I Would Rather Be Reading

Although The Scarecrow is arguably about a serial killer and his assistant being hunted by Jack McEvoy and Rachel Walling, I found the B story, which provides an undercurrent for the entire book, just as compelling. That story is one that chronicles the slow slide into oblivion that the newspaper industry is currently experiencing.

The book begins with McEvoy learning that he is being laid off and that for the two weeks that he has left, he must spend his time training his replacement. From there, the book addresses many of the issues currently facing the newspaper industry and its employees.

As a former crime reporter, Connelly brings his knowledge of the industry to the novel and brings the newsroom alive. Maybe it is because I find the study of the decline of the newspaper industry fascinating, but I found this story more interesting than the actual plot of the novel.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the book. The plot was typical Connelly (this is a good thing in my book) with plenty of action to keep things moving and a bad guy that was certainly creepy.

One of the things that made this book less creepy, however, was that, like The Poet (the novel where McEvoy first appears) the story is told from both McEvoy’s and the bad guy’s point of view. This means that, even when McEvoy thinks he has everything figured out, you know that he doesn’t.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the time I spent reading the book and would not hesitate to suggest it to anyone who likes Connelly’s books.

On a related note, there are two other aspects about this book that I really enjoyed. First, there is a book trailer that gives some back story into events that happen before the book starts. You can find chapter one, chapter two, and chapter three, all on YouTube. I thoroughly enjoyed the movies. I also picked up on two two (admittedly inconsequential) inconstancies between the book and the movies. However, I recommend that you check them out. They contain no spoilers, so feel free to watch them before you read the book.

The second thing was that there are a number of websites referenced in the book. Those sites take you to secret locations on Connelly’s website that include additional background information about things in the book. As an added bonus, if you read the book on a Kindle (as I did), the hyperlinks are active and you can easily navigate to the sites with a simple click.

You can buy the book in hardcover

Or in a Kindle edition.