Book Review: The Drop by Michael Connelly

Had been waiting for this book on Harry Bosch for ages. The two recent electronic short story books have been fine but this is the real deal.

As ever with ongoing series, it is the characters that we want to read about, in this case Harry, his daughter Maddie, Kiz Rider and Chu amongst others. On this level we are not left wanting. Harry is wrestling with quitting or "the Drop" in the title, his relationship with Maddie seems to be fine but he appears to be building up problems for the future? As to Kiz during the course of this novel his relationship with her appears to change completely. Chu and Harry go through a complete circle of a relationship.

Harry is investigating a fairly mundane cold case and this leads him into a huge case and towards a love interest too. He also has to deal with his old nemesis Irvyn Irving on the other one that becomes a political hot potato. Harry seems to prove adept in the politics while maintaining his usual integrity. Maybe this case of high jingo will come back and haunt him later in the series?

Another good novel from Michael Connelly that did not quite reach the heights of some of the others but as ever a cut above the rest in the genre and a must read.

Happy Christmas Everyone!!!

9/10 for me.

Book Review: Suicide Run by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch Short Stories)

Three short stories from Michael Connelly that feature his main man detective Harry Bosch. The three stories are called: Suicide Run, Cielo Azul and One Dollar Jackpot.

The first of these stories, Suicide Run, I enjoyed as it was good to see something niggling at Harry for a case that seemed to be an open and shut suicide. His partner wanted to leave it there but something made Harry press on. An enjoyable quick read.

Cielo Azul was shorter and was not particularly a mystery, we knew who the killer was from the off. However the story concerns one of the drawbacks of Harry's job and it contained some human interest for me.

The last story was One Dollar Jackpot that concerned a murder of a woman in her car in her own driveway. Harry leads us through his theories about who killed her and we are shown how he proves his case. Dead end leads along the way and the evidence gathering.

Connelly is still a master and I cannot wait for the next one of his novels to be published. I will be in the Kindle queue on publication day for all of his new works.

8/10 for me for this one.

Book Review: The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly (Mickey Haller 4)

I bought this book from the bookstall at Heathrow and read it from cover to cover very, very quickly on the flight back to Doha, Qatar and a little bit after that. Simply not able to put it down or do anything else!

This novel features Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer (he works in his Lincoln car) and it sees him on slightly fallen times and he is working on foreclosure work. One of his clients, Lisa Trammel is accused of murdering the man who was dealing with her loan.

Mickey takes on her defence and is meticulous in his planning of the defence and attacking the prosecution and their witnesses. However, there are always some nagging doubts about his client, she is a very vocal protestor against the loan companies/banks and has headed up many campaigns including street protests. She is also barred from going near the offices of her loan company. However, the prosecution witnesses put her in the vicinity at the time.

Everything is very circumspect and Mickey is like a dog with a bone. The courtroom scenes are fantastic and the pulling of the strings outside adds to the tension. Does Mickey win the case or not? You will need to read the book and you will also have to enjoy the surprise party afterwards.

If this is Michael Connelly's current standard of writing then I cannot wait for the next Harry Bosch/Michael Connelly release "The Drop" on 25 October 2011. I will be knocking down the doors of Amazon for my Kindle copy then hoping that the internet connection gets it to me in less than 2 minutes.

A superb book and 10/10 for me!!!

Book Review: The Reversal by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 16 and Mickey Haller 3)

Bosch and Haller are half brothers and they both feature in this 2010 novel, that I avidly read in Doha in hardback.

Mickey Haller the lawyer decides to switch sides and becomes a prosecution lawyer rather than his usual defence lawyer side of the fence. For the case which is the retrial of a convicted killer on new DNA evidence he has Maggie McPherson his ex-wife as co-prosecutor and Harry Bosch his half brother as his investigator from LAPD.

The case concerns the murder of a 12 year old murdered in 1986, and unbeknown to the killer the victim's sister had witnessed the abduction. The evidence at the time was conflicting, implicating both Jason Jessup a truck driver and the girl's stepfather Ken Landy.

Jessup is bailed and Haller has him tailed by the police to try and break the case. Jessup proves to be a shady character but the police cannot quite catch him in the act to get the evidence. Jessup then hangs around Bosch's house and both Bosch and Haller become concerned for their own daughter's safety.

The original victim's sister is an unreliable witness as she has drug convictions and has been a prostitute.

The trial scenes are great as well as the dramatic turn of events that help to flush the killer out into the open.

A great read and 9/10 for me.

Book Review: 9 Dragons by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 14)

I enjoyed this novel because 1. It is written by Michael Connelly; 2. It is written about Harry Bosch; 3. It is partly set in Hong Kong where I used to live in 2000/2001.

Harry is investigating a Chinese shopkeeper's killing in Los Angeles with his Chinese detective sidekick. It soon becomes clear that the victim has been paying protection money to the Triads. Harry keeps pushing the envelope and the Triads get nasty. They kidnap his daughter Maddie who is living with his ex-wife Eleanor Wish in Hong Kong.

Harry rushes to Hong Kong and with the assistance of some friends there and clues from the kidnap video he is able to track down the whereabouts of his daughter. Harry very heavy handily goes after rescuing his daughter.

His impetuousness leads to a family tragedy and much changed personal circumstances for Harry. He does not seem to be in control of events in parts of this story.

Another great book from Michael Connelly and I cannot wait for the next Harry Bosch instalment called the Drop that is released for me on 25 October 2011, I will be on line to Kindle to get my copy! It will be the top priority read for me.

This novel, well a 9/10 for me.

New Book Release: The Drop by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch)

The latest in the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly is released today. I will be getting my Kindle copy as soon as possible.

Make sure that you get your copy now too!!!

Book Review: Angle of Investigation by Michael Connelly

Three fantastic Harry Bosch stories to read while I wait for the Drop to be published (I read the Angle of Investigation on 15 October 2011).

The first of the stories is a Christmas heartwarmer that combines Harry's tenacity with his love of jazz. He also gets a free Christmas dinner too.

The second story is about fathers and Father's Day, again a touching piece from Michael Connelly and again featuring Harry Bosch.

The final short story and the title book allows Harry to be with Kiz Rider again and to go back right to the beginning of his cop life and tie up a loose end in the Unsolved Crimes Unit.

Enjoyed reading them all and 8/10 for me.

Book Review: The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 14 and Mickey Haller Book 2)

This novel sees Mickey Haller recovering from his wounds (see the Lincoln Lawyer) and he is also coming off his addiction to painkillers too.

His workload is increased when his friend defence attorney Jerry Vincent is murdered and Haller takes on his cases.

One of the high profile cases he takes on is a Hollywood mogul who is accused of murdering his wife and her lover. He has nine days to prepare for trial. However, Vincent's laptop has been stolen and Haller believes his old friend has a "magic bullet" to use on the case in court.

The book ties in with Harry Bosch, who is investigating the murder of Jerry Vincent. Bosch warns Haller that he could be the next victim after Vincent, Haller is therefore also able to help Bosch in this investigation too. The FBI become involved and interested in the murder and the court case, further complicating matters.

As revealed in previous novels, Bosch and Haller are half brothers. The interaction and switches between the two half brothers is fantastic and Connelly spins the novel really well. It really is an un-put-down-able novel.

A 9/10 for me on this one!

Book Review: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (Mickey Haller 1)

I must confess that when I read that this novel was not about Harry Bosch I was a little disappointment. However after a few pages of reading I soon forgot about this prejudice and thoroughly enjoyed the read of this!

Mickey Haller is a defence attorney working in Los Angeles. He works out of the back of a Lincoln car, hence the title of the novel. He works for some shady but colourful clients including drug dealers and gangsters.

The main case in this novel concerns realtor Louis Roulet who is accused of assault and attempted murder who appears to be innocent and set up. However this facade soon disappears and Connelly leads us clue by clue through a fascinating read.

The case also links up with a convicted former client of Haller who proves to be innocent while Roulet shown to be a guilty man.

Mickey Haller's father (and Harry Bosch's father!!!) was a lawyer too and there is also some family background in this novel too.

This novel has also been made into a very good watchable film too that is probably out on DVD now (July 2011), but my wife and I both enjoyed this at the cinema in Doha.

9/10 for the novel (and probably 8/10 for the film)

Book Review: The Overlook by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 13)

This novel was published in 2007 and features the LA Detective Harry Bosch and is written by the excellent crime writer Michael Connelly.

Bosch links back with FBI agent Rachel Walling but he also has a new police partner called Iggy Ferras who Bosch has to show the ropes. They are called to investigate the murder of medical physicist Stanley Kent on the Mulholland Drive overlook (a wonderfully evocative place for someone like me from England!). However the FBI turn up and try to scare Harry off the case by claiming that it falls under the heading of national security.

Agent Walling also discovers that there has been thefts of radioactive caesium from the hospital where Kent worked. However she is working with the FBI and she stone walls Harry too. This makes him even more determined to solve the case.

However, there are links to terrorism and dirty bombs that were probably the news at the time in the mid 2000's. Bosch bends the rules a bit and circumnavigates the FBI. However this does not help the career of his young partner Ferras, but Bosch has always been one to solve cases despite the fallout.

A good novel for me and 8/10 for this one.

Book Review: Echo Park by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 12)

I can remember buying this book from Ottakers in hardback shortly after it came out in 2006 in Maidenhead, my home town. Sadly Ottakers is no longer there and I miss browsing that bookstore and sitting in the upstairs sofas. Happy days.

This novel finds Harry Bosch back with the LAPD but now pushing sixty years old. He is working with his partner Kiz Rider in the Open-Unsolved Unit.

Echo Park is in Los Angeles and a traffic stop in that area throws up Reynard Waits who is discovered to have body parts on the front seat of his car. Waits confesses to two crimes one that is a throwback to the 1992 LA riots and the other is a cold case that Harry Bosch had been working on years before, concerning a young equestrian called Marie Gesto. Her clothes were discovered but her body was never found.

Harry considered at the time that the likely killer was the son of a wealthy man so he is surprised to hear of Wait's confession to the killing. He digs back into the case and discovers that his old partner Jerry Edgar had made some errors on the case and Waits could have been apprehended at the time, a lead that was not properly followed up.

Waits leads the police to the grave or Marie Gesto but escapes during this visit. However, more twists are added to the mix by Michael Connelly. Did Waits really murder Marie Gesto or was he just in on the know as to her burial site?

You will need to read this novel to find out.

I really enjoyed this novel and 9/10 for me.

Book Review: The Closers by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 11)

Harry Bosch is back working for the LAPD in the cold case division, Open-Unsolved. He is also back with his work partner Kiz Rider. The first case he has to investigate relates to the murder of a schoolgirl in 1988 and there is some new evidence now that there is a DNA match to the blood on the murderer's gun.

While this evidence helps to link the gun to a white supremasist it does not link him to the crime. However, when Bosch and Rider investigate the case they discover that there has been a cover up and a high ranking police officer has tried to cover his son's links to the white supremacist and his Nazi links.

The book also has some human interest as we can see how the murder of some years before has affected the victim's family. The mother is a victim too and is trapped in life before the murder, while the father is an alcoholic and homeless.

The case moves forward cleverly in the hands of the master writer Michael Connelly and you can sit back and enjoy the literary ride. Kiz Rider is a good foil for Bosch and gives a perspective to Bosch's viewpoints.

Another fantastic novel from Michael Connelly and 8/10 for me.

Book Review: The Narrows by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 10)

This novel also involves the death of another of Michael Connelly's other characters the FBI profiler Terry McCaleb. Harry Bosch the LA Detective is employed by McCaleb's wife to investigate the murder of her husband.

Bosch suspects that the serial killer the Poet is responsible for the killing and he follows leads that lead him to Las Vegas. The Poet is Robert Backus who has been presumed to be dead. Bosch contacts the FBI in Vegas and this also leads him to hook up with FBI agent Rachel Walling who is also heavily involved with the ex-FBI agent Robert Backus case. She comes out of her imposed exile in South Dakota and teams up with Bosch to track down the Poet.

Bosch also ends up rejoining the LAPD and eventually there is a terrific climax to the novel in the Narrows that are the flood relief channels in Los Angeles. However, did he kill Terry McCaleb or was Bosch on the wrong trail?

In this novel Harry Bosch goes through the complete affair with Rachel Walling and we also meet up with Eleanor his ex-wife and his daughter in Las Vegas too. Therefore there is some ongoing background in Bosch's life that is also enjoyable.

8/10 for me on this one.

Book Review: Lost Light by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 9)

Published in 2003, Michael Connelly remains on the top of his writing game for this Harry Bosch novel. We are used to the character now and Connelly's writing skills are honed to perfection.

Harry Bosch the LA Detective has resigned from LAPD and is now a private investigator. He investigates an old case. The case he is investigating involves the death of Angela Benton who had worked for a bank that had loaned $2 million in cash to a film company to be used in a film but the cash was stolen during a robbery during shooting.

The novel has all sorts of twists and turns before the solution to all the puzzles in your head are solved in the last few pages. Classic writing. You learn more about Harry Bosch and are interested in his life too. Connelly's description of Los Angeles is great too, giving you a slightly lonely empty feeling as well as a City with energy and feeling.

A 9/10 for classic Michael Connelly.

Book Review: City of Bones by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 8)

This novel, published in 2008 is another in the Michael Connelly series featuring the LA detective Harry Bosch. The bones in question are some human remains that a dog digs up and Harry and his colleague Jerry Edgar are assigned to the case. The bones sadly belong to a child.

The bones belong to a boy that disappeared 20 years earlier and a skateboard in a suspect's house is the only clue they have to go on. Bosch researches old disappearances over the past 20 years and this is a problem to find witnesses and people he can interview to unlock the case.

To add to Harry's problems he starts a relationship with a new female cop that leads to complications for him in his private and professional life.

The novel is superb, there are more bodies along the way, Connelly really puts some believable twists and turns into his work. At first it looks like a mystery that will just remain a mystery after twenty years, then like a home run case before further twists lead to the conclusion on the last few pages of the novel.

Michael Connelly manages to convey the feelings I have of Los Angeles (I have only been there once) very well in addition to the feelings for Harry and his world. He is really in his stride with this novel and at the top of his writing game.

A 9/10 for this novel from me, no question about it.

Book Review: A Darkness More than Night by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 7)

This novel is also Harry Bosch 7 as well as a Terry McCaleb novel (2 of 2)

I love the title of this book, I would have read it on that alone! Also that it is written by the wonderful writer Michael Connelly. It is the second of the two Terry McCaleb novels.

McCaleb has moved on in his life and married the sister of the woman who donated her heart to him as he is a heart transplant recipient. They now have a young daughter and McCaleb, an ex-FBI man is living quietly running a fishing charter business.

However, his world is stirred up again when a Sherriff's Deputy brings him a police file to take a look at as they would like his professional opinion. The chief suspect of the crime appears to be Harry Bosch, the LA detective hero in the majority of the Michael Connelly novels.

Bosch comes to visit McCaleb and some flimsy evidence points to Harry Bosch being set up. Due in part to discovering this evidence, McCaleb becomes a target for the real killer. Bosch saves him and captures the real criminal.

The novel then moves on to the court procedures part and it becomes evident that Bosch has lied to McCaleb and their relationship sours.

An interesting novel and a 7/10 from me.

Book Review: Angels Flight by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 6)

This is the sixth in the excellent Harry Bosch series, published in 1998. In this book Harry is trying to solve the case of the murder of a black lawyer called Howard Elias. The book has echoes of the Rodney King case of the 1990's to it too. The lawyer was someone who sued LA cops for civil rights violations.

Bosch also investigates the murder victim of the man Elias was defending as Bosch believes that the two cases are connected. The deaths continue as Harry is on the trail.

Harry's marriage is also on the rocks so he has some emotional baggage with him as well as solving the cases too.

9/10 for me on this one, great stuff.

Book Review: Trunk Music by Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch 5)

This is the fifth in the excellent Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly, published in 1996.

The mob appears to have murdered a film producer in LA. The book is called Trunk Music as the trunk of the car is where the body ended up. Bosch follows the leads to Vegas but this gets him into trouble with the department. It also leads him to the love of his life, Eleanor Wish the ex-FBI agent who he helped convict of fraud.

Harry follows the clues to track down the killers and also falls back in love with Eleanor.

Another good read from Michael Connelly.

8/10 from me.

Book Review: Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly

This stand alone novel by Michael Connelly dates back to 2002. Henry Pierce is on the verge of a breakthrough in the nanotechnology field that will make him a very rich man indeed. However, his devotion to his task mean that his relationship folds. He moves into a new apartment with a new residential phone. He keeps getting calls on this new line for an escort girl, Lilly Quinlan.

Pierce obsessively tries to track her down. He finds the internet site for the company she works for but she has gone missing. He follows the trail and is soon embroiled with some very nasty people indeed. However, Henry sticks to his task as he has a link to Lilly as his own sister was killed by a serial killer while working as a hooker.

The novel is frankly not one of Michael Connelly's best, I am much happier in the world of Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller.

I would give this novel 7/10.

Book Review: The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly (Jack McEvoy 2)

This is the second in the Jack McEvoy novels following on from the introduction of the character in the Poet. Also in this novel FBI Agent Rachel Walling is also involved and these two characters have links to the Harry Bosch novels.

McEvoy is to be terminated at his job on the LA Times due to the economic downturn. However he has to train his young female replacement before he leaves. She is keen as mustard and her investigations into one of Jack's reporting cases, sets her up in a computer trap that leads to her murder. The LA Times network is also hacked into.

Jack follows the leads that he has to a prisoner serving time for a similar crime. However while he is at the remote prison at a hotel he is set upon and beaten up. Rachel Walling comes to his rescue and they both are on the trail of the attacker and the murderer.

The hacking of the IT system lead them down an electronic path to find the killer. Some odd clues come together to help Jack and Rachel on their quest to track down the Scarecrow. Why the Scarecrow, well you will just have to read the book to find out why, it would be too much of a spoiler to tell you here.

Well worth reading this novel and 9/10 for me.