Mini Reviews: Echo Park and The Innocent Man

Happy Wednesday Guys,

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Welcome to my first ever Mini Review Post. I’m going to feature two books that are both about crimes but one is fiction but the other isn’t. Two authors whose works I’ve been reading even before I reached the age of ten.

1. Echo Park by Michael Connelly

RATING: 4.5/5 Stars

This is actually 12th in a 21-series but each can be read as a standalone as each story features one crime story being told by the infamous Detective Harry Bosch. At least for those who know Connelly, Harry is indeed well-known.

Anyway, Echo Park is about an Unsolved case that Harry just couldn’t let go even after he retired and then got back in the service. A 22-year old woman named Marie Gesto gone missing and was never found except her neatly folded clothes inside her car. Now, 13 years later, Harry got a call from a District Attorney saying a man named Raynard Waits, accused of 2 murders is willing to confess about other murders including Marie Gesto’s murder. But facing the murderer he sought and hated after more than a decade, Harry didn’t only in a verge of hitting the man himself, but it brought him a new-found guilt thinking that he and his partner had missed a clue before that could’ve prevented the other 9 murders. 

Wow, I was blown away. This is the kind of crime mystery I grew up loving. There was no single dull moment throughout the story. The pace was just enough to feed the reader the right amount of thrill and suspense that I still have a once-in-a-while moment to try guessing the whys, hows, and whats. While reading, I felt like solving the case myself. The whole plot was so well-crafted, that’s why. I’ve read about this character so many times before that I knew him by heart, and I’m glad that the author did a good job in developing Harry Bosch. His strong personality that every detective should have is still there. But it’s not hard to see that he’s also sentimental, one proof is the way he invest himself in every case he’s working. Though little by little, book by book, his character is still showing development and I don’t know how exactly the author did that. It’s amazing.

2. The Innocent Man by John Grisham

RATING: 3.5/5 Stars

This is Non-fiction. A story of two men who were wrongfully convicted of murder and rape in Oklahoma. Though a big part of the story was focused on Ron Williamson, once a dreamer of becoming a Baseball star but due to several reasons, his dream became impossible. He then became friends with Dennis Fritz and the two of them became drinking/partying buddies. And later they both became convicted for the murder and rape of a young woman named, Debbie Carter. Ron was even given the death Penalty and Dennis a life sentence. Years later, they were finally cleared, and proven innocent.

Aside from Grisham’s latest two books, this is the only book of his that I haven’t read before now for the sole reason that it’s a Non-fiction. I used to not read Non-fiction. I must admit, I was kind of put off because of the writing. It isn’t the usual Grisham’s style that I’ve grown to love but I can’t deny the fact that he really did a good job narrating every stages of Ron’s life making the reader more connected to Ron. And care for him. I think that’s one of the top reasons why Grisham wrote this book, for us to care about Ron. Still it took me a month to finish this book. Why? Because  Ron has many mental issues and so it was hard for me to keep going. I hated the fact that Ron, instead of being treated was forced to go to prison making his conditions worse. He was too depressed, for God’s sake. Anyway, though very informative, I found this story very sad and heartbreaking. And maybe I was mad few times while reading and not because of the writer, Grisham merely told us the story, but because of what’s happening to Ron. I really, truly cared for him.

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Overall, I love both books. Though they differ in some aspects, personally, the two holds the same space in my heart. I recommend both, by the way. Just choose if you want some fiction packed with suspense and actions or a real heartbreaking story of a man suffering depression.

Have you guys read any of these two? Or what do you think of these crime novels?

Happy Reading,