Time saver tip: if you've read my review of any Harry Bosch book, you've read 'em all. Since I don't reveal plots and reserve my comments to the overall book/author, characterization, style, etc...I just don't feel the need to repeat myself as in most cases series books if any good at all do remain consistent. The star ratings might change, but not my opinion of the series as a whole.Michael Connelly is a well know and very popular author in the mystery/detective and police procedural genres. Exploding onto the scene in the early nineties with his first six novels, and topping it off just recently with his 18th Bosch novel (The Black Box), Connelly has garnered most awards worth getting. Let's face it, the awards are well deserved, especially for those first novels (more on that later). Having emerged onto the fictional world after a career as a journalist, culminating with his job as crime reporter for the LA times, and admitting to becoming interested in writing fiction as a result of reading Raymond Chandler early on in his journalistic career, Michael Connelly has since involved himself in several collaborations: notable the television series Level 9, and as co-writer with Val McDermid's Wire In the Blood series (and that spawned the wildly popular grim, noir BBC television series of the same name). If you're into Noir than this TV series is a must see.Connelly has a knack for writing suspenseful tales that take quite a few twists and turns before being resolved with a stellar Who-Done-It that has most readers guessing till the very end (at least in his earlier books).Heironymous (Harry) Bosch, the hero in this series, is named after a Renaissance painter who specialized in earthly sins, debauchery, fanciful and gruesome visions of hell, violent consequences from high above if not detailed looks at the tortures reserved for earthly residents. Score 1 for Connelly in choosing a very apropos name for our own tortured detective Harry Bosch.Bosch is a complicated and conflicted character, a character that slowly develops across this series but whose emotive origin lies in the Viet Cong tunnels where Harry got his education in fear: underground, claustrophic, dark, drenched with blood, gruesome deaths, peopled with a savage enemy crawling within the absence of all light, hunting for the American soldiers like bloodthirsty rats. From these dark tunnels emerges Harry Bosch, LAPD detective, bent on setting the world right. From this darkness where pacific military command has sent Bosch to discover the inevitable conflict between a military order and the reality of carrying out that order, we find a detective in perpetual defiance of LAPD authority.The Harry Bosch series, for me, are divided into two sets: the first 4 books, and the rest that follow. As mentioned earlier, the classic early 90's novels were better for me. Books starting with The Black Echo on through The Last Coyote all inherit the tortuous origins of Harry's artistic namesake. Reading these books I could actually feel my heart begin to race as I sped towards the inevitable ending, ones that actually kept you guessing to the very end. One reviewer (sorry, can't remember who it was) says the following of these earlier book titles:[...]Even the titles of the books used to be cleverer. Compare The Drop (a simple reference to Deferred Retirement Option Plan) to The Concrete Blonde (a reference to both lady justice statue on the courthouse and the body of a blonde entombed in concrete. [...]Compare that to the later books in the series where we find a Harry Bosch notably mellower in his older age, where we find endings easily guessed at, where procedure begins to trump a superb plot. Bosch no longer smokes, doesn't drink and drive, doesn't slap people around anymore, where his defiance of LAPD authority is tempered by retirement, and let's face it, where my heart just doesn't race as often anymore. Let's say that his later novels are beginning to show an author's haste (is it me, or are the novels shorter and shorter?)Don't get me wrong, I still love reading the latest Bosch novel. Where the earlier novels have a few things that can be improved on (dialogue could have been better) the later novels are polished, almost a little too much so. After 18 Bosch novels, is Connelly tiring? Maybe.Beginning with the last 90's novel (Angels Flight) in which we are introduced to Bosch's latest romantic interest, Eleanor Wish, with whom Bosch is to have a daughter this mellowing process takes root. Connelly is absolutely right to introduce this notable character shift in Bosch from this book forward because as I can attest to in my own personal life: when you see your child born, a fundamental shift takes place in a man. For me, I was reborn from a devilish bachelor into a man who now bore the responsibility of an innocent life. It completely turned around my life for the better. And so it is with Harry Bosch. It is the presence of his daughter that transforms him from Heironymous to Harry.Overall, I highly recommend this series.
Number four in the Harry Bosch series and I feel that I have read many more than four of the series. Must be the fact that I’ve read all of the Mickey Haller series where Harry (we’re on a first name basis now) plays a role in the books, sometimes bigger than 'walk-ons.’ I simply love Michael Connelly’s skillful writing. He writes with the reader in mind with descriptive, flowing sentences. Great characters described so well that you can vision them in your mind’s eye and scenery that takes you there. Some professional reviewers have likened Connelly’s writing to noir but I disagree. His writing is in a league of his own and I’ve read enough noir to compare them.To me, thus far, Harry has been an enigma and not very likable, to me, anyhow. Until now that is with the reading of this book. He’s been brash, arrogant, impetuous, self-absorbing and insensitive. My perception of Harry now, due to this book, has changed dramatically. I’ve seen a person who is indeed, very sensitive underneath and who is actively trying to become a better person. He wants to do the right thing in spite of everything flowing in and out and around him.The book opens with his world falling to pieces and his denial of it all; his home is due to be demolished because of the earthquake and he continues working on it; he’s on involuntary stress leave from the LAPD because he threw his boss into a plate glass window (his boss lived with minor scratches); his long time (for him) girlfriend left him because she (he says) found out who he is; and lastly, he’s drinking too much. He’s tried to deny all of these events. Because of the episode between Harry and his boss, he’s placed on involuntary stress leave and ordered to see the LAPD psychologist. At first he’s hesitant to interact with the psychologist who appears to be intuitive and willing to go the distance with him. She has the power to cut his career short or let it continue. She has his life in her hands and Harry’s not happy about that but is acutely aware of it. However, she’s skillful in drawing him out and he learns to respect her. He decides to look in the mirror and see the ‘real Harry.’ “Everybody counts or nobody counts” is his mantra, meaning victims regardless of who they are should receive equal treatment in an investigation of their murder. And number one on his list is his mother who was murdered 30+ years ago with an investigation which was hardly a blip by the department. He wonders why? This begins Harry’s venture to find out what happened to his mother who was a prostitute when she was murdered. Everybody counts, even his prostitute mother. This quest relates closely to Harry’s introspection and his final revelations about himself. The ending has numerous surprises which seem to go on and on. The ending brought this book from a solid four to a solid five stars for me, the best Harry Bosch yet.
What do You think about The Last Coyote (1997)?
I became a Michael Connelly fan during a John Grisham/Michael Crichton lull in the mid 90's and now, he is probably may favorite author. I've read everything from about '96 on and now going back to read the books from BC (Before Connelly)The Last Coyote is another Harry Bosch novel. Bosch is hard-boiled LA Homicide detective who once again has fallen afoul of the LAPD status quo - punching his lieutenant and now psychological counseling is his ticket back to the beat. Bosch, whose mantra - "Everybody counts or nobody counts," comes face to face with a mission that he previously backed away from - his own mother's brutal murder when he was 11 years old.Bosch reconstructs the landscape until he finally finds justice for his mother and a way to move forward in his own existence.Probably the best writer out there bringing the streets of LA to life (Ellory too, of course in a previous era)If you like plot twisting crime novels, I recommend Connelly's Harry Bosch novels as well as the newer Mickey Haller (Lincoln Lawyer, etc) and the few others like Bloodwork (Motion Pic w/ Clint Eastwood)
—Edward Shurley
Yet another outburst of violence has LA Homicide Detective Harry Bosch in trouble again only this time, he shoved his superior, Lt. Pounds, and he is suspended from the force pending a psychiatric evaluation from the Department psychologist, Dr. Carmen Hinojos. Other aspects of Bosch s life are just as bleak; an earthquake has rendered his home officially unlivable (although of course Bosch continues to live there), and Sylvia Moore, with whom he has had a year-long serious relationship, has left him. While struggling to come to terms with his life, Bosch becomes convinced that he can only understand what drives him if he is able to solve the 30+ year old murder case of his mother. Using his suspension, he tries to pick up the dropped threads of an old, cold investigation.[return][return]Before long, oddities crop up: unusual police procedures, missing pages from the murder book, hints of undue interference from political figures. By the very nature of the case, Harry talks with people from his past, especially his mother s best friend, and former police officers who are unduly wary of inquiries from Los Angeles.[return][return]The trail heats up, and leads Harry to several confrontations, one of which costs Pounds his life. Chagrined but determined to find out who killed his mother, Harry pushes on despite the danger to himself and others.[return][return]Another excellent installment in this series. Connelly s novels always start out the way I imagine police investigations do wandering a bit, especially in this instance with such an old case. There is no clear trail, nothing definite to put one s finger on, just the sense of needing to push on. The writing is excellent and the plotting is superb. The climax is unexpected, and extremely well done. As usual, I m left with the desire to read more.[return][return]Highly recommended.
—Joyce Lagow
I really like Connelly's well-written, thoughtful, gritty detective novels. Harry Bosch is a particularly tough cop whose anger at his incompetent pencil-pusher department head lands him in suspension pending a psychiatrist's evaluation of his stability. And we agree he is not too stable or smart as he vindictively make some stupid choices to irritate his boss. While waiting to see if he is going to be fired or rehired, and sparked by the sessions with the department's shrink, he decides to solve a cold case--the murder of a prostitute many years ago -- who happens to have been his mom. Despite the tough-guy persona that Bosch lives by, we see inside to the emotions and vulnerabilities arising from his difficult childhood. Cold cases often stir up old animosities and Bosch discovers that he is working against some powerful enemies without the help of the police department behind him. Good story: thoughtful, good characters, action-filled, good detective work.
—Dlora
