overlook


 * // The Overlook // by Michael Connelly

**

Our author, Michael Connelly, in an episode of //Castle.//



**Week 4: May 28** Chapters 14-17 (pages 167-217) Person A: Katie Person B/C: Rachel Person D: Alexis

Last week, our topics got a little mixed up, so this week's write-up is the mood and tone of the book. Alexis, Katie and I discussed the mood and tone of our book, and decided there was no easy answer. Because it is a crime novel, there is of course suspense and mystery. And the plot is centered around a murder, so the underlying theme is death, which creates a somewhat depressing mood. Some sections of the story are also tense, where the reader is concerned that the LAPD and FBI will not be able to catch the killer in time.
 * Assignment:**

This week, Katie brought in food, which consisted of gummy bears, Starbursts, and mini Twix bars. We shared our food with the class, as usual. Alexis wrote the questions, which we discussed for most of the period. We agreed on all of the questions, so that part of the class period went smoothly. Once we moved on to this week's assignment, we realized that last week, we did this week's assignment. So this week, we did the assignment for Week 3, which was the mood and tone of the book. This part of the period was spent trying to figure out the mood of the book. Because of the genre, there are many different tones, but they are somewhat hard to distinguish and describe. Overall, we had an interesting final book club. We spent a few minutes reflecting on all the books we read this year, and agreed that //The Scarecrow// was our best choice.
 * Summary:**

//1. How do you think the case has affected Iggy and Harry’s relationship?// The case has further complicated the relationship between Iggy and Harry. Iggy is very concerned about his future in the police department, while Harry has nothing to lose and is not afraid to take risks because of this. Iggy has already thought of switching partners because Harry told the chief about their involvement in the case. //2. Do you think Iggy and Harry will be successful in capturing the criminals who stole the cesium?// We think that Iggy and Harry are going to find the criminals before the FBI does, which will upset the FBI. //3. How do you think the book will end?// They will find the cesium and the criminals will be captured and prosecuted.. We also think that Iggy might be shot because he is not present in any other Michael Connelly novels that we have read and he does not seem like a substantial character. //4. Do you think the terrorists had any involvement in the cesium theft? If so, what do you think they were planning on using it for?// We think that terrorists were responsible for stealing the cesium and we think that they were planning on using it for nuclear purposes or to expose it and have its radioactivity cause damage. //5. How do you think this case will affect Harry and Iggy’s futures with the California Bureau?// Harry is retired, so it is unlikely that he will continue to work for the California Bureau. If he lives through the end of the book, Iggy will continue to work for the California Bureau, although he will have to work hard to regain the trust of the Bureau.
 * Questions:**

Chapters 10-13 (pages 113-166) Person A: Rachel Person B/C: Alexis Person D: Katie
 * Week 3: May 21**

The main themes of the book are chemical warfare and what goes on in the criminal justice system. A main topic of the novel is the theft of cesium by a terrorist organization and Connelly thoroughly explains the dangers of criminals getting ahold of this dangerous material. The novel revolves around a crime case and during the novel a lot is discovered about the way the criminal justice system functions. In this novel, Connelly does not use imagery to convey any of his points. His lack of imagery makes the book more concise and to the point.
 * Assignment:**

This week, Rachel brought in food, Katie came up with questions, and Alexis wrote out the summary and assignment. Rachel brought in gummy bears, Starbursts, and Reese's, which we enjoyed and shared with the class. We started off our discussion by answering Katie's five questions (see below). The questions went rather smoothly and there were no arguments or debates over them. Once we had finished the questions, there was about fifteen minutes left, so we discussed what happened in the novel and what we thought the outcome of the case was going to be. We all agreed that this book is getting interesting and we cannot wait to read the next section. In this section of the book, Harry and Iggy were locked out of the case by the FBI, but continued to search for the witness. Harry found the witness and dropped him off at a hotel under the name of Stephen King, then lied to the FBI about his whereabouts. Later, Iggy and Harry found the victim's car, which is thought to have been used to transport the cesium. The car was found outside of a known terrorist supporter's house.
 * Summary:**

//1. What do you think about the way the FBI is treating Harry and Iggy?// The FBI is treating them poorly, which is unfair because they were the lead detectives on the case before the FBI was involved. They both worked really hard to crack the case, and they don't deserve to have the credit taken away. //2. Do you think Harry handles things well, or do you think Iggy has the better mindset?// Harry has the right idea and has good intentions, but his actions do not show this because he is stuck in the mindset of "good cop, bad cop" and in all situations he's the bad cop. He may be trying too hard to outsmart the FBI because he doesn't want his pride to be hurt. //3. The Chief has chosen to help Harry stay involved, do you think this will ultimately hurt the department?// Overall, it doesn't seem that Harry's actions will end up hurting the LAPD, but the Chief is definitely taking a risk by making calls on his behalf because sometimes he can be a loose cannon. //4. The car was found outside the house of a known terrorist supporter. Do you think this could be a plot against the department and national security?// The car may be a part of a terrorist plot because cesium is a very radioactive element that can be very harmful if used against the population. //5. Do you think that the unit that found the car should have informed the FBI?// The police should have informed the FBI because now there is a threat of a terrorist plot, but it is understood that they kept them out in fear of losing the investigation.
 * Questions:**

Chapters 5-9 (pages 54-112) Person A: Alexis Person B/C: Katie Person D: Rachel
 * Week 2: May 14**

Overall, the language of this book is pretty conversational and easy to read. Connelly's writing style hasn't really varied between this book and //The Poet,// which we read earlier in the year. When it comes to explaining police terminology, the words are all easily defined and there are numerous context clues to help the reader understand. This book would be suitable for anyone in high school or older, because it has some content that may be slightly scary for younger kids. The story seems to be very realistic when it comes to the approached taken by the police and FBI when dealing with the situation at hand.
 * Assignment:**

This week for book club, Alexis brought in Skittles, Twix, and Gummy bears that the rest of the class devoured. Rachel wrote up five questions that aided our discussion about the section of the book that was read for the week. Overall we talked a lot about the relationship between Harry and Iggy and what we think may happen later in the book. We discussed the idea of lying in interogation and wether or not it is a good or bad thing. Alexis and I agree that it was okay in the given circumstance because it helped them get more information about the case and exactly what went on. Rachel felt that this was not the way to get the information out of Jesse and that it could've been revealed in a different way. For the section we read this week, there was a major development in the case. A new witness has come forward, and a major part of the book was dedicated to the interogation. As Rachel's questions show, there was a point where Harry strectched the truth in order to get more information out of the Jesse. Along with the breaks in the case, the partnership between Harry and Iggy has started evolving. It seems that the two of them are becoming more trusthworthy with each other and it really seems to be helping their work.
 * Summary:**

//1. What do you think about the way Harry and Iggy interact? Do you think they have a good partnership?// Although it is still hard to tell this early in the book, it seems that Harry would rather work by himself. Harry might end up just using Iggy, and not treat him like an equal. //2. Do you think that Jesse was a helpful witness? Do you think he is holding anything back?// Yes, because he gave Harry a lot of information. But it seems like he was almost too helpful--he may have more to do with the murder than he is letting on. //3. Harry slightly stretched the truth while he was talking to Jesse. Do you think he was unfair, or just doing his job?// We agreed that these empty threats are just part of the job. As Katie said, if you're stupid enough to believe it, then it's fair. //4. What do you think will come up in the press conference? Do you think the FBI will keep the LAPD in the loop?// The FBI will probably try to sound more in control of the situation than they actually are. They might try to make the criminals believe that they are closer to catching them than in reality, in order to spook them. //5. Do you have any predictions for the next section of our book?// We think that Iggy will die while pursuing the criminals. He seems like a very disposable character, and his death would be a very interesting twist to the story.
 * Questions:**

Chapters 1-4 (pages 1-53) Person A: Katie Person B/C: Rachel Person D: Alexis
 * Week 1:** **May 7**

For the second marking period book club, we read //The Scarecrow// by Michael Connelly. We liked it so much that we decided for the fourth marking period to read Connelly's //The Overlook//. This book is from a different series, although of the characters overlap. We were introduced to FBI Agent Rachel Walling in //The Scarecrow//, and we were surprised when she reappeared in this novel. She works for the Tactical Intelligence Unit of the FBI, and has, in the past, had a romantic relationship with the main character of this book, Detective Harry Bosch. Rachel seems to have a relationship with many of the people she works with, as we know she was involved with another character from //The Scarecrow. Detective Harry Bosch is part of the Homicide Special Unit of the LAPD. This is his first case in his new job. His parter is Ignacio Ferras, whom everyone calls Iggy. He is much younger than Harry, which makes Harry insecure. Their first case together is the investigation of the murder of Dr. Stanley Kent, who was a physicist. He had access to potentially dangerous radioactive substances, which were used to treat cancer. The detectives believe he may have been killed by terrorists in order to gain control of the substances. Kent was killed execution-style by two bullets to that back of the head, which adds to this theory. During the early hours of the investigation, Alicia Kent, Stanley Kent's wife, was found tied up in their home. She is now a witness because the men that assaulted her are most likely the same men that killed her husband. //
 * Assignment:

Summary:** This week Alexis did questions, Katie brought in food, and I did the write-ups. Katie brought in Starbursts, Kit Kats, and gummy bears, which we hesitantly shared with the class, as usual. We discussed the similarities we see between //The Overlook// and //The Scarecrow//, even at this early stage in the book. We talked about the overlap in characters, and how they keep reappearing in each of Connelly's novels. We can already make predictions for this novel based on the plot of Connelly's other book. We think this story may include a twist having to do with terrorism, and will probably end with a conflict between the LAPD and the FBI. We also discussed Alexis' questions, and talked about our opinions on the new character, Harry Bosch. We agreed that he seems like a straight-laced cop who always works by the book. This will probably cause tension with his new partner, Iggy, who seems more laid-back. Although the first section of this book had little interaction between the two cops, it seems as though Harry doesn't feel that Iggy is a suitable parter for himself. //The Overlook// already seems to be an interesting story, as was the previous Connelly novel we read.

//1. What do you think of the main characters?// Rachel Walling seems promiscuous because she seems to always get involved romantically with other characters in the books. For the most part we like her because although she is very young, she is good at her job and accomplishes a lot in her life and her work as an FBI agent. Harry Bosch is very quiet and introverted. He is a very straight-laced cop. We believe that Harry will be a good cop and will be able to solve the crime. //2. In what ways does this book seem similar to the last Michael Connelly book we read?// Rachel Walling is a main character in both of the novels. The plot seems similar. It has already began developing into a story that is very suspenseful and takes a lot of twists and turns. //3. Do you think that Harry Bosch and Ignacio Ferras will make a good team?// Their personalities are opposite, so it might create tension between the two when they are working. We think that Harry will become too bossy and it will become hard for them to get used to each other and adjust until they can trust each other and work well together. //4. How was Stanley Kent murdered and why do you think he was killed this way?// He was shot execution style in the back of the head with two rounds. He was shot this way to send a message and because the murderers wanted access to the radioactive cesium. //5. Why do the murderers want control of the radioactive cesium?// We think that they are terrorists and want to use the radioactive substance to kill a large group of people, and to create a sense of fear in America, just like any terrorist act.
 * Questions:**