Customer Reviews

Chasing the Dime

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(48)
2 star:		(45)
1 star:		(51)

 

 

I wonder if those critics who panned Chasing the Dime read a different novel than I did. Michael Connelly is a brilliant writer--one of my very favorites, right up there with James Hall and Dennis Lehane. His books are dark, full of atmosphere and fascinating characters whose lives impact the stories they move through. His works are not only successful thrillers, but like Lehane and Hall's works, also extremely literate. I'm always pleased to see a series writer write stand-alone books as well, and here Connelly moves away from his Hieronymous Bosch novels to introduce a new character.

The criticisms that the protagonist Henry Pierce's actions are not well motivated seem absurd to me. Pierce isn't a Pierce Brosnan/James Bond superhero--yes, he is a genius scientist, but one who moves uneasily in social circles (he's just lost his fiancé through his own ineptitude in that regard), and furthermore one who bears an enormous burden of guilt at his sister's death--in short, he's more than a bit of a nerd (admittedly a high-functioning one!). When he tries to get in touch with a gorgeous girl on a porn site instead of the phone company, I'm not surprised at all. He comes to believe that this beautiful woman is in trouble and consequentially tries to help her--this is supposed to be unbelievable? I simply don't understand the criticism. The point is exactly that Pierce reacts in a way that most of us would not--it is that which makes him who he is, the guilt and the social awkwardness, and his curiosity. If Pierce were not the strange, driven character he is, not only would we not have a book, but Pierce would still have a fiancé, and his company would not be on the verge of a huge financial success, he would not have had to move out and get a new phone number, and none of the events of the novel would have transpired as they do.

I found Chasing the Dime to be a superior thriller, up to Connelly's usual high standards. I won't discuss the plot details more, but the characterisations are well done and the storyline gripping and believable. I've not been entirely uncritical of Connelly in the past--A Darkness More than Night didn't work for me in spite of its wonderful title. But Chasing the Dime did, absolutely, and I look forward with great pleasure to Lost Light.

Henry's on the verge of the deal of a lifetime, worth more than the dime taped to his wall. But he's had to move to a new apartment, and boy, did he get the wrong number on his new phone! Michael Connelly has devised a terrific plot, and we're still in SoCal, but Henry is no Harry (Bosch). He's a scientist, not a detective. Although the back story is a poignant one, serving as his motivation for his uncharacteristic curiosity about the previous owner of that phone number, the way he becomes involved in the disappearance of the sexy LA Darling Lilly is, well, just plain dumb. Henry also lacks Bosch's depth and humanity, and though decently written, Dime's strong plot simply cannot carry the day by itself. The character with the most presence is the odious villain little Billy Wentz. Still, a so-so mystery by Connelly is better than the best shot taken by many another, less gifted writer. 3 stars.

Henry Pierce is starting his life over. After his girlfriend leaves him, Henry moves into a new apartment and with his new apartment comes a new phone number...a number that belonged to someone else. Shortly after his new number is activated Henry begins receiving calls for Lilly, obscene calls from men wanting sex.

Anxious to put a stop to the calls, but curious to find out find out more about Lilly, Henry begins searching for information only to discover the young woman mysteriously disappeared and nobody seems to care.

Henry sets out on a quest to find out the truth about Lilly and the world she lived in, only to discover a world he's never known. A world of sex, escorts, websites, secret identities, and murder.

The deeper Henry becomes involved in this world, the farther he is from escaping it and a wrong decision could cost him his life.

`Chasing The Dime' is one of THE BEST thrillers I have read this year. The plot of a simple wrong number, turns into a terrifying ride of relentless suspense. From page one the reader is held captive in a race against the clock thriller that stuns with every turn of the page. It's fast-pace, gripping plot and creepy underworld setting will keep even the most jaded thriller readers on the edge of their seat.

Michael Connelly is the leading writer of crime fiction, as far as I'm concerned, and his on-going `Harry Bosch' series is about as good as they get. But, when an author strays from writing their successful series, we as reviewers (and fans) become leery if the novel will be any good, well that is not the case with Mr. Connelly...three of his best novels are NOT part of the Bosch series, `The Poet', `Blood Work', and now his newest novel `Chasing The Dime'. Any reader not tempted to stay up all night to finish this novel is much stronger than I am, because I stayed up well into the night to finish it.

`Chasing The Dime' will rocket up the best-seller list's, and prove Michael Connelly a master of the thriller/crime genre.

A MUST read!

Nick Gonnella

I enjoy this author, especially his Harry Bosch novels. However, this one is clearly a stand alone central character. Henry Pierce, is a genius who is developing a molecular delivery system of some sort which, if succesful will make him a jillionaire and his company make MicroSoft look like a Model T Ford. So, with all of marbles on the line as he gets near to filing his patent and convincing a "whale" (a person with millions to invest) to pony up 30 million or so to enable them to complete their research, Henry gets distracted.

We are asked to believe that after breaking up with his girlfriend and moving to a new apartment that the discovery that his new phone number used to be that of a very georgeous escort service model gets him into some sort of x-rated frenzy as he starts to receive her calls. The discovery comes near the end of the week. By Monday he can have the number changed and he won't be getting her calls anymore. But instead of going to the lab to do some much needed work on the invention, he spends the time trying to get in contact with the model whom he has become convinced may be in some danger.

To give this some credence, the author creates a piece of past history where Henry's sister suffered a similar fate from such a profession, but this seems to be a thin connection for what Henry goes through.

We get a pretty good introduction to the world of the escort service as Henry goes further and further into the maze which we eventually find out was created by others to acquire the invention. It is a deadly maze with a bloody conclusion, but somehow all the suspense and such didn't do a lot for me as I kept saying to myself, "no one this bright would ever be doing this at this time." If you can get past that, as some other reviewers have, then you will probably enjoy the mystery and suspense. For me, I hope the next novel from this author will be about Harry Bosch.

Reviews, phooey! And phooey on this book! I adore the Harry Bosch books and probably should have known better than to pick up a free-standing book (after all, I thought Blood Work was one of the dumbest books I ever read). But I let myself be swayed by what I had read about this book and found it a horrible waste of time- both mine to read it and Connelly's to write it. The main character, Henry Pierce, is not at all believable and his actions are so DUMB that one has to wonder, "What was he thinking?" with every action he takes. The owner of a start-up high tech firm, he becomes obsessed with finding a call girl who formerly had the telephone number he is assigned at his new apartment. He risks his life, his friends and his business to pursue this obsession. In my opinion, the only thing dumber than the story is the amazingly lame ending. And, on a personal note, when I read about the "sent of lavender" and one of the characters asks, "What's going in?", I know the author could not care less about the final editing of his book.

More and more, Michael Connelly's books seem to involve rather unbelievable plots and to require his characters to do things that are stupid, unbelievable, or just plain out of character. Why Henry Pierce, the protagonist of this new book, doesn't just change his phone number when he starts getting calls for a missing prostitute, is never really clear. Oh sure, Connelly attempts to provide an explanation in the form of a backstory involving his missing, then found dead, sister, but it never really rings true. It just doesn't successfully explain the obsession he has with finding the other girl, in the face of a couple of one-dimensional, paper thin bad guys who beat him up and hang him off the balcony of his twelfth floor apartment, or the impending visit of a financier who might be the savior he's been looking for, for his molecular computing firm. It's hard to believe that the main cop in the investigation puts his sights on Pierce, because, dontcha know, the Good Samaritan often turns out to be the perpetrator (I'm sure this is true, but it can't explain the extended harassment this guy gives Pierce). Then Pierce suddenly puts all the pieces together and suspects his ex-girlfriend must be behind it all (shades of Terry McCaleb suspecting that Harry Bosch is a killer in _A Darkness More Than Night_). It all rings false--something like the "idiot plot" of Roger Ebert, in which characters act in idiotic ways because the plot requires it, not out of believable motivations arising from their characters. Still, it was fast-moving and there is some interesting material about molecular computers and how they may change the world. But, ultimately, it's a real disappointment from a "master" like Connelly.

a broken relationship sets the scene for developing an obsession for establishing the identity and whereabouts of a callgirl whose telephone the main thin character has inherited in his new abode.Not a single character is developed to the extent that any reader would care about what happens to them.This is Connolly's worst book by far and so boring it could not sustain any interest even while trapped on a plane.

What a disappointment! I am a huge Connelley fan, I eagerly anticipate each new book. The last time he deviated from the Bosch or McCaleb genre with Void Moon it was a great stand alone change of pace.

Not so in this case. This book never gets off the dime! The characters are weak and thinly drawn. The dialogue is missing Connelley's usual crisp punch. This is an intriguing premise for a story line and one can only imagine what Connelley could have done with it if he had applied half the effort he puts into a Bosch novel.

If you want a book that takes no effort to read and a story that neatly wraps up in the last few pages, give this a try just don't expect the exquisitely plotted stories we have come to expect from Connelley.

Henry Pierce is a hotshot scientist, focusing on the microscopic world of molecular electronics. His goal is to create a supercomputer the size of a dime (hence the book's title) - and he's about to make a huge breakthrough that will advance the state of the art a long way towards that end.

Pierce is distracted, though, by his personal life. He's just broken up with the woman he loved and moved into a new apartment when he starts getting strange phone calls. Apparently the previous owner of the number was a very popular "escort" with a large client list. A visit to her website reveals that Lilly was a stunningly attractive woman and Henry finds himself more than a little interested in her. He can't help but wonder where she's gone. As he begins to pluck at the knot of her apparent disappearance, a complicated plot - along with Henry's life - begins to unravel.

"Chasing the Dime" is something of a departure for Connelly, taking the reader not just away from the ongoing life of detective Harry Bosch, but also away from the gritty, noir world that most of his work inhabits. The emphasis in this book is less on the physical and more on the mental. Pierce is a brilliant man and he brings his considerable analytical skills as a scientist to bear in figuring out what is happening.

Although "Chasing" may not have the sheer intensity or moral poignancy of the best of Connelly's mysteries, it is still the kind of thriller that keeps your interest piqued, keeps the pages turning, and pays off with a satisfying conclusion.

I have enjoyed all of Michael Connelly's books up to now. What was he thinking! Although it certainly is the author's prerogative to change characters and genre on us, it is very disappointing to get a read like this from Mr. Connelly. The character of Henry Pierce is totally unbelivable and entirely unsympathetic. How could someone so brilliant be so dumb each step of the way other than the last 20 pages. One can't expect one's imagination to run that rampant. I'll certainly give Mr. Connelly another chance - but his margin of error is greatly reduced.