RARA-AVIS: good man Michael Connelly

From: Chuck Emerson ( chuckelp@ix.netcom.com)
Date: 05 Mar 2008


I had the pleasure of meeting and listening to Mr. Connelly at Murder By the Book in Houston a couple years ago. He will long be on my list as one of the good people -- I was most taken by his deep humility. He was the most humble and polite NYT Bestseller I have ever shaken the hand of.
  I read 2 or 3 Bosch novels in years past. The only title that comes to mind is City of Bones, a novel I enjoyed very much. I managed to get through The Poet on audiobook.
  In the last 30 days I have read The Closers Echo Park. Stayed up late to finish both.
  Are these two indicative of Michel Connelly's overall work? As very dark as Harry Bosch and the settings get in The Closers and Echo Park, I wonder if Mr. Connelly isn't more accurately classified as a skilled thriller writer.... As I understand those that classify such things, a thriller is defined as a novel in which the protagonist is in jeopardy on almost every page. When Harry isn't being shot at or pursued by the civilians of Southern California, his eradication is being pursued by many purveyors of police politics. His style, in the these two novels at least, is certainly not as clipped as the celebrated work of our friends Hammett and Cain. Is Michael truly noir? Any thoughts?
 



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