Orion, London 2002

This is my first “Connelly”, but the cover lets me know, that it is his twelfth thriller. So I´m a bit late in discovering this author. Anyway, Connelly is an experienced writer and it shows.

 He knows how to build up tension from the beginning. We are introduced to Henry Pierce, a scientist and boss of a highly specialised research unit, that is going to revolutionalise the world of computers, nothing less. But the reader only gradually is allowed to find out about this. First we follow Pierce into his new flat, where he checks his phone messages and finds out that the phone company has given him the number of a call girl you can meet in the internet. As Pierce has been left by his wife he tries to find out more about this girl Lilly, who seems to be in serious trouble. He does his own research and finally gets into serious trouble, too, as a murder suspect.

It´s a gripping story, which the reader willingly follows, full of compassion for this poor, clumsy character, who manages to stumble into tight situations on end. But then Connelly abruptly changes track. The reader is left in the dark about Pierce´s next steps and suddenly, like an antique “deus ex machina”, the police help him  to corner the real bad guy.

Well, it´s still worth following to the end, but you wouldn´t necessarily want to read another of Connelly´s thirteen novels, would you?