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|  | Author: Michael Connelly
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
List Price: $27.99
Buy Used: $2.93
as of 11/24/2009 11:26 CST details
You Save: $25.06 (90%)
New (57) Used (145) Collectible (19) from $2.93
Seller: goodwill_industries_san_francisco
Rating:  214 reviews
Sales Rank: 2872
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.6
ISBN: 0316166308
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780316166300
ASIN: 0316166308
Publication Date: May 26, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: There is writing on the inside cover. Book only in Acceptable Condition. We ship Monday - Friday. Easy returns if you are unhappy with the book. Proceeds benefit non-profit Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties. We create solutions to poverty through the businesses we operate. Your purchase creates jobs and transforms lives. Thank you.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 214
 Outstanding September 23, 2009
Tim Beazley (San Diego, CA United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
One of the things I've always liked about Connelly's books is that his characters seem so realistic, reacting to real-life situations the way we'd expect real-life people to act. "Scarecrow" has that same, real-life feel.
Jack McEvoy is a former ace-reporter, whose recent career has not lived up to his earlier achievements; and he works for the L.A. Times, a newspaper whose former glory is fading too, just like Jack's. Connelly, a former newsman himself, gives a vivid description of the devastating impact that competition from internet and cable news providers has had on print media. The impact on the L.A. Times was so great that they imposed a reduction-in-force, and Jack is the 99th person to be laid off. Even worse, Jack has to train his own replacement. Connelly does an outstanding job describing Jack's inner turmoil as he tries to deal with his humiliating circumstances.
Jack has two weeks to train his replacement, and he resolves to use that time to write one last story, a story that will make such a splash that the paper will have no choice but to keep him on. Jack's last-chance story involves a black teenager accused of brutally raping and killing a young white stripper. Jack thinks he can weasel his way into the boy's confidence and get enough material for a Pulitzer-level, "mind of a young black killer" story, but there are three small problems.
First, Jack's ambitious, young replacement may try to steal the story from him.
Second, Jack's editor may have the hots for the replacement, who happens to be an extremely attractive young woman.
Third, the young black boy sitting in jail may not actually have killed that stripper after all.
And that's when the story really gets interesting.
Jack faces numerous challenges in his search for the truth, his quest for a Pulitzer Prize, and his fight for his job; and the little details that Connelly throws in make each page seem so true-to-life that you feel like you're actually watching it happen yourself.
This is a really good story told by a real master.
 Far-Fetched September 22, 2009
Mark Stevens (Denver)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
The closer you get, "The Scarecrow" doesn't hold the fear factor--just like the real thing.
For a Connelly submission, I'd file this under "just okay."
Connelly is a former reporter--and so am I (twenty years worth). The newsroom tidbits are good and so is the idea of writing about a newsroom veteran on his way through the downsizing wringer. The "newspapers in decline" backdrop is nifty--and immediately sets up a terrific timeframe for the book, that our hero has only two weeks (until his job expires) to report and write a story that will light the city on fire.
The idea of "springing an innocent" during his final run has considerable appeal, of course, and Jack McEvoy has just the "case" he needs--a wrongly accused inner city kid.
But it's not a "case" and that's where I think Connelly has McEvoy approach things too much like a cop (hello, Harry Bosch) and not much at all like a reporter. McEvoy's methods, approach, mobility and style are much more cop-like than reporter-like, even given the loose license McEvoy is given in his final stretch of work. "This is getting pretty far- fetched, isn't it?" McEvoy asks at one point when thinking about how many firewalls and computer systems the bad guy would have had to crash in order to wreak so much havoc within the L.A. Times network. The answer is, "yes, pretty far-fetched."
The plot feels baked up out of a random series of cookie cutters. The bad guy's warped sense of humanity is sprung from the familiar turf of psycho/sexual perversions. The bad guy saddles up next to McEvoy at a bar--without McEvoy knowing it's him. FBI agent Rachel Walling loses her badge and then regains it, just in the nick of time. The bad guy is a mentor for others and his students have to "prove" their worth to the master. The ticking clock near the end--the most thought and action ever recorded in a 45-seconds span--is straight pulp.
But--it's Connelly. The writing is crisp, McEvoy's struggles are palpable, the book is hard to put down. Two lines in particular made me think Connelly had a good idea for this book and then mailed it in.
Quote number one from McEvoy: "The thought chilled me to the center of my soul."
Quote number two: "I was part of the story again--I had killed one of the people the story was about."
Crackling good read with decent suspense September 20, 2009
Andrew A. Grgich (Gilbert, AZ United States)
This was my first Connelly book but it I intend to look for others by him after reading 'The Scarecrow'. This is my highest form of praise for any author and I'm only too glad to offer it here.
The book -- as others no doubt have mentioned -- goes between two viewpoints. The main thrust of the novel is a first person account of our hero's final days as a crime beat reporter for the LA Times. The second viewpoint is from that of our antagonist as we get a glimpse inside his head to see how he is always one step ahead.
I enjoyed the seeming accuracy of the reporter's world as stories are planned and written. This gave the reporter's account a 'you are there' perspective on a world that not many of us get to glimpse.
There is just enough suspense to keep you guessing and in all, a great read. Definitely recommended.
A dangerous murder investigation where Jack is onto a ruthless killer with perfect knowledge of police routines September 17, 2009
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
Michael Connelly's THE SCARECROW pairs L.A. actor Peter Giles' extensive TV and film background with a thriller telling of a crime reporter's final days and his choice to produce the definitive murder story of his career. His decision leads to a dangerous murder investigation where Jack is onto a ruthless killer with perfect knowledge of police routines.
The Scarecrow September 15, 2009
J. Lahey (Massachusetts, USA)
Typical Michael Connelly. Very cleverly written, and - even though the reader figures out the identity of the villain fairly early on - interest in the story line is not affected. A good "read". I listened to the unabidged audio, and Peter Giles was an exceptional reader. The story emphasizes the plight of the newspaper in the modern age, which lends relevance to the story. Harry Bosch plays a lesser role, but it's still a pleasure to have him involved!
Showing reviews 16-20 of 214
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