I’m a big Michael Connelly fan, starting with the Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller books, then most recently the stories of police officers Jenkins and Ballard (The Late Show, 2017). I hadn’t read either The Poet or The Scarecrow, so I wasn’t familiar with protagonist Jack McEvoy, but was happy to start to get to know him with Fair Warning, when I received a copy from Little, Brown & Co. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

McEvoy is a reporter who has dealt with killers, but after woman with whom he had a one-night stand is brutally murdered, he uncovers a VERY creepy killer who has been using genetic data (think Ancestry or 23 and Me) to find his targets.

It’s impossible to tell more without spoiling things (which I NEVER do), but I enjoyed the fast pace and the use of technology. My husband, who read it first, was only 10% into it when he became a bit disgruntled at the prospect of some deus ex machina solution, or some sample switching in the lab…but he kept reading and declared it wasn’t among his favorites from Connelly, who is one of our favorite authors.

I’m not on board Team McEvoy yet, hoping Connelly’s next effort will bring back Renee Ballard. But this one is solidly entertaining, and cleverly written. Four stars