Print:2002; Audio: 7/15/2013; Film: No
Main characters:
Henry Pierce-Nanotechnology inventor/ entrepreneur.
Lily-Missing person
Robin-Prostitute
Nicole-former fiancé
SUMMARY:
Henry’s fiancé did not like his obsession with his work so broke off the engagement and asked Henry to leave. Henry has re-located and his new phone number seems to be very popular among the lonely male set. Henry becomes curious as to why the girl they are all trying to reach has left her clients with no forwarding number, and after a little delving, becomes worried about her, which leads him into danger.
AUTHOR:
If I recall what I read correctly in Wikipedia, Michael Connelly (7/21/56) began his education in building construction, but luckily for us, shifted to journalism and creative writing. His subsequent career took the same path, first, over several years, a journalist for three different popular newspapers, then a full-time novelist. This, Connelly’s 12th novel, is the third outside the Bosch series, although Bosch and his Doll-Maker case are referred to, so far, it does not connect with any series.
NARRATOR: This novel is narrated with all the right inflections and nuances of character by Jonathon Davis. I am hoping he has narrated a few more of Connelly’s novels since I intend to keep listening to them.
GENRE: Mystery Crime
ACTION: Some
SEX: No.
VIOLENCE: Yes
POLITICS: Neutral
LOCATIONS: Los Angeles
SUBJECTS: Invention, Nano-technology, prostitutes, criminals.
DEMOGRAPHICS Primarily Caucasian.

EVALUATION:
Connelly always amazes me with his ability to write about a variety of complicated professions. I had actually listened to this one several years ago, but wanted to hear it again in the proper chronology of Connelly’s writings for context.
I like how human his characters are, and that there is always insight into their personality—what makes them tick.

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
(I transcribed this from the audio, so the punctuation and spelling are probably off.)
“The voice on the phone was a whisper. It had a forceful almost desperate quality to it.
‘Where is she?’ the man asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Henry Pierce said. ‘I don’t know anything about her.’
‘This is her number. It’s on the site.’
‘No. You have the wrong number. There is no one named Lily here. And I don’t know anything about any site. OK?’
The caller hung up without responding. Then, Pierce hung up, annoyed. He had plugged in the new phone only 15 minutes earlier and already he had gotten 2 calls for someone named Lily. This was going to be a problem.
He put the phone down on the floor and looked around the almost empty apartment. All he had was the black leather couch he sat on, the 6 boxes of clothes in the bedroom, and the new phone. And now the phone was going to be a problem.
Nicole had kept everything. The furniture, the books, the CDs and most of all the house on Amalfi Drive. She didn’t keep it, actually. He had given it all to her—the price of his guilt for letting things slip away.
The new apartment was nice. It was high luxury and security. A premier address in Santa Monica, but he was going to miss the house on Amalfi, and the woman who was still living in it.
He looked down at the phone on the beige carpet wondering if he should call her and let her know he had moved from the hotel to the apartment and had the new number, but then he shook his head. He had already sent her the email with all the new information. To call her would be breaking the rules she had set and he had promised to follow on their last night together.
The phone rang. He leaned down and checked the caller ID screen this time. The call was coming from the Casa Del Mar again. It was the same guy. Pierce thought about letting it ring through to the message service that came with the new phone number, but then he would still have to deal with it later.
He picked up the phone and clicked the talk button. ‘Look man. I don’t know what the problem is. You have the wrong number. There is nobody here named . . .’
The caller hung up without saying a word.
Pierce reached over to his back pack and pulled out the yellow pad on which his assistant had written down the voice mail instructions. Monica Pearl had set up the phone service for him, as he had been too busy in the lab all week preparing for the following week’s presentation. And because that was what personal assistants were for.”

RATING:
I gave this book 4 stars because it was well written and kept my interest. I'd probably give 4.5 if it were an option. It held my interest and, in my opinion, was well written.
( )

Very good mystery about a scientist who tries to find out why he gets calls on his new phone intended for a prostitute. Leads to murder and industrial espionage.

Chasing the Dime is a very disturbing story and very difficult to read. The main character is not likeable because he is just stupid in things that he does. The coincidences are Shakespearean and annoying. The story does not get good until the last few chapters but in order to understand what has happened one has had to wade through all of the book. Molecular biology is very interesting and scary. But in order to really understand my previous comment, one has to know what chasing the dime is and how Science Fiction is becoming a reality. Four stars were awarded to this book. ( )

One of his worst ever. Boring. ( )

I thought this was going to be medical drama ike a Chrichton novel, but soon it turned into an edge-of-your seat page turner. Now one of my favorite Connelly books. ( )