Review: Great Quick Reads
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2013
Michael Connelly is one of those mystery writers I perennially enjoy, but I tend to read him in batches rather than stay up with his book or two a year output.  I don’t know why.  I just like bingeing on the characters I guess.  I binged recently, spent a day with Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller and had a good time.  I’ve got more of Connelly’s books loaded into my iPad so I’ll get to those at some point.Suicide Run is a collection of three long short stories or novellas, whichever you prefer.  Reading each of them is like downing a slice of pizza.  It’s really easy to reach for the next slice because it’s right there.All three of them have different things to offer, so you can’t really compare them because they stand on their own merits.“Suicide Run” is interesting, but really turned out to be too easy to figure out.  However, it was good to see Harry in action with Jerry Edgars again, though it’s awfully easy not to like Edgars.  The clues are all there, and it’s nice seeing Harry in the role of teacher to young Kiz Rider, who ends up playing an important role in Harry’s life later in his career.The mystery isn’t too hard to solve, but as always, Connelly makes the trip interesting as Harry works the case detail by detail.  I love how Connelly has a real view of Harry’s life and can slip back and forth in his character’s timeline.“Cielo Azul” is a two-fer.  We get to see Harry in action, as well as Terry McCaleb, who was the protagonist of Bloodwork and A Darkness More Than Night, both solid books.  I enjoyed watching them together, seeing how they worked as well as how they were different.The story structure in this one is really interesting because Connelly plays with time, sliding back and forth from the past to the present to get us to a chilling end that will leave readers anxious.The poker player angle in “One Dollar Jackpot” is a nice set piece that shows a softer side of Harry to a degree, but also shows how conniving he can be once he knows a perpetrator’s mindset.  At that point it’s always game one.The three stories are great little reading snacks to enjoy at lunch or before you drift off to bed, and the ebook price puts them a one cool dollar apiece.  You just can’t go wrong with this one.