Product Description

'Blood Work' - that's what Terry McCaleb used to call his job at the FBI. Eight weeks ago he was a dead man, but now someone else's heart is keeping him alive. Then a newspaper report of his brush with death brings him an unwanted visitor. Graciela Rivers reveals to McCaleb that the anonymous donor of his heart was her murdered sister, and that the police investigation into the case is going nowhere. Knowing that he lives because of a cold-blooded killing, McCaleb feels he has no choice but to take on the investigation. Nothing about the seemingly random killing makes sense but McCaleb is a tenacious man and little by little he realises that someone is watching his every move - someone who has killed before and will kill again...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67271 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Michael Connelly has been attracting fans by the droves with his hard-boiled, edgy thrillers. A former crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Connelly combines a poet's ear for language with a deep understanding of the criminal mind to create dark, dramatic stories that raise the thriller genre to a new level.

In Blood Work, Connelly introduces a new character, Terry McCaleb, who was a top man at the FBI until a heart ailment forced his early retirement. Now he lives a quiet life, nursing his new heart and restoring the boat on which he lives in Los Angeles Harbor. Although he isn't looking for any excitement, when Graciela Rivers asks him to investigate her sister Gloria's death, her story hooks him immediately: the new heart beating in McCaleb's chest is Gloria's.

As McCaleb investigates the evidence in the case, the apparent randomness of the crime gives way to the unsettling suspicion of a twisted intelligence behind the murder. Soon McCaleb finds himself on the trail of a killer more horrifying than any he ever encountered before.

About the Author
A former police reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Michael Connelly is the author of twelve acclaimed Harry Bosch thrillers and several other bestselling novels. He lives in Tampa, Florida, with his wife and daughter.

Customer Reviews

Another fine book.
I have read all of Connolly's books up to his latest release "City of Bones" and I can say that "Blood Work" is yet another fine piece of work. In this book we meet a new character, Terry Mccaleb. A retired FBI profiler who, after suffering a heart attack, seeks to hunt down the one person who saved his life! The book is typically Connelly: A steady pace through-out the novel with twists and turns until the final chapters where it erupts into fast paced action! I recommend to anyone that enjoys Crime fiction to read the entire works of Michael Connolly. Just as a tip, start reading the novels in the order that they were published; you will learn more about the characters and get the chance to follow them as they develop through his works.

The best of Connelly's non- Bosch stories
I'm new to reviewing books but don't think reviewers should give away the entire plot as many appear to do. This story has a hugely original plot which isn't revealed until the investigator starts closing in, after a painstaking building of the case from an apparently random homicide and robbery.
Connelly's pacing is superb so there is always momentum, but without the dramatic and cliched set-pieces so many writers employ.The hero is Terry McCaleb who had to retire as an FBI profiler after a heart op.He's hired to find the killer of the woman who's heart he received.Fighting against the odds(and the unhelpful local cops) McCaleb slowly links 2 other similar cases and tries to work out a motive from their commonalities.The tables are turned when he becomes number 1 suspect and then it's a race to clear himself by finding the killer.
A totally engrossing read even better than "The Poet", and much more entertaining than the movie it spawned !

The best of the bunch
I have read all of Michael Connelly's novels and this was by far my favourite. I thought I'd managed to predict the outcome, but was pleasantly surprised to be wrong! A great story with realistic characters and completely enthralling plot. Can't wait for the next one.