Michael Connelly " The Scarecrow"

There is a place for good thrillers don't you think? It has been many years since I read a Michael Connelly book and so I am not sure what possessed me to pick up "The Scarecrow," but I am very glad I did. It is highly entertaining without being deeply disturbing. I can't remember the details of his earlier books that I have read including "The Poet" that is referred to in Scarecrow, but I remeber enjoying them too.

Connelly relies more on contemporty plot scenarios rather then indepth characterisation. I appreciated this immensely in this book. Aren't we all a bit over the heavy smoking, heavy drinking, introverted and tortured detective? I know I am. I loved Jack McEvoy; the energetic and optimistic in the face of troubles, crime reporter. I also thought the insights into the challenges the big newspapers are facing in the wake of the new world of wham bam thank you mam online journalism were interesting and disturbing. Where will the good investigative print journalists go? Relevant and entertaining; what more could one want in a paperback thriller.

One gripe and I have to have one. The female protagonist FBI Agent Rachel is awful. She is so shallowly drawn and so uninteresting. And yes I know I said we don't need the deep characters, but really she is the limit. And the only blight on a really good read.