by Harlan Coben
Unlike Michael Connelly's linear narration, this Coben's Tell No One is more cinematic. All the pieces are presented, so that you can play with them, weight them or analyze them along the development of the story. And as Michael Connelly always hides behind his characters, Coben couldn't help intruding, flashing his "wiseass" here and there.
Yeah, a smart author and a good story.
Chasing the Dime
by Michael Connelly
I always believe that the lack of representation of IT workers in all forms of entertainment is due to the boredom of the profession, and I am right again. Even Michael Connelly couldn't work miracles.
In Chasing the Dime, the story follows Pierce's personal and professional quests. In the personal world, his curiosity about a missing prostitute is connected to the buried guilt for his long lost sister. The mission to save Lilly is the course of redemption. In the professional world, his devotion to science is about to be materialized by production, fame and money. The two lines interweave awkwardly before they finally cross. In order for his readers to understand the tech side of the story, the author tried very hard to include long sections of explanation in various ways. However, the best reading experience still comes from skipping those pages.
If only Connelly chooses a different field for his protagonist, the story could be so much more readable, and he himself could avoid the embarrassment of those amateur description of IT.
I always believe that the lack of representation of IT workers in all forms of entertainment is due to the boredom of the profession, and I am right again. Even Michael Connelly couldn't work miracles.
In Chasing the Dime, the story follows Pierce's personal and professional quests. In the personal world, his curiosity about a missing prostitute is connected to the buried guilt for his long lost sister. The mission to save Lilly is the course of redemption. In the professional world, his devotion to science is about to be materialized by production, fame and money. The two lines interweave awkwardly before they finally cross. In order for his readers to understand the tech side of the story, the author tried very hard to include long sections of explanation in various ways. However, the best reading experience still comes from skipping those pages.
If only Connelly chooses a different field for his protagonist, the story could be so much more readable, and he himself could avoid the embarrassment of those amateur description of IT.
The Closers
by Michael Connelly
This is my first Harry Bosch and second Michael Connelly, and neither of them let me down.
There is nothing funky about the fiction. A typical detective story develops in a straight forward way. One case, two major detectives and some politics. The readers access the case the same way as the detectives, from reading the murder book to finding clues. The drama is not achieved through hiding information or twisting narration. We are allowed, or maybe even forced to emerge our minds into those of the detectives and therefore, when they think, we think, when they discover, we discover. In a way, we become the drama. The suspension is achieved through the rhythm of narrating. Nothing interrupts the case. The private lives of the detectives are kept minimum, the background and environmental information are given just enough to facilitate a better understanding of the case, and even the politics within the police department are tightly controlled. Thanks to his training in journalism, Connelly's narration is concise and right to the point.
Michael Connelly and John Grisham represent two types of author. The former is a professional. Since writing a good mystery is his ultimate goal, Connelly may never go beyond a bestseller, but readers can always depend upon his consistency in style and skill to have a good read. John Grisham, on the other hand, has agenda above writing, and he explores and expresses them through his writing. Therefore, depends on whether the cultural, religious or political topics he engages into interest you or not, the reading experiences may vary drastically. Great writers usually come from this second type.
This is my first Harry Bosch and second Michael Connelly, and neither of them let me down.
There is nothing funky about the fiction. A typical detective story develops in a straight forward way. One case, two major detectives and some politics. The readers access the case the same way as the detectives, from reading the murder book to finding clues. The drama is not achieved through hiding information or twisting narration. We are allowed, or maybe even forced to emerge our minds into those of the detectives and therefore, when they think, we think, when they discover, we discover. In a way, we become the drama. The suspension is achieved through the rhythm of narrating. Nothing interrupts the case. The private lives of the detectives are kept minimum, the background and environmental information are given just enough to facilitate a better understanding of the case, and even the politics within the police department are tightly controlled. Thanks to his training in journalism, Connelly's narration is concise and right to the point.
Michael Connelly and John Grisham represent two types of author. The former is a professional. Since writing a good mystery is his ultimate goal, Connelly may never go beyond a bestseller, but readers can always depend upon his consistency in style and skill to have a good read. John Grisham, on the other hand, has agenda above writing, and he explores and expresses them through his writing. Therefore, depends on whether the cultural, religious or political topics he engages into interest you or not, the reading experiences may vary drastically. Great writers usually come from this second type.
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