Ask The Good Questions: #FairWarning by Michael Connelly @Connellybooks @alexxlayt @orionbooks #audiobook

Title: Fair Warning (Jack McEvoy #3)
Author: Michael Connelly
Publisher: Orion
Format reviewed: audio book
Date of release: 26/05/2020
Length: 10hours and 14minutes
Narrators: Peter Giles, Zach Villa

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 realises he might be facing a criminal mind unlike any he’s ever encountered.

McEvoy 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. But his inquiry hits a snag when he himself becomes a suspect.

As he races to clear his name, McEvoy’s findings point to a serial killer working under the radar of law enforcement for years and using personal data shared by the victims themselves to select and hunt his targets.

Fair Warning was my very first book by Michael Connelly.

I know, it IS shocking! Some very famous names in the genre escape my grip as I browse titles because everyone has read them or I am on the prowl for originality and, I am ashamed to say, I don’t give them a chance to let me discover how they became those giant staples.

Thankfully, once in a while, a friend or an opportunity present itself and shake me! My thanks to Alex at Orion for opening my eyes this time.

I spent more than ten hours with Jack McEvoy and time flew by! Between the smoothness of the narrator’s work and the ideal flow of Michael Connelly’s writing, I was instantly immersed in Fair Warning, despite having no idea this was part of a series.

I have a thing for journalism and reporters. I love the skills and balls it takes to unearth stories, follow leads, and work with little to make people aware of things they would not imagine / turn a blind eye to. However, I have standards and like my reporters to be honest, hard-working without being too pushy, and driven by a real desire to point fingers where it’s needed. I do not care for superficial stories about which celebrity is pregnant with whose baby or sensational article about grieving families written by awful individuals stealing pictures and rummaging through people’s trash.

No problem here as Jack McEvoy is a good man. Oh, he has his issues, but his heart is at the right place and I was pleased to meet a sensible man ready to own his mistakes. He is a fascinating character. In Fair Warning, he is accompanied by an old acquaintance – if she can be called this way – a female colleague, and his boss. On the other side of the ring is a team of detectives…

Above it all is the sun shining on Los Angeles.

Jack doesn’t find the crumbles of a new story, the possible new story finds him! It’s never a good sign when detectives come to grill you about a woman… especially when said woman is dead! Some things said by the police urge Jack to investigate. Bold choice as he is prime suspect in this case and his boss doesn’t believe he should pursue the investigation. After all, Jack is working for Fair Warning, a consumer-protection website, and the connection between a dead woman and the site isn’t straight. But Jack perseveres and…

And he scared the hell out of me. Why? Two reasons. One, he discovers the woman he once knew died a very special death. No, I won’t be more specific, it wouldn’t be fun. Two. After more digging, he finds a link with other victims and… DNA.

Here, Michael Connelly points a very interesting finger on regulations about DNA – what companies do with it, how they handle it, where it can lead. The least I can say is that it was fascinating to learn about it and some parts are flat-out outraging!

Those two particular points in the book, researched with great precision, turned this compelling novel into a complex and thrilling read. The shady sides of companies and the dark shadows of the Internet put Jack, Rachel, Emily, and even his boss, in danger.

My favorite thing in Fair Warning was the excellent blend of the reporting and the danger lurking around the corner with Jack’s dealing with himself and those around him. He is challenged by his work and the people who surround him and it makes him a better person.

As with any good investigation, the pace fluctuates, action coming and going in waves, but no part of the book can be deemed to be a lull. On the contrary, the ups and downs reflect reality and allows the reader to fully take in all the information.

I couldn’t have asked for a better way to discover Michael Connelly’s work! I highly recommend Fair Warning, an intense audiobook with perfect journalism vibes!

You can grab your copy here!