Review: Void Moon

Cassie Black has returned to a profession that she thought she had left behind. She used to rob casino gamblers of their winnings. However, the new set-up is too good to ignore, until she comes across a mark with too much money and finds herself on run from a killer. Can she survive and will her most closely guarded secret be exposed?

In this novel, Connelly works on the 'baited hook' principle. He gives the readers some facts, but not all of them, leaving them guessing as to what has gone on. This would not be at all annoying if it was only done once or twice in the novel, yet here he chooses to do it almost all the way through. This can become rather annoying and you just want him to spit out what happened.

His new character, Cassie, is interesting, as she is a criminal heroine with whom we can all sympathise greatly. She seems to have the potential to pop up again in other novels, perhaps in a cameo role more than anything else, but I do not know if she could support another whole novel based around her.

Connelly chose a strange title for his novel and one whose significance is not really understood until you get further into the novel. I have to say that I had never heard of a void moon before reading this book. Overall, it is an interesting read but I do not really feel that it has anything in it to make it stand out from the crowd. When you consider that Connelly has written superb novels such as 'Blood Work' and 'The Poet', as well as his highly acclaimed Bosch series (of which I have never read any), 'Void Moon' comes at the bottom of his achievement list. Nevertheless, it is brave that he is still trying to branch out, rather than being stuck in the rut of a single series. If you are a fan, this is worth a read. If you are not a fan, either read the paperback or get it from the library. There are better books by this author around and as such, it is not a true representation of his talent.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Book Review: Void Moon