Michael Connelly

Print these questions and use them to lead a discussion about The Scarecrow. SPOILER WARNING! This guide does address the entire book. Do not read it if you have not read the book.

1. Jack McEvoy had been flying high for a while, after The Poet case. He wrote a bestselling book about that story, was featured on TV shows, and was hired at a premier newspaper. However, at the start of The Scarecrow, 12 years after The Poet, he is divorced and seemed to be at the end of his career as a journalist.  Did you like Jack as a protagonist? Could you relate to him or to his career issues?

2. The layoffs at the Los Angeles Times in this novel are a fictional example of what is really happening in the newspaper industry today. Why are so many newspapers shutting down or going bankrupt? What is the future of the news industry? And what will our communities miss if local daily newspapers are gone?

3. Jack McEvoy and Rachel Walling reunited in The Scarecrow and appeared to be in a good relationship at the end. Michael Connelly has also written Rachel in an on-and-off again relationship with LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. Who do you think is a better fit for Rachel, Jack or Harry? Or neither?

4. Rachel seemed lost when she was forced out of the FBI. Can you imagine Rachel in another line of work? Do you think she can ever really have job security with the FBI or will she always be one mistake away from being fired?

5. Wesley Carver, the Scarecrow, was obviously a very smart man who was very dangerous. Do you think, if his childhood had been different, he would have leaded a healthier, saner life? Or do you think some people are just simply born bad?

6. Carver seemed to have found a home on the Internet, indulging in his twisted sexual fantasies, finding others who shared his tendencies, laying traps, and finding victims. He was able to get information about his victims very easily. Think about Angela Cook and how much information he gathered about her just by visiting a few web pages. Is this book a cautionary tale about our use of the Internet?

7. Did you catch any of the references to the The Wizard of Oz throughout the book?

The Scarecrow audiobook by Hachette Audio is read by narrator Peter Giles. It is available in CD and in downloadable formats.

Listen to an excerpt:

Michael Connelly has always tried to give his readers bonus material with each new novel. This time we have a short film called “Conflict of Interest,” which features the exploits of FBI Agent Rachel Walling leading up to the point she enters the story of The Scarecrow. Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here. Starring Julie St. Claire, Chris Bruno, and James Remar (Sex and the City, Dexter.) Written by Michael Connelly, the film has been made available in 3 parts. Watch all 3 below.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

 

 

On location in the Nevada desert, Michael Connelly discusses his thriller, The Scarecrow.

Question: It has been quite a few years since reporter Jack McEvoy was featured in The Poet. What made you decide to write about him again?
Michael Connelly: Being a former newspaper reporter, I’ve watched in recent years as the newspaper economy has crumbled and newspapers have tried to figure out ways to deal with advertising and readers shifting to the Internet. Along the way, many people I worked with have lost their jobs to buyouts or layoffs. I am also a big fan of the television show The Wire. In its last season, the show explored in a secondary plot what was happening to the newspaper business. Watching that show made me want to take a shot at a story that would be a thriller first and a torch song for the newspaper business second.

Q: In The Scarecrow, Jack is in his last days of working for the Los Angeles Times, the newspaper you used to work for as a reporter. Sadly, the Rocky Mountain News, Jack’s newspaper in The Poet, has shut down production forever. How did that affect the writing of this book?
MC: As with any sort of downward spiral, the closer you get to the end, the tighter the circles become. In the writing process and thereafter, I kept hearing of things that were happening and had to try to get them into the story. The Times is meant to represent the entire business — all newspapers. So I might hear of something happening at one paper and I would incorporate it into my story of the Times. But after the book was finished, the spiral continued. The day after I turned in the manuscript, the Times’s parent company filed for bankruptcy. This necessitated several changes in the manuscript. Three days after the book was supposedly locked and ready to be printed, the Rocky Mountain News closed. This meant we had to unlock the book and make changes. Since then, the Times has announced plans to close more foreign bureaus this summer. Sadly, it goes on and on. In many ways, I wish the book weren’t so timely, because what is making it timely is all of this bad news for newspapers.

Q: What is your biggest fear about the decline of newspapers and daily print journalism?
MC: I understand and even accept the shift to online news. What I worry about is the reliability of the news and the loss of vigilance. Anybody can start a web site, write a blog or hold themselves out as a journalist. But the newspaper is an institution (the Rocky Mountain News was 150 years old) with set standards and requirements of journalists. It is also the central point of community news. It usually sets the stage for what is important and what is news. A lot of that will be lost. There will be no central place for news. There will be dozens of web sites that people will probably pick according to their political persuasion. Ultimately, it will be the public that loses here. A friend of mine who lost her job in the business says that you can bet on government corruption becoming the growth industry because there will be no watchdogs like there are at newspapers. The thing I wonder is whether a bunch of news web sites and bloggers could ever bring down a corrupt president the way Nixon was felled by the Washington Post and other papers. At the moment, I doubt it.

Q: Did you make up the name the “Velvet Coffin” (“a place to work so pleasurable that you would easily slip in and stay till you died”) to describe the Los Angeles Times, or was it really called this back when you were a reporter there?
MC: That was its nickname when I went to work there in 1988. I remember people in the business telling me that I had made it to the velvet coffin. That it would be my last stop because it didn’t get any better than working for the L.A. Times. I remember if they sent you somewhere on a story, they flew you first class. In the early ’90s its circulation grew to over 1.2 million and it was the largest daily newspaper in the country. It’s got less than two-thirds of that circulation now, and it is still declining.

Q: In The Scarecrow, you bring FBI agent Rachel Walling and journalist Jack McEvoy back together for the first time since The Poet. In recent years we’ve seen Rachel working closely with LAPD detective Harry Bosch and falling in and out of a romantic relationship with him. Do you think Jack is a better match for Rachel than Harry is?
MC: I think the thing about my books is that nobody matches up well, and in the friction of these relationships is some of the drama I need for each story. For the moment, at least, Jack fits better with Rachel because he needs her more than Harry does. Harry has sort of built himself to need no one on any level. Jack is not that way, and I think that would make him more attractive to Rachel. The question is who and what does Rachel need. I am not sure yet because I need to explore this character more. I hope I get the chance.

Q: I think your killer, The Scarecrow, is by far the creepiest one you have ever written. What elements do you think you need to create a truly terrifying fictional killer?
MC: Prior to this, I’ve written from the killer’s point of view only two other times. One of those times was with The Poet. Since that was a Jack McEvoy/Rachel Walling story, I decided to do it again here. The truth is, the villains are easiest to create because there are no bounds. The creepier your imagination can go, the better. I think the thing to remember is that these sorts of people need to square their crimes with themselves. So they have built-in mechanisms that allow them to live with themselves and that give them plausible explanations for why they are the way they are. When they become true believers in the cancer that affects their character, they are really frightening.

Q: Care to explain how the Scarecrow, Wesley Carver, got his name?
MC: He operates a data storage center. This is a hermetically sealed environment where there are rows and rows of servers for storing digital information. Businesses anywhere in the world can instantly back up their vital records to centers like these. These are often called farms by people in the business because of the rows and rows of servers set up like crops, and because most often they are located outside urban areas — in traditional farming areas — for security reasons. As the man charged with keeping intruders off the crops, so to speak, Carver is like a scarecrow watching over the farm.

Q: Identity theft, cyberstalking, computer hacking, and the sharing of sexual perversities are just some of the ways the Internet is used by predators in The Scarecrow. It is not the first time you have used the Internet to showcase crime. Why does it make for such a good playground for evil?
MC: I think I write about the Internet so often because it is such a force of positive change in my lifetime. But with the good comes the bad. For every invention that positively changes the world, there will be those who turn it toward the dark side. That is the grist of fiction as well as social reflection. I find it fascinating, if not scary as hell, that the Internet is the great meeting place in our time for all things. This is including the bad. People with similar perversities and aberrant tastes find one another on the Internet every day. It breeds acceptance. To me, the scariest lines in the whole book are what Rachel says about this to Jack: “Meeting people with shared beliefs helps justify those beliefs. It emboldens. Sometimes it’s a call to action.”

“This magnificent effort is a reminder of why Connelly is one of today’s top crime authors.”
— Publishers Weekly, * Starred Review

Connelly has done it again.”.
— Jeff Ayers, Library Journal, * Starred Review

”Even confirmed Harry Bosch fans will have to admit that this Harry-less novel is one of Connelly’s very best.”
— Bill Ott, Booklist, * Starred Review

“Connelly, who’s nothing if not professional, keeps the twists coming…”
— Kirkus Reviews

“Michael Connelly is not only a treasure for crime fiction fans, he’s a treasure for anyone who loves to read. And at the time I write this, he is working on another book for October! This is a can’t miss book.”
— Jon Jordan, Crimespree Magazine

“I was captivated from start to finish. There is no debate that Michael Connelly is a masterful author that continues to create vivid characters that struggle with their own personal battles. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of The Scarecrow on May 26, 2009.”
— Bookologists.com, Rating 10 out of 10

“Interesting protagonist, good plot and a lot of suspense.”
— David Montgomery, Crime Fiction Dossier

“All that we’ve come to expect in Michael’s work is here in abundance— crystal clear prose, brilliant plotting, good detection, and fast pacing.”
— George Easter, Deadly Pleasures Magazine

“Definitely read The Scarecrow for the thrills, but reread it for the warning the book delivers.”
— Betty Webb, Mystery Scene Magazine

“if crime is your bag look no further than Connelly’s The Scarecrow … a former police reporter, Connelly knows his stuff.”
— Giles Foden, Conde Nast Traveler

“The Scarecrow shows that there’s very little in the genre that’s beyond his talents.”
— Michael Carlson, Crime Time

“Michael Connelly…has the nerve and timing of a whole SWAT team…”
— Marilyn Stasio, New York Times

“The Scarecrow is typical of Connelly’s writing in that he makes timely, pertinent points about American society within a rousingly good crime yarn.”
— Nancy Gilson, The Columbus Dispatch

“Connelly is best known for his Harry Bosch series, but this thriller is right up there.”
— The Sacramento Bee

“Michael Connelly is that rare writer who can operate on different levels: both as the fluid storyteller spinning engrossing yarns and as the wry commentator on our world and its institutions. Among those institutions is the big city newspaper, whose unique ambiance any journalist, new or old, will recognize delightfully.”
— Robert Wade, San Diego Union Tribune

“Connelly depicts the decline of a newsroom with honesty and compassion, and the fact that the Scarecrow is a hacker running a digital data farm is sadly symbolic, given that digital media is killing the print press.”
—  Carole E. Barrowman, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

“Like all of Connelly’s work, the story moves quickly. There’s a deep pleasure in reading about the methodical work of a craftsman, be he a journalist such as McEvoy or a cop such as Bosch. No matter what they’re doing or where they are — Los Angeles or Chicago or somewhere else — people who take pride in their work have a touch of nobility about them.”
— Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune

“The Scarecrow is swift and engrossing…”
— Charles Taylor, Boston Phoenix

“The Scarecrow certainly reads like a movie — but it’s one that unfolds not just in your mind’s eye but primarily in your mind. A–”
— Thom Geier, Entertainment Weekly

“The Scarecrow, a return to form for Mr. Connelly and his sharpest book since The Lincoln Lawyer,…”
— Janet Maslin, New York Times

“Jack McEvoy is a fascinating character, the classic world-weary cynic with a cast-iron conscience, and it is to be hoped it won’t be another decade before he surfaces again.”
— Declan Burke, Irish Times

“It is rip-roaring crime fiction that hits the ground running and doesn’t let up until the finale. Connelly is one of the most consistent of today’s crime fiction writers. The Scarecrow ranks among Connelly’s best work.”
— Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel

“The Scarecrow is Connelly in top form. And reading it will make it impossible for you to ever again think that when you do something online, no one’s watching.”
— Colette Bancroft, St. Petersburgh Times

“Connelly’s thriller is an addictive read that, once it grabs you in those first few pages, won’t let go of you.”
— Chuck Leddy, Boston Globe

“Connelly amps up the suspense with one of his best novels to date.”
— JC Patterson, Madison County Herald

“Connelly has already proved, with his “Lincoln Lawyer” courtroom thrillers, that there is life after his hugely successful Harry Bosch LAPD cop series. With The Scarecrow he finds yet another kind of crime fiction in which to excel.”
— The Times (London)

“The greatest living American crime writer… Once again, Connelly is utterly gripping.”
— Henry Sutton, The Mirror (London)

“As with most Connelly novels, this is an energetic page-turner. His fans — of which I am one — will count this as among his best books, as was The Poet, his best-selling title.”
— Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle

“A longtime reporter, Connelly brings real-life depth and texture to his work…”
— Mary Ann Gwinn, Seattle Times

“With its ingenious story line and the twisted brilliance of the creeps involved, “The Scarecrow” holds its own with its predecessor, which was a breakthrough novel for Connelly.”
— Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post

“Any way you read it, The Scarecrow is crime fiction at its best.”
— Connie Ogle, Miami Herald

“The Scarecrow is worthwhile because it’s a good, page-turning story. But it also contains lots of smart asides, such as this one: “A crime reporter always wants a good murder to write about. The reporter’s good luck is somebody else’s bad luck.””
— John J. Miller, National Review

“So read this thriller for the thrills, the computerized crime spree. Or read it for the sad reality of what’s happening to almost all newspapers. Or read it to take in the work of a writer who can tell a gripping story through characters who live and breathe. “The Scarecrow” is fine reading. You won’t miss Harry Bosch.”
— Harry Levins, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“The novels and short stories we conveniently pigeonhole as “genre fiction” often are the tripwires of our literature’s social consciousness.It’s unsurprising, therefore, that the first fictional work to take the newspaper industry’s agonizing decline as its backdrop is a mystery, nor that its author, Michael Connelly, is a onetime crime reporter who spent the last years of his print career at the Los Angeles Times. He’s one of the masters of contemporary crime fiction with a Stakhanovite work ethic that must have delighted his city room editors as much as it now does his legions of fans. “The Scarecrow” is his 20th novel and 21st book since 1993. It’s also his best work since “The Poet” 13 years ago and revives that bestselling novel’s main character, newspaper police reporter Jack McEvoy.”
— Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times

“Connelly is nothing short of amazing in THE SCARECROW, building the story somewhat slowly in the beginning before introducing explosive revelations, twists and turns, which increase in frequency and intensity.”
— Joe Hartlaub, BookReporter.com

“I found myself turning pages as quickly as I could, drawn in by a very tightly written plot, peopled with fully drawn characters.”
— Terry Matthews, Sulphur Springs-Telegram, an enthusiastic five stars

“Still, McEvoy, a complicated, unpredictable protagonist, carries the story. His alter ego, Michael Connelly, just adds the intricate plotting and perfect-pitch dialogue that keeps The Scarecrow scary. Together, they hook the reader early and never let up, delivering a fast read that meets Connelly’s high standards.”
— David W. Marston, Philadelphia Inquirer

“The Scarecrow is an especially timely read in this day of newspaper downsizing and identity theft.”
— David Money, Daytona Beach News-Journal

“Plot: Engrossing. Characters: Engaging. Pacing: Roller coaster. Three out of three, which makes “The Scarecrow” a perfect summer vacation read.”
— Lisa McLendon, Wichita Eagle

“Switching viewpoints between the killer and McEvoy in a high-stakes dance of smarts and ruthlessness, Connelly keeps the suspense at a high pitch, ratcheting up the pace with law-enforcement mistakes, rule breaking, ego clashes, nick-of-time saves and crackling electricity between McEvoy and Walling. But what adds real depth to this fast-paced read is the portrayal of the newsroom in all its old dinosaur warts, traditions, and gritty venerability. Connelly plumbs his journalistic background for more than atmosphere, however, exploring the meeting of internet and paper, and the ways they enhance one another. The ease and speed of internet research, for instance, combined with the structure and discipline of traditional journalism creates a powerful investigative machine, paradoxically undermined by its own economic mechanism. Stalking a killer, Connelly gives us a glimpse of a future without newspapers and it’s a scary sight. This is one of his best.”
— Lynn Harnett, Portsmouth Herald

“Less a whodunit than a whydunit, “The Scarecrow” offers a convincing ode to the strengths of newspaper journalism and the dangers of the medium that is strangling it.”
—  James Pressley, Bloomberg.com

“After reading this fast-paced adventure, you’ll want to pick up a morning paper and hide behind it as you ponder how much of your personal information is available online.”
— New Orleans Times-Picayune

“The Scarecrow is a dire warning about the dangers of electronic snooping and a reminder of what we will lose if newspapers continue to fail. And it is a page-turning thriller — cleverly plotted, fast-paced and crisply written. As Connelly puts it, he set out to write “a thriller first and a torch song for the newspaper business second.” The book works superbly on both levels, surpassing The Poet as his finest.
— Bruce DeSilva, Associated Press

“Definitely at the top of his game, Connelly wows his audience. His clever mind of sheer genius is revealed in unexpected plot twists that thrill, shock, and surprise.”
— J.Curran, TheMysterySite.com

The Scarecrow is in:
Notable Crime Books of 2009, New York Times
Amazon’s Top 100 Editors’ Picks of 2009
Amazon’s  Top 100 Customer Favorites of 2009
Amazon’s Customers’ Top 10 Books: Mystery & Thrillers
Publishers Weekly Top 100 Books of 2009
Bookmarks Magazine’s Best Books of 2009 in the “Crime” category
Library Journal’s Best Books of 2009
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Best of 2009
St. Louis Post-Dispatch 10 Best Thrillers of 2009
Best Mystery Novels of 2009, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
iTunes Top Sellers of 2009 (refers to the audiobook)
Audible’s Best of 2009 (refers to the audiobook)
Best Crime Books of 2009, JanuaryMagazine.com