The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Poet was one of my favorite books, and I’m a fan of Connelly’s, so I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to get to The Scarecrow. An easy read with an interesting, if not particularly intricate, plot, the story is told from the POV of Jack McEvoy, recently pink-slipped from his job as a journalist, and “The Scarecrow,” the genius behind an internet hosting farm. There’s the requisite research and digging, some rekindled romance with Agent Rachel Walling, and a couple of twists and turns, though mostly you can see what’s coming, no real surprise elements. Good, but not as good as The Poet.
Fair Warning by Michael Connelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The third book in the Jack McEvoy series definitely leaves room for a sequel. Once again, Jack and his on-again-off-again love of his life, Rachel Walling, are working together, though this time Rachel is no longer with the FBI and Jack is working for a consumer advisory site called FairWarning. The hunt is on for a serial killer who targets his victims based on DNA submitted to a lab by women looking for ancestry links. A largely unregulated industry, the premise is a clever one, and it seems that FairWarning is the real deal and something Connelly himself supports as part of the Board of Directors.
Once again, this is an easy read and while it can be read as a standalone, I’d definitely suggest reading in order, starting with The Poet.