Chasing the Dime by
Michael Connelly
hbk out November 02
Published by Orion
at £12.99
The premise of this book is fascinating. A simple wrong number sucks a man into
a maelstrom of murder and sexual depravity from which it is impossible to extricate
himself. Michael Connelly is undoubtedly a master of the mystery genre, and you can
only begin to imagine where he might take this idea. Odd, then, that the whole story
seems strangely formulaic.
Henry Pierce is a computer entrepreneur with a unique new idea, but his company
needs a backer. He has just split up with his girlfriend, and moved into a new place. The
phone rings and he gets messages for a female escort, Lilly. Curious about the previous
owner of his number, and eager to get her to take her number off his web page, Pierce
tries to track her down. It soon becomes obvious Lilly is in trouble, and Pierce is
determined to come to her aid. His apparently illogical obsession begins to be explained
by flashbacks to his earlier failure to help his own sister escape drugs and prostitution.
The story accelerates as Pierce is dragged inexorably into a search for Lilly via
her girlfriend Robin, until it leads to a bloodstained apartment. So just as Pierce is trying to
impress Goddard, a potential backer for his project, he is suspected by Detective Renner
of murdering Lilly. Aided by his old school-friend, and computer hacker, Cody Zeller,
Pierce must disentangle the mess before losing everything. In the process, he is dangled
from a balcony by hard-man Billy Wentz, and set up with Lilly's body in a deep-freeze
he apparently has rented. But who has set him up? And for what reason?
Can you see the clichés?
Somewhat insecure entrepreneur at crucial point in development of new concept
gets sucked into a mystery. Due to his own past problems, he cannot leave well alone.
Plodding detective is always one step behind clever amateur sleuth. Hero ends up
suspecting everyone – his old girlfriend, his closest friends, his business opponents. Of
course, you can supply the ending.
Don't let this put you off the book, though. It's still a fast-paced, and intriguing
story with regular twists and turns to keep you unsure of your ground and reading on.
(
Ian Morson
Author of Falconer books and short listed for 1999 Ellis Peters Historical Crime Dagger)
