crime, deadly crime mostly, and while his stories are gritty and gripping, they’re tempered by being after-the-fact accounts. But when he’s told his twin brother, a homicide cop, is dead, an apparent suicide, Jack isn’t ready to accept that and begins to look into other police officer deaths deemed to be suicides. When his investigative efforts reveal that many of them, including that of his brother, are in fact homicides, the story kicks into high gear.
Connelly writes a taut narrative that is rapid fire in its pacing and he again excels with terrific character development and a story line that is engaging, entertaining, and with enough plot twists to keep the suspense level high.
As an investigative journalist, McEvoy makes an interesting addition to Connelly’s character arsenal.
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Client d'AmazonReviewed in France on March 22, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Je suis fan
Excellent comme tous les romans de Michael Connelly.
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Cliente AmazonReviewed in Spain on March 6, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars LA BUSQUEDA DE UN ASESINO POETA
Suspense hasta la ultima pagina
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Ingeborg BockReviewed in Germany on February 26, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Lieblingsautor
Dieses Buch war bis zur letzten Seite sehr fesselnd.