Customer Reviews

Void Moon

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(67)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This is a great old-fashioned crime novel in the spirit of Elmore Leonard or James Ellroy. I'm surprised by the number of negative reviews of this book, and my guess is that they're the result of readers being anesthetized by run-of-the-mill, mass-produced oatmeal by the likes of Patricia Cornwell and Robert B. Parker. This book crackles like a live-wire and the timid or mediocre reader need not apply.

Usually attempts to vary from an established character (read: meal ticket) fail or at best replicate that character. Not Connelly. No, none of his characters are completely sympathtic, but that's what lends this book it's complexity. It delves into the shades of gray instead of the clearer-cut black-and-white of his Harry Bosch novels.

Connelly's background as a journalist is also on display here as he takes the reader inside the world of Las Vegas thieves, con-artists, and hustlers with versimilitude unparalleled by anything I've read recently. This is clearly a writer who knows his stuff.

The plot moves at a breakneck pace, but is as intricately woven as a Persian rug. His characters leap off the page, and his dialogue is top-notch. This is easily one of Connelly's best works.

Although nothing will ever be as good as The Poet (probably the best thriller I have ever read) this one is right up there with Connelly's best.

My brother works in a bookstore, so he got me an advance copy and I have to tell you, this one really keeps you reading. I finished it in about two days. Although you will figure out some of the details before they are revealed, the book has a lot of great twists and turns. I particularly like the way that the events of the past are slowly revealed to the reader through flashbacks that occur throughout the entire book.

I heartily recommend this book to any Connelly fan, but just to warn you it is not a Harry Bosch story, although it is set in LA.

This author is amazing. I have been reading crime/mystery books for the last 35 years and not since Ross MacDonald has an author consistently written one good book after another. This guy just keeps on getting better each time out. Void Moon kept my attention from page one to the very last. It's one of those books you can't put down and when you do finish you have a hard time finding another book worthy to read. This author could offer a guarantee with each book and none would be returned. Treat yourself to the best author in North America, buy this book and buy his other's you won't be disappointed.

I am a huge Micheal Connelly fan and enjoyed this book immensely. I have read most of his books and find him to be very consistent. I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that The Poet was the best, but I also like the Bosch series.

The things I liked best about Void Moon was the setting (Connelly's desciptions of the operations of the casinos and the heist in the Las Vegas were very vivid), the strong, resourceful and intelligent female character and the overall fast pace of the novel. Although I despised what Jack's character represented, he really added fire, excitement, and thrills to the story. The fact that he was a clever magician and the twist of his fate was vintage Connelly. Buy this one, you'll not be disappointed.

Although I have not really been a fan of M.C.'s non Bosch novels, I had nothing else to read so I picked up a copy of Void Moon and was happily blown away by it. By far this is the best "non Bosch" story he has written so far. It holds all that I look for in a mystery/suspense novel. The plot is deep and finely carved with no holes in it, the characetrs are well defined and easy to believe in, and the action is non-stop and drawn out very nicely. Though I am still panting for the next Harry Bosch novel this book definately quenched my thirst for a new book by Michael Connelly . I would recommend this book to any one who wants a fast paced, action packed thriller that won't easily be forgotten. Actually, I have already recommended this book to two people and I'm glad to report that they are still my friends afterwards! Everyone I know has just loved this book, and if you read it, I'll all but guarantee you that you'll enjoy it just the same. This is simply one novel not to be overlooked. Bravo Mr. Connelly, keep it up!

Michael Connelly reminds me of one of those high-wire performers at the circus. It's impressive enough to be able to walk across a thin wire for 100 yards or so at nosebleed height. Just to make sure the audience is awake, however, the guy waits until he's a few feet away from his platform, does a double backflip and then walks across the rest of the wire on his hands.

Where does Michael Connelly fit in with this comparison? Well, he has written a number of novels involving a private investigator named Harry Bosch, exponentially increasing his audience along the way. He could undoubtedly build a very comfortable career writing nothing but Harry Bosch novels. Only, every so often, he gives us a novel featuring a whole new group of characters and takes his readers to other places. He's not marking time here, either, because Connelly is good enough that just about anything he chooses to present is worth a look --- a long look --- whether Harry Bosch is in the mix or not.

This brings us to VOID MOON. Harry Bosch is nowhere to be found. No matter; there is a sympathetic protagonist in Carrie Black, who has recently completed a five year stint as a guest of the state of Nevada following a heist that in just a few moments went terribly, irrevocably wrong. Carrie is selling Porsches by day and nursing a secret at night, and it is that secret that leads her to risk throwing her new life away by seeking one last, major heist. Her target is a high-rolling casino gambler. She succeeds. In fact, she succeeds all too well.

Max, her deceased lover and partner in crime, had always said that it was possible to steal too much. Carrie quickly discovers the terrible truth of that canard when she finds that what she has stolen does not belong to the mark, but to his bosses. She soon find herself pursued by two rival organized crime groups who want the money --- and her. Leading the pursuit is Jack Karch, an amoral sociopath who was responsible for Max's death.

Carrie Black is not the main protagonist of this novel, however. VOID MOON is a book about Las Vegas, which has gone from mob campground to family resort without anything really changing. This is a book about the people who repose in shadow and make the glitter and the magic work, and who are never seen by the vacationers, honeymooners and conventioneers, nor by the few winners and the many, many losers who come to relax, to enjoy, to win --- and who are usually disappointed on at least one count. Connelly knows this world and shares it with his readers, weaving the city into a tale of greed, remorse, double-crosses, tough choices and bittersweet endings.

With VOID MOON, Connelly strikes a balancing act. His Harry Bosch fans will be anything but disappointed; while those who have never read him will busily begin correcting the oversight. Incidentally, VOID MOON will undoubtedly increase sales of door jams among business travelers and vacationers. Read it. You will see why.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub for Bookreporter dot com

Connelly is one of the most consistently good writers in the genre. Even his "bad" books are as good as many other authors best efforts. And while Void Moon is not up to his best work, it is nonetheless a very good read. The characters are all well written, although I did not particularly care for the character of Jack Karch. There was something missing with him and I found him a little flat. But the plot is very exciting and fast paced, and I finished the book the same day I started it. My main problem was with a few of the events at the end of the book. I don't want to give anything away, but I found some of it a bit contrived. The book is perhaps a little simplistic compared to some of Connelly's other books. Overall though it is very good, and I would recommend it.

Any new novel by Michael Connelly is an event, and Void Moon is no exception. I have read all of Connelly's books, and while I am a huge fan of the "Harry Bosh" series, none of his 'non-serial' works suffer by comparison. All the elements of a Connelly book are here: the one and two line descriptions that capture mood and character in ways that are lifelike and authentic-his ability to create not only the outer life of where his characters live (in this case Los Angeles and Las Vegas) but he also manages to capture, just as truthfully,his characters' inner lives as well. Some of the previous reviews have mentioned that this novel might not be in the same catagory as "The Poet", and there is some truth to that. There is a richness and texture to that novel, as well as the Harry Bosh novels, that this book lacks. But don't be shy about picking this one up: reading one of Connally's novels is always a treat, and if you are new to his work, you have quite a treat ahead, and if you are an old fan, then the familiar feel of Connally with his characters and place will not be diminished.

I have now read every single book that Michael Connelly has written and I believe that each book definitely gets better and better. I enjoyed Void Moon and Angels Flight the most. Void Moon was so good. I kept picturing a movie in my mind the whole time because the scenes were so intricate in detail and the description of the characters and their surroundings were so well done. Action, suspense, betrayl, and death are all in this book. I couldn't believe how so many people died in this book! Jack Karch is one evil man. Mr. Connelly created a wonderful lunatic to chase Cassie across Las Vegas and the state. I hope Cassie Black is back in his future novels because she is a great character, although you can definitely call her a "Bad Girl" considering the fact that she robs people when they're asleep, she is still portrayed as the protaginist. I can't wait for "A Darkness More Than Night" on January 23, 2001!

I admit that I enjoyed _Void Moon_, but I didn't absolutely love it, the way I did such books as _Angels Flight_ and _Blood Work_. This is an interesting deviation from the sorts of material--police procedurals, serial killers, intricate plots, etc.--that Michael Connelly usually presents in his books. Ultimately, though, it just wasn't as good.

Maybe part of the problem is that I've just come from a year wherein I read the complete Richard Stark (Donald Westlake) Parker series, about an amoral thief and his carefully organized heists. It's hard to measure up to that standard.

Cassie Black, the protagonist in _Void Moon_, is an ex-convict who once specialized in burglarizing the casino/hotel rooms of high rollers, with her lover, Max. Some years ago, the two of them ran into some misfortune and, due to the Byzantine laws in effect in Las Vegas, Cassie was imprisoned for manslaughter in Max's death, even though she was waiting for him in a casino lobby at the time. Now out on parole and working in a Porsche dealership (a pretty comfortable, high-profile gig for an ex-con), she's inexplicably drawn back to attempt one more job, in the same casino where things went so wrong.

In the course of the job, she crosses paths with private detective and psychopathic casino dirtywork man, Jack Karch, the son of a deceased magician of some renown. Karch is an effective creation, a scarily-convincing bad guy, who very quickly picks up Cassie's trail in an effort to retrieve the money she's stolen.

On the whole, though, this wasn't as ingenious a plot as I'm used to with Michael Connelly. I guess I've come to expect more twists and turns, a more carefully, deviously plotted story. This is a good book, don't misunderstand me, but I just don't feel that it lives up to some of his previous novels.