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4.0étoiles sur 5
Plot-Driven Murder Mystery with an Unusual Premise, Aoû 25 2008
Are plots the center of murder mysteries? Or are the characters the center? I think that highly intelligent authors sometimes get carried away and try to do too much. That's the weakness of Blood Work. But if you don't mind a plot from Mars, you may find that the paths of Mars and Venus eventually intersect on Earth.
Blood Work is a novel filled with more imagination than I can ever hope to muster. As a result, the story becomes dizzying in its complications towards the end. What will hold your attention throughout is the riveting portrayal of retired FBI-profiler, Terry McCaleb, as he tries to track down the murderer of the woman whose heart saved McCaleb's life while recovering from the transplant surgery.
To me, the most interesting parts of the book relate to what it would be like to receive a heart transplant and to have a chance to do something for the donor's family by sorting out a murderer. That's about as interesting a premise as you can have. I'm sure you'll think about it often after you read the book.
On the other hand, I was less than thrilled by the shifts in pace within the book. It starts slow and gently . . . but is moving at breakneck pace near the end. The beginning is too slow, and the end is too fast. It's more contrast than most readers can easily absorb.
Michael Connelly also relies a bit too much on his ability to tie an infinite number of facts together into a plot. It's overkill. But I had to be impressed by the imagination that can do that.
If you haven't read other stories by Michael Connelly about Terry McCaleb, be sure you start with this one. It will enrich your appreciation of the later stories.
If you want to have some extra fun with the book, keep track of the different ways that the book's title fits into the story. You'll be amazed at how many different references are appropriate. I don't recall too many novels that use more than three such references. Connelly moves well beyond such a modest target.
Pay attention to the details. They matter!
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4.0étoiles sur 5
Beware the Following Sea, Janv. 26 2007
"Blood Work" is Michael Connelly's seventh book, and only his second not to feature Harry Bosch. Instead, it centers on Terry McCaleb, a retired FBI agent in his mid-40s. Born in LA, McCaleb grew up on Catalina Island and took a disability retirement after a heart attack. In fact, he'd received a heart transplant about two months before the book opens - a very rare blood type meant he'd had to wait about two years from his transplant. He lives on a twenty-year old boat, "The Following Sea", which he inherited from his father and is moored in the San Pedro marina. However, he does plan to eventually move back to Catalina. McCaleb worked on some very high profile cases as an agent - including, for example, "The Code Killer" and "The Sunset Strip Strangler" cases. Connelly's only previous book not to feature Bosch was "The Poet" - while McCaleb did not feature in that book, it seems he did contribute to that investigation.
The events of "Blood Work" are kick-started by Keisha Russell, a journalist from the Times, who has also played a minor role in some of the Bosch novels. Having helped McCaleb at times - holding details back from (or adding them to) an article at his request - McCaleb felt he owed her and agreed to a 'Where Are They Now' column. That column had led to a series of people coming to his boat and asking for his help finding the killers of their relatives. Unable to help them, under doctor's orders, he has instead referred them to some PIs he knows. However, McCaleb doesn't find Graciela Rivers so easy to turn away when she visits. Graciela's sister, Gloria, was murdered during robbery at a grocery store; Gloria proved to be the donor for Terry's new heart.
Despite his doctor's misgivings, McCaleb decides to look into the case. The fact that he's now a private citizen, and no longer an Agent, only makes it more difficult. Arrango and Walters, from the LAPD's West Valley Division, are the detectives officially investigating Gloria's murder. They provide him with a little information, and a viewing of the footage from the store's security camera, but confirm the case has essentially stalled. Knowing that's as far as he'll be allowed to go, but believing the killer has struck before, McCaleb calls in another favor from Keisha Russell. Thanks to Russell's research, McCaleb links Gloria's murder to another being investigated by a Sheriff's detective called Jaye Winston. Having worked with Winston in the past, McCaleb feels sure she'll help him now.
"Blood Work" was the first of Connelly's books to be adapted for the big screen, and starred Clint Eastwood as McCaleb. It also won the Grand Prix, the highest award for a mystery novel in France, as well as the Anthony Award and Macavity Award. Featuring a 'new' character, there's no need to have read any of Connelly's previous books - so if you've never read any of Connelly's books before, this is a good place to start. (Other possible starting points would be "The Black Echo", "The Poet" and "Void Moon"). McCaleb isn't as rough around the edges as Bosch, but is still a likeable character. Definitely worth reading.
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5.0étoiles sur 5
Excellent Search for a Killer, Fév 22 2004
Michael Connelly is one of the best crime novelist writers I've ever read. Every book I've read of his has been a rollercoaster of emotions & suspense. I haven't been disappointed yet!I'll admit it took me a little bit to get used to Terry McCaleb, since I'm a huge fan of the Harry Bosch series, and who can top that? However, before long I was enjoying Terry almost just as much. Blood Work is full of twists & turns, in search of a killer. Terry McCaleb, who has just had a heart transplant is supposed to be at home resting, retired from the FBI. Until the woman who's sister died so he could have his heart, asks Terry for his help in finding her killer. How can he turn her down? I don't want to reveal too much, so I'll leave it at that. If you like crime novels and murder mysteries, I guarentee you'll love this book. There wasn't a dull moment. And I'd also recommend the Harry Bosch series, including Concrete Blonde, Trunk Music and Angels Flight.
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