The Poet (A Jack McEvoy Series) by Michael Connelly

Who is The Poet?  He is the world's most wanted serial killer.  Brutal, sadistic and delights in the pain and death of others.  To him the thrill of the chase is as exciting as the kill and he specialises in killing cops.

Food for thought (a line from the book, Chapter 39):  "...There is a means to every end.  A root to any cause.  Sometimes the root is more evil than the cause, though it's the cause that is usually the most vilified."  (Jack McEvoy, cop beat reporter at the Rocky Mountain News, protagonist)

What is the book about?  Michael Connelly explains it here or you can find out more on Michael Connelly's official website.

I never tire of reading Connelly's books.  You cannot get much closer to an author speaking from his heart than in The Poet.  Pay attention to the mere simplicity of prose used to tell a complex story and you will be left in no doubt that this is the work of a master storyteller at his pinnacle.  There is no need for a long and in-depth review.  One word covers it all and that is Perfection.  If you have not read this book, I urge you to do so now.


The Poet won the 1997 Dilys Award presented by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.  The paperback I read is a re-issued published in 2004.  The original was published in 1996 and the sequel, The Narrows, was published in 2004. 


Rating:  5/5