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When the media rights a wrong
Journalist Jack McEvoy is back in Connelly's 'Fair Warning'
Throughout his outstanding thrillers, Michael Connelly has expertly weaved contemporary issues into solid plots, usually with his perennial police detective Harry Bosch at the helm. Connelly also has achieved this in his novels about journalist Jack McEvoy, who makes his third most welcome appearance in the intriguing Fair Warning. In their own way, the McEvoy novels have tracked the state of journalism while showing why the profession and its ethics matter. The Poet, McEvoy's first appearance in 1996, showed a fairly robust media while The Scarecrow, published in 2009, gave a glimpse at how newspaper struggles affected the industry, staffers and readers. Now Fair Warning explores how online news sites are serving as a niche for journalists and readers.
The one-word site FairWarning focuses on consumer fraud, often partnering on major newspapers for major stories. The work suits McEvoy's need to continue to write stories that make a difference and to hone his craft while taking him away from the world of violent crime, his former beat.
Operating on a shoestring budget while constantly seeking donors, FairWarning also mirrors McEvoy's current path. Once at the top of his profession with a bestselling true crime book, McEvoy, now in his 50s, has had to downsize. Royalty checks have gotten smaller and the website work, however satisfying, doesn't pay well.
McEvoy is pulled back into crime reporting when a woman with whom he had a one-night stand more than a year ago is murdered by "internal decapitation." Although the police consider him a "person of interest," McEvoy follows his journalism instinct and begins looking into a story about cyberstalking because the woman told a friend she was being followed online. But McEvoy's research leads him to another story involving the dark web, a black market for DNA and a serial killer. The story also puts McEvoy back in contact with former FBI agent – and one-time girlfriend – Rachel Walling.
The briskly paced Fair Warning spins on its realistic look at journalism as Connelly, who worked as a reporter at the Sun Sentinel and Los Angeles Times, makes the minutia of reporting exciting. Connelly is careful not to glamorize reporting – as if anyone believes it is a glamorous profession – but shows that good journalism is based on getting details right and ethics.
Connelly also illustrates the energizing "addictive momentum" that a journalist often feels when a story that can right a wrong comes together. Adding to the realism, FairWarning is a real news site based in Los Angeles, offering tough watchdog reporting and Connelly is a member of the nonprofit's board.
Harry Bosch – and his new partner Det. Renee Ballard – aren't even referenced in Fair Warning, no doubt off fighting crime somewhere in LA, perhaps undercover. They will return, though not with their own story this year. Connelly's next novel The Law of Innocence will focus on defense attorney Mickey Haller and is scheduled to be published November 10.
Meanwhile, Fair Warning should please fans as it fits well in Connelly's oeuvre.