The Poet: A Book Review

This is an older book by Michael Connelly (written in 1996). Somehow I've managed to go all this time without reading it. I was shocked when I realized this.

A synopsis:
Jack McEvoy is a Denver crime reporter with the stickiest assignment of his career. His twin brother, homicide detective Sean McEvoy, was found dead in his car from a self-inflicted bullet wound to the head--an Edgar Allen Poe quote smeared on the windshield. Jack is going to write the story. The problem is that Jack doesn't believe that his brother killed himself, and the more information he uncovers, the more it looks like Sean's death was the work of a serial killer. Jack's research turns up similar cases in cities across the country, and within days, he's sucked into an intense FBI investigation of an Internet pedophile who may also be a cop killer nicknamed the Poet. It's only a matter of time before the Poet kills again, and as Jack and the FBI team struggle to stay ahead of him, the killer moves in, dangerously close.

I've been a fan of Michael Connelly's books since around 2001 or maybe 2002. I can't believe I missed this one. And actually, after further investigation, it looks like there's another 6 books out there by Connelly that I have yet to read (one of which is sitting in my to-read pile right this minute). Geez! Some Michael Connelly fan I turned out to be, eh? At any rate, I'm very glad that I came across this book at Half-Price Books the other day. It's an excellent read. If I hadn't already read the follow up book to this (The Scarecrow), I would have been completely taken by surprise with the ending. However, even knowing "the future" of certain characters, I still found the book to be a nail-biter. I give The Poet 4 out of 5 stars on the Kari Hayes Scale of Readability.