Reviews

Void Moon by Michael Connelly

lwalker77's review against another edition

4.0

Another great book by Michael Connelly that doesn’t feature any of the usual suspects. This is the only book featuring Cassie Black, and may be the last, who knows, but it is very good! This contains a robbery scene that is about as intense as any scene i can recall. I highly recommend this book!

readymadereader's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

rxfio's review against another edition

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No

jmarchek's review against another edition

3.0

A heist novel with a very slow setup. It passed the time on a long drive and that's about it.

fosterwalrus's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

grantf's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

lesserjoke's review against another edition

3.0

This title is a neat divergence from author Michael Connelly's usual work. Although set in the same continuity and Los Angeles / Las Vegas locale as his Harry Bosch stories, it follows two new characters, with no appearance from the detective or his regular supporting cast. Both are also operators on the criminal side of the law, giving a bit of an Elmore Leonard vibe to the affair: a paroled thief carrying out one last casino robbery to fund the abduction of her birth daughter before the girl's adopted family moves away, and the crooked P.I. moonlighting as a Mafia hitman who's tasked with tracking down the loot that she steals. Given these faults it's hard to really invest in either the protagonist or her opponent, but I appreciate how competent each one is at their respective profession, and how the writer spends long passages explaining in detail the procedural steps that they take to meet their objectives. This slow and methodical pace always has the potential to turn boring, but it reminds me of those extended montages on shows like Better Call Saul where audiences can just sit back and watch an expert practicing their craft.

Ultimately the narrative doesn't carry a lot of surprises to elevate its share of familiar hardboiled tropes, and I'll be interested to see how relevant or not Cassie Black turns out to be when she crosses over into the main Bosch series later on. But even as a standalone piece, this novel is a fun heist thriller that fans of the genre and the franchise should enjoy.

[Content warning for gun violence, sexual assault, and child endangerment.]

jmarie92's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

scott_a_miller's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

4 Stars. This one was different from what I have come to expect from Connelly. Actually , kind of a different book than anything I have read. Original. Good. I find myself wondering if there will ever be more of Cassidy Black. I’m not aware that Connelly ever writes more about her. I’d read it though.

d_audy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75