Michael Connelly is the master of the crime novel. Whether it’s through Los Angeles homicide detective Harry Bosch, lawyer Mickey Haller, or newspaper reporter Jack McEvoy, his suspense thrillers are unparalleled within the genre. His latest, The Scarecrow, features characters from his previous novel, The Poet. Not only does Jack reappear; so does FBI agent Rachel Walling.

The Scarecrow reflects the economic problems that newspapers around the country are having today. Jack McEvoy gets pink slipped by the LA Times. Through training his replacement, Jack is able to stay on for another two weeks. During that time, he gets a call from the grandmother of a sixteen-year-old gangbanger who claims that he is innocent of murdering a prostitute. Jack looks into it and finds out that the kid might not be the only one falsely imprisoned for this crime. The trail leads him to Nevada, where he enlists the help of Rachel Walling to apprehend the genius cyber-villain dubbed the “Scarecrow” for his occupation working in a data storage center.

The abridged audio book is five discs and runs almost six hours long, clocking in at exactly five hours and fifty-three minutes, to be exact. The production is flawless, if not perfect. The audio is clear and crisp without any noticable hiccups. Narrator Peter Giles, who has made appearances on hit shows such as CSI: New York, CSI: Miami, Cold Case, and Law and Order: SVU, delivers in a raw deadpan tone that fits the story perfectly (he also narrated Connelly’s The Brass Verdict in 2008). Though I’m partial to the beloved Harry Bosch, The Scarecrow is as entertaining and thrilling as any of Connelly’s previous works.