Lost Light (Harry Bosch #9) (audiobook) by Michael Connelly



Tremendous. Unbelievably strong.

Published in 2003 by Hachette Audio.
Read by Len Cariou.
Duration: 19 hours, 37 minutes.
Unabridged.

Michael Connelly
Allow me a rare moment to gush over Lost Light by Michael Connelly. I've reviewed over 500 books and rarely do I gush, so please permit me this indulgence.

Harry Bosch has retired. He no longer has the power and the protection of the badge. He also no longer has the limits and restraints of a cop.

He is enticed to start investigating a case that he never solved and soon gets sucked into way more than he bargained for. Connelly leads us into the dark world of criminal conspiracies, police bureaucracy and the FBI counter-terrorism unit.

Len Cariou, the narrator, did such a strong job that I can honestly say that I have never heard a better job of narration, and maybe only one or two that equal his effort. Cariou is especially strong reading the part of Lawton Cross, a former LAPD detective who is a quadriplegic due to an injury sustained in a shootout. I know we have a fascination with assigning spoken word Grammies to politicians reading their own books lately, but I have to wonder how readers like Cariou get overlooked when they do this kind of quality work.

The FBI interview scene with Lawton Cross is so strong that when it ended I actually had to turn of my car's stereo and drive the last few minutes to work in silence. That kind of power in a piece of throwaway pulp fiction is appreciated.

Fun moments:

Harry Bosch at the computer trying to use a search engine. Maybe you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but Connelly made it entertaining, light and one of the pivotal moments of the book all at the same time.

Watch for a brief interaction with Robert Crais's Elvis Cole character. No words are exchanged, so you've got to pay close attention.

Bravo.

 I rate this book 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Lost Light by Michael Connelly.

 Reviewed on March 11, 2008.

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