The Poet by Michael Connelly was chosen by the Angels Book Club for our May read. A killer who leaves poetry extracts with his victim as a form of suicide note, though in reality they have been murdered. This is his calling card. Someone is murdering policemen in this way and as journalist Jack McEvoy’s brother becomes one of the victims, he sets out to investigate.

Some of our members were surprised by the stories ending, not seeing it coming. However other members thought that it was a bit of a weak conclusion, leaving it open for another book. (The book club discussed this at the last meeting and concluded that we all enjoy a good, solid ending where the loose ends are ties up.) Again, while some found it entertaining and even gripping, wanting to know what would happen next, other members found it un-engrossing and found themselves second guessing the story. It was felt by some that there were a lot of clichés and that some scenes were unrealistic (such as the hypnosis scene.) However, this being said, it was agreed by all that the book is an entertaining detective story. Yes there are clichés and some ideas may be unrealistic, but it is a crime fiction story designed to entertain and entertain is what it does.

The Angels book club has awarded The Poet with 8.7/10, making it one of our highest scoring reads.