Fair warning

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Average Rating
Series
Publisher
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Publication Date
2020.
Language
English

Description

The hero of The Poet and The Scarecrow is back in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly. Jack McEvoy, the journalist who never backs down, tracks a serial killer who has been operating completely under the radar—until now.  Veteran reporter Jack McEvoy has taken down killers before, but when a woman he had a one-night stand with is murdered in a particularly brutal way, McEvoy realizes he might be facing a criminal mind unlike any he's ever encountered. Jack investigates—against the warnings of the police and his own editor—and makes a shocking discovery that connects the crime to other mysterious deaths across the country. Undetected by law enforcement, a vicious killer has been hunting women, using genetic data to select and stalk his targets. Uncovering the murkiest corners of the dark web, Jack races to find and protect the last source who can lead him to his quarry. But the killer has already chosen his next target, and he's ready to strike. Terrifying and unputdownable, Fair Warning shows once again why "Michael Connelly has earned his place in the pantheon of great crime fiction writers" (Chicago Sun-Times).Kirkus Best Book of 2020

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Contributors
Connelly, Michael Author
Giles, Peter Narrator
Villa, Zach Narrator
ISBN
9780316539425
9780316539432
9781549157066

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Also in this Series

  • The poet (Jack McEvoy novels Volume 1) Cover
  • The scarecrow: a novel (Jack McEvoy novels Volume 2) Cover
  • Fair warning (Jack McEvoy novels Volume 3) Cover

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Similar Series From Novelist

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
In these gritty and suspenseful series, crime reporters in America (Jack McEvoy) and Sweden (Annika Bengtzon) become entangled in the criminal investigations they are reporting on. The journalistic backgrounds of the series' authors lend authenticity to the newsroom atmosphere. -- Andrienne Cruz
In both of these atmospheric, gritty series, journalist heroes are driven by the personal and the professional as they pursue stories (and killers). Willie Black is based in Richmond, VA (where racial issues are simmering); Jack McEvoy takes place in Denver. -- Jane Jorgenson
These intricately plotted and suspenseful stories feature intrepid amateur male sleuths -- an American journalist (Jack McEvoy) and an English bookshop owner (Gabriel Ash and Hazel Best)- - who risk their lives to assist law enforcement in solving various crimes. -- Andrienne Cruz
These series have the appeal factors suspenseful, bleak, and intricately plotted, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "mysteries"; the subjects "police murders," "women murder victims," and "davenport, lucas (fictitious character)"; and characters that are "brooding characters" and "flawed characters."
These series have the appeal factors bleak, and they have the subjects "serial murder investigation," "women fbi agents," and "serial murderers"; and characters that are "brooding characters" and "flawed characters."
These series have the appeal factors suspenseful, fast-paced, and intricately plotted, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "mysteries"; the subjects "police murders," "women murder victims," and "police"; and characters that are "well-developed characters."
These series have the appeal factors suspenseful, fast-paced, and intricately plotted, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "mysteries"; and the subjects "women murder victims" and "missing persons."
These series have the appeal factors suspenseful, bleak, and fast-paced, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "mysteries"; the subject "women murder victims"; and characters that are "brooding characters."
These series have the appeal factors bleak, gritty, and disturbing, and they have the subjects "journalists," "police murders," and "women murder victims"; and characters that are "brooding characters."

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful, bleak, and fast-paced, and they have the genre "thrillers and suspense"; the subjects "women murder victims," "serial murderers," and "serial murder investigation"; and characters that are "brooding characters."
These books have the appeal factors bleak and gritty, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "psychological suspense"; the subjects "women murder victims," "violence against women," and "serial murderers"; and characters that are "brooding characters."
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful, fast-paced, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "thrillers and suspense"; and the subjects "serial murderers," "serial murder investigation," and "secrets."
NoveList recommends "Gabriel Ash and Hazel Best mysteries" for fans of "Jack McEvoy novels". Check out the first book in the series.
These books have the appeal factors bleak, gritty, and atmospheric, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "psychological suspense"; the subjects "journalists," "women murder victims," and "serial murderers"; and characters that are "brooding characters" and "flawed characters."
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful, fast-paced, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "thrillers and suspense"; the subjects "women murder victims," "violence against women," and "murder victims"; and characters that are "brooding characters."
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful, fast-paced, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "thrillers and suspense."
These books have the appeal factors bleak, atmospheric, and intricately plotted, and they have the subject "conspiracies"; and characters that are "brooding characters" and "flawed characters."
These books have the appeal factors atmospheric and intricately plotted, and they have the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "adult books for young adults"; the subjects "women murder victims," "serial murderers," and "serial murder investigation"; and characters that are "brooding characters" and "flawed characters."
These books have the appeal factors bleak, intensifying, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "thrillers and suspense"; the subjects "women murder victims," "serial murderers," and "serial murder investigation"; and characters that are "brooding characters" and "well-developed characters."
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful, fast-paced, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "thrillers and suspense"; the subjects "women murder victims," "serial murderers," and "serial murder investigation"; and characters that are "brooding characters" and "flawed characters."
These books have the appeal factors suspenseful, bleak, and fast-paced, and they have the genre "thrillers and suspense"; and the subjects "women murder victims," "serial murderers," and "serial murder investigation."

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Michael Connelly and Richard Barre both evoke urban settings where world-weary protagonists wrestle personal demons while chasing down un-righted wrongs and cracking unsolved cases. Is Barre's take less optimistic--or simply more realistic--than Connelly's? Readers will have to decide for themselves. -- Kim Burton
Michael Connelly and Ian Rankin produce gripping stories of tenacious investigators with hard-living, hard-working qualities and fierce resistance to authority. Their independent heroes, whose obsession with justice comes at great personal cost, feature in police mysteries with complex plots, psychological depth, harsh realism, and a touch of wistful poetry. -- Katherine Johnson
Lee Child's hero Jack Reacher, with his military background, keen intelligence, and obscure past, is similar to Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, despite the fact that he lives off the grid and works outside the law. Child's intelligent writing and complex plots will appeal, as will Reacher's strong moral code. -- Shauna Griffin
John Sandford rivals Michael Connelly for his grim tone and depressing circumstances. Any of Sandford's suspense and mystery novels should appeal to Connelly fans for their grit, violence, and fast pace. -- Krista Biggs
Fans of Michael Connelly's gritty and intricate mysteries will want to try the hard-boiled fiction of George P. Pelecanos. Both authors feature detectives who are doggedly thorough and relentless in their pursuit of fairness. -- Victoria Fredrick
Both Jonathan Kellerman and Michael Connelly set their gritty and suspenseful crime series in a darkly drawn and atmospheric Los Angeles. Investigative techniques, vividly drawn characters, complex and twisted storylines, and building suspense characterize both series. -- Joyce Saricks
Although Stieg Larsson's intricately plotted, character-driven mysteries are set in Sweden, fans of American crime novelist Michael Connelly will appreciate Larsson's flawed but heroic characters and suspenseful, twist-filled stories. -- NoveList Contributor
American Michael Connelly and Swedish Anders Roslund write gritty, atmospheric, and suspenseful mysteries that were most likely inspired by their stint as crime beat journalists. Both are proficient in creating intricately plotted storylines with believable and exciting scenarios led by courageous protagonists with a propulsive drive to seek justice. -- Andrienne Cruz
James Ellroy's hard-hitting, stark prose will appeal to those Michael Connelly fans prepared for truly unblinking explorations of the violent evil that men do under cover of modern L.A. as a bleak, nightmarish cityscape. -- Kim Burton
Hardboiled pioneer Raymond Chandler's ideal private eye could easily be a description of Harry Bosch. Michael Connelly and Chandler have similar tone, atmosphere, and even California settings, but their heroes tie them together. Their stoic integrity amidst the squalid seediness of their cities imbues them with pathos and quiet nobility. -- Katherine Johnson
Mixing procedural details with adrenaline-pumping action in twisty, intricate plots, these two hardboiled crime authors also generate unique, haunted, multifaceted characters who jump off the page. -- Shauna Griffin
Michael Connelly's fans may enjoy the well-plotted detective fiction classics of Ross MacDonald. Characters of considerable psychological depth unravel cases of human guilt, folly, and weakness that lie at the cruel heart of big cities -- where outlandish dreams can turn violent in an instant. -- Kim Burton

Published Reviews

Booklist Review

Connelly's Harry Bosch is unquestionably one of the top dogs in today's crime-fiction world, but fans would be remiss to ignore the author's other lead characters, especially reporter Jack McEvoy, who has appeared in only two previous novels, but they are two of Connelly's best: The Poet and The Scarecrow. McEvoy makes it three for three with this riveting tale, which gives technology-wary types a whole new thing to worry about: tracking ancestry through DNA samples. McEvoy becomes a person of interest in the murder of a woman he dated only once. He's innocent, of course, but, intrigued by the case, he starts digging, finding multiple similar instances in which women killed in the same way all had recently submitted DNA to a particular genetic-analysis provider. Yes, the provider boasts that the samples remain anonymous, but after they are sold to a poorly regulated secondary market, control is lost. That shocking premise leads to an even more shocking serial killer who targets victims through a site on the dark web managed by DNA-hacking misogynists. So much for anonymity. Connelly's own roots in the newspaper business run deep, and he is at his best when he's showing reporters digging for a complex story. Combine that with a genuinely nightmarish scenario, and you have a truly terrifying thriller.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The overwhelming success of Bosch, the Amazon original series now streaming its final season, has rubbed off on Connelly's novels. They've always been popular, but the last two were number-one New York Times best-sellers. Fair warning: here's three in a row.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

Edgar-winner Connelly's entertaining if subpar third thriller featuring L.A. reporter Jack McEvoy (after 2009's The Scarecrow) finds McEvoy, once a bestselling true crime author, working for FairWarning, an online news site that focuses on consumer fraud. He's pulled back into the world of violent crime when he becomes a person of interest in the murder of Christina Portrero, with whom he had a one-night stand a year earlier. Portrero was killed by "internal decapitation," her head having been twisted 180 degrees. McEvoy volunteers a DNA sample, confident he'll be quickly cleared, though the LAPD homicide detectives on the case don't welcome McEvoy's subsequent probing of the murder. McEvoy gets a break when he posts a question on the unusual killing method on a forum used by medical examiners and learns that several other women have recently been killed the same way. His theory that one person is responsible for all the deaths is buttressed after he discovers another connection among the victims. Connelly keeps things moving briskly, but neither the plot nor the lead is up to his usual high standard, and he doesn't stick the landing. Fans will hope for a return to form next time. Agent: Philip Spitzer, Philip G. Spitzer Literary. (May)

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Kirkus Book Review

A first-rate case for Connelly's third-string detective, bulldog journalist Jack McEvoy, who's been biding his time since The Scarecrow (2009) as Harry Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer have hogged the spotlight. The consumer-protection website FairWarning can't hold a candle to the LA Times, where Jack once plied his trade. The real problem this time, though, is that the cops come to Jack rather than vice versa, as a person of interest who had a one-night stand a year ago with Christina Portrero, whose latest one-night stand broke her neck. In fact, Jack quickly discovers, Tina was only the most recent among a number of women who died of atlanto-occipital dislocation--several of them erroneously listed as accidents, all of them clients of the genetic testing firm GT23. Why would sending out your DNA for genetic information put you at enormously increased risk of falling victim to a brutal killer who calls himself the Shrike? The answer to the question of how "predators now can custom-order their victims," which lies in the DRD4 gene, is guaranteed to make even the most hard-bitten readers queasy. Throughout his pursuit of the killer, the LAPD's pursuit of him, and his unwilling partnerships with fellow journalist Emily Atwater and former FBI agent Rachel Walling, Jack works the case with a dogged professionalism, a mastery of detail, and a scarred but oversized heart that puts most of his police procedural cousins to shame. Darkly essential reading for every genre fan who's ever considered sending a swab to a mail-order DNA testing service. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* Connelly's Harry Bosch is unquestionably one of the top dogs in today's crime-fiction world, but fans would be remiss to ignore the author's other lead characters, especially reporter Jack McEvoy, who has appeared in only two previous novels, but they are two of Connelly's best: The Poet and The Scarecrow. McEvoy makes it three for three with this riveting tale, which gives technology-wary types a whole new thing to worry about: tracking ancestry through DNA samples. McEvoy becomes a person of interest in the murder of a woman he dated only once. He's innocent, of course, but, intrigued by the case, he starts digging, finding multiple similar instances in which women killed in the same way all had recently submitted DNA to a particular genetic-analysis provider. Yes, the provider boasts that the samples remain anonymous, but after they are sold to a poorly regulated secondary market, control is lost. That shocking premise leads to an even more shocking serial killer who targets victims through a site on the dark web managed by DNA-hacking misogynists. So much for anonymity. Connelly's own roots in the newspaper business run deep, and he is at his best when he's showing reporters digging for a complex story. Combine that with a genuinely nightmarish scenario, and you have a truly terrifying thriller.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The overwhelming success of Bosch, the Amazon original series now streaming its final season, has rubbed off on Connelly's novels. They've always been popular, but the last two were number-one New York Times best-sellers. Fair warning: here's three in a row. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.
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PW Annex Reviews

Edgar-winner Connelly's entertaining if subpar third thriller featuring L.A. reporter Jack McEvoy (after 2009's The Scarecrow) finds McEvoy, once a bestselling true crime author, working for FairWarning, an online news site that focuses on consumer fraud. He's pulled back into the world of violent crime when he becomes a person of interest in the murder of Christina Portrero, with whom he had a one-night stand a year earlier. Portrero was killed by "internal decapitation," her head having been twisted 180 degrees. McEvoy volunteers a DNA sample, confident he'll be quickly cleared, though the LAPD homicide detectives on the case don't welcome McEvoy's subsequent probing of the murder. McEvoy gets a break when he posts a question on the unusual killing method on a forum used by medical examiners and learns that several other women have recently been killed the same way. His theory that one person is responsible for all the deaths is buttressed after he discovers another connection among the victims. Connelly keeps things moving briskly, but neither the plot nor the lead is up to his usual high standard, and he doesn't stick the landing. Fans will hope for a return to form next time. Agent: Philip Spitzer, Philip G. Spitzer Literary. (May)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly Annex.

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly Annex.
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