Chasing the Dime

Henry Pierce is getting too many wrong numbers. When the young entrepreneur moves into a new apartment, strange phone calls from nervous men for someone named Lilly compel him on a quest that leads to murder, deception, and illicit passion. Alfred Molina gives the story a convincingly forceful reading; his voice can be both gentle and menacing and is always penetrating. The contents provide a fascinating brew of corporate intrigue, Internet sex, and hard-science nanotechnology. Connelly's story is tight, fast, and full of jarring surprises that allow readers to ignore minor plot weaknesses as they plunge toward an ultimately satisfying ending. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

September 16, 2002
The copy on the galley of Connelly's slick new thriller doesn't mention Hitchcock, but most reviews probably will, with the novel's many surprises and "wrong man" plot line. Even the opening echoes Hitch's North by Northwest, in which Cary Grant's mistaken interception of a bellboy's page leads to disaster; here it's nanotechnology entrepreneur Henry Pierce's getting a phone call that triggers the trouble. The call is for a prostitute, Lilly, and it's the first of many; turns out that the Web site on which she advertises, L.A. Darlings, has Pierce's new home phone number next to a photo of gorgeous Lilly. But when Pierce visits the Web site's offices, he learns that Lilly has vanished. Where has she gone? His search to find the missing woman—prompted by his insatiable curiosity and by memories of his tragic, long-ago hunt for his sister, also a prostitute—draws Pierce into mortal danger. It also pushes him into conflict with the law, for when the cops cotton to Lilly's disappearance, Pierce becomes the number one suspect—serious bad news for this scientist whose company is being visited by a major investor in just a few days. Connelly's plotting is shrink-wrap tight, his characters—particularly Pierce, whose impulsiveness is balanced by his measured applications of the scientific method to analyze his plight—are smartly drawn. It's the rare reader who will be able to finger the villain behind all the mayhem. While very entertaining, however—this is the perfect book for a long airplane ride—the novel lacks the moral resonance and weight of Connelly's most impressive works, such as City of Bones. (One-day laydown Oct. 15).Forecast:Connelly has risen to the ranks of number one bestseller authors. Expect this to shoot to the top.

Jonathan Davis, who may be remembered by listeners for his stellar performance on the audio SNOW CRASH, among others, brings his considerable talent to this newest thriller by bestselling author Michael Connelly. Equal parts science and mystery, this new book concerns one Henry Pierce, young genius, scientist, and entrepreneur on the verge of a quantum breakthrough in nano-technology that will revolutionize the computer world. Along the way Henry stumbles onto a missing girl and, ˆ la the movie LAURA, becomes obsessed with what has become of her. Davis creates some truly wonderful characters that might have stepped right out of L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. He brings a great sense of energy to all his work that permeates throughout and transmits itself beautifully to the listener. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

June 15, 2002
It's not Harry Bosch this time but Henry Prince, who discovers that the woman who previously had his new phone number is in dark and dirty trouble.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.