DWD's Reviews

Not the best Harry Bosch (or Mickey Haller) book but solid enough Published in 2010 by Little, Brown and Company 389 pages Bosch and Haller are half brothers, as has come out if you follow the series. Bosch has become a bit more domesticated, now that he is a full time dad and has a niece and a brother and an ex-sister-in-law and I am not sure if I like it. I like the brooding intensity of the earlier installments of the  Bosch series. Michael Connelly Not that this book does not have its creepy moments, its dramatic moments and action. It has all of that, but it just didn't feel like a Bosch book - and that was all because of the inclusion of Haller and the fact that it was a hybrid book. In The Reversal defense attorney Mickey Haller has been asked to step in as a special prosecutor in a 24 year old case involving a child murder. The case was resolved 24 years ago but a DNA test has cast doubt on the verdict and a court has ordered the conviction to be reversed.

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 quadripl

Thoroughly enjoyable audiobook Read by Len  Cariou Duration: 10 hours, 57 minutes Michael Connelly Fans of Harry Bosch know that he is named for the Renaissance painter Heironymous Bosch. Bosch the painter specialized in sweeping panoramic paintings of hell, with details of how individual sinners were being gouged, burned and otherwise tormented by gleeful demons. Connelly has commented many times that Harry Bosch is meant to be our tour guide through the hellish side of Los Angeles - the world of serial killers, hidden sins and chaos. Interestingly, Bosch the detective sits in his house high in the hills of Los Angeles looking down on the panorama of it all, just as the viewer of a Bosch painting sees hell from high above. In The Narrows , Bosch spends a great deal of time in Las Vegas. It would not be inappropriate to say that Vegas is "Sodom" to LA's "Gomorrah" - twins in sin. Bosch is worried that his daughter is growing up in Las V

Race is an issue in this great mystery Published by Hachette Audio Read by Dick Hill Duration: 10 hours, 55 minutes. Unabridged Michael Connelly Angels Flight , an early installment in the Harry Bosch series, is as good as the rest in the series meaning, at least in my mind, it is a proud member of one of the best set of detective novels currently being produced. Michael Connelly 's books are usually deep and gritty and this one is no different. The lead character is Harry Bosch, the leader of a 3 detective team in the LAPD that is assigned an unusually sensitive case. A well-known civil rights attorney that has successfully sued LAPD over and over again for violations of federal civil rights laws has been murdered on the eve of an especially notorious case against the LAPD. Of course, everyone inside LAPD and out believe that a police officer killed him in a fit of revenge and the city is seething. Set just a few years after the Rodney King riots and t

Not the best Bosch book, which means that it is merely very, very good and not excellent Read by Dick Hill. 11 hours, 11 minutes. Connelly's Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch is named after a Renaissance painter who specialized in fanciful and gruesome visions of hell from high above and detailed looks at the tortures that it holds for its residents. Hieronymus Bosch is designed to be our guide through the modern hell of Los Angeles - at least that's the way it seems to the Hollywood Homicide Division. Fittingly, The Black Ice starts with Harry Bosch watching a wildfire burn part of the canyon below his home. His thoughts are interrupted with a radio call about a homicide and Bosch descends the mountain into the madness. A long, complicated case unrolls for Bosch as he goes against direct orders and privately investigates the presumed suicide of a narcotics and I will go no further so as to avoid spoilers. Michael Connelly Dick Hill read this installation of th

Not the strongest of the series but very, very good Michael Connelly is one of the two best living detective writers, in my opinion, the other being Robert Crais. Having noted in the title for this review that this book is not the strongest in the series, I must also note that it makes this book receive a grade of merely an "A" rather than the normal "A+." Michael Connelly Bosch's books are gritty but not over the top. He is principled but not a boy scout. This particular Harry Bosch novel, City of Bones , deals with an old homicide uncovered in the hills surrounding Los Angeles. Bosch finds romance, has a major career shift and it has a surprise ending. No other plot details to avoid spoilers. You can join the Bosch novels at any point but I'd recommend starting at the beginning. I rate this book 5 stars out of 5. This book can be found on Amazon.com here: City of Bones by Michael Connelly . Reviewed on May 3, 2009.

In Void Moon Connelly takes a break from the Harry Bosch stories and introduces a new character, a professional thief named Cassie Black. Black is sexy, smart and very good at picking locks. Currently, she is on parole in Los Angeles working at a high end car dealership where her specialty is selling cars to up and coming script writers. Black was convicted for being involved in the crime that caused the death of her partner in crime (and in romance) several years earlier in Las Vegas (apparently states can exchange parole cases which is how she ended up in L.A.) Black's specialty was robbing high rollers in Vegas casinos, usually in their rooms while they slept. She has been contacted to do one last job with a big payoff by an old colleague and, of course, things go wrong. Soon enough, the Vegas underworld is after Black and mayhem and destruction are on her tail.  Michael Connelly It would be a spoiler to tell you why Black needs the money and even more so to tell yo

A Great Read! Originally published in 1994 Synopsis: Detective Harry Bosch of the LAPD shot and killed a suspected ritualistic serial killer in a controversial but "righteous shoot" several years before. Now, the killer's widow is suing the city for killing the wrong man and new victims of the serial killer are showing up - victims that definitely were killed after Bosch shot his man. First - let's address the title. There are actually two concrete blondes in the book. One is the concrete statue of lady justice outside the courtroom. The other is one of the victims - a blond prostitute/porn actress who was found encased in the concrete floor of a self-storage unit. Michael Connelly Second - this is a great cop story. I won't go into much plot detail, but I will say that the story twists and turns in so many directions that it is hard to put down. Just when you think you have got it figured out, you find that Connelly has been waiting for you and your er

12 discs 14 hours read by Dick Hill First, let me say that Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch stories are the best series currently being published. I've read and heard books throughout the series and let me heartily recommend hearing the Harry Bosch books rather than reading them. Why? First of all, narrator Dick Hill has an amazing voice and he captures Harry Bosch perfectly. There is no one better. Secondly, Connelly's books really are well-written. I listen to a lot of audiobooks while I commute. Most are fine, but you can always tell the so-so authors. Their prose does not do well when read aloud while Connelly's shines. Combine it with Hill's voice and you have an experience, not just a book. (I'm not kidding, try it - I get two weeks of enjoyment by listening on the way to and from work rather than just two days in the traditional book format). So, is The Black Echo a good book? Not just good, it's great. Michael Connelly The plot

  A "game changer" of a book for Harry Bosch Nine Dragons is a foray into international crime for Harry Bosch. Previously he has traveled to Mexico, but now he travels to Hong Kong to find his daughter (not a spoiler - it's on the cover) who has been kidnapped. Bosch and his ex-wife and ex-FBI agent Eleanor Wish team up to go after his daughter. But, as Eleanor notes in the very first Harry Bosch book, in these kinds of cases you are lucky if you just break even. Bosch has always been an untouchable - incorruptible, focused and driven. This book focuses on Bosch's weakness - his family. "All his life Harry Bosch believed he has a mission. And to carry out that mission he needed to be bulletproof. He needed to build himself and his life so that he was invulnerable, so that nothing could get to him. All that changed on the day he was introduced to the daughter he didn't know he had. In that moment he was both saved and lost. He would be forever connect

It had to happen eventually... Published by Hachette Audio in 2007 Read by Len Cariou Duration: 6 hours, 37 minutes Unabridged I've read and reviewed almost all of the Harry Bosch books and they've all been enthusiastic 5 star reviews. Connelly falls out of the stratosphere with The Overlook . Note, he doesn't crash and burn but this is simply not as good as the rest. Brian Doyle-Murray To begin with, the plot is fairly simple and straightforward compared to the usual brooding, complex story lines. I heard this as an audiobook and it was just flubbed my veteran narrator Len Cariou. All of the male characters sounded like a bad impersonation of character actor Brian Doyle-Murray. It was not a pretty scene. So, I can now confirm that Connelly is now a mortal among writers - he has written a merely pedestrian, run-of-the-mill police procedural. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: The Overlook by Michael Conn

Connelly is an Edgar Award winner (an award for great mysteries that is named after Edgar Allen Poe, the creator of they mystery genre) and, for me, that is usually a great recommendation as an author. Michael Connelly. Photo by Mark Coggins The Poet concerns Jack McEvoy, a reporter whose specialty is covering murders for his newspaper. This time, the story is about his twin brother, a cop and a presumed suicide who left a disturbing note consisting of a single line from Poe. McEvoy does a lot of digging and discovers that there have been a string of police suicides across the country with "Poe" suicide notes. Soon, he's on the case with an FBI task force and the chase is on to catch the killer they've nicknamed "The Poet." This really is a well-written book. The first 100 pages are slow and wallowing in self-reflection and insecurity, as is appropriate for those left behind in the wake of a suicide. Once McEvoy finds the clues leading to a differ

Published by Hachette Audio 11 hours, 16 minutes Read by Peter Giles Unabridged The Scarecrow re-unites two characters from 1996's The Poet , crime reporter Jack McEvoy and FBI agent Rachel Walling. McEvoy is a victim of the ever-shrinking newsroom phenomenon that is hitting newspapers all across the country. He is the 99th out of 100 layoffs and he decides to go out with a bang. He is going to make the L.A. Times regret firing him by writing a Pulitzer prize quality series of articles. I don't want to do a book report here and re-tell the entire plot, but suffice it to say McEvoy and Walling dig up a lot more than they expected and lots of adventure and mayhem ensue. This is a highly entertaining audiobook. It made me look forward to my morning and afternoon commute - I wanted to listen to more. I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly . Reviewed on April 30, 2010.

A Review of the Audiobook Published in 2005 by Hachette Audio Duration: 11 hours, 37 minutes Read by Adam Grupper Unabridged Michael Connelly leaves Harry Bosch behind for a while to introduce a new character - defense attorney Mickey Haller. Haller plays all of the angles all of the time. He knows all of the ins and outs of the L.A. court system and knows all of the ways to create revenue for his practice - he needs every penny because he has two ex-wives and a child to support. Haller saves money by using his car, a roomy Lincoln, as his office. His driver is a client who is working off what he owes to Haller. Haller is asked to defend a very rich Beverly Hills playboy in an attempted rape/murder case and soon Haller's world starts to become even more complicated. Ethical considerations, murder, love of family and the desire for justice for a man unfairly imprisoned all get tangled together. Michael Connelly The audiobook is wonderfully read by veteran narrat