Rating: 
Summary: Fantabulous!
Review: Concrete Blonde drew me in right from the start and I could not put it down. I guess it is true that you can judge a book by it's cover. I have read all of Michael Connelly's books and enjoyed them all - this one was wonderful. Harry Bosch is a great character and Connelly really expands him and draws us further into his world with each book. He draws the reader in and really allows you to get to know the characters (and not just Harry but the peripheral ones as well). Concrete Blonde was well written and totally addictive - once you open it you can't put it down!
Rating: 
Summary: Michael Connelly is a good author.
Review: This is the 5th Connelly book I've read. I started with Angel Flight, w....well, it's not bad. I then read Blood Work, and was truly amazed by the book. That's one of a true non-stop page turner I've encountered. So I bought all of Connelly's book. I then read the Harry Bosch series, started with Black Echo, then Black Ice. Now I just finished Concrete Blonde. Harry Bosch is not a distinctive and outstanding hero in terms of his character - as compared with Lincoln Rhyme (Bone Collector) and Alex Cross (Along Came a Spider) or Stephanie Plum. I would to say he is just like a character that like Kay Scarpetta, once you read more him, you will go on to find out what's happening to him. But don't get me wrong, Connelly is a good author that he slowly builds Harry's background and the interest to find out more about him is greater than other characters. In Black Echo, we know about his background in Vietnam, tunnel rats, etc.. In Black Ice, Sylvia is first appeared, and the Dollmaker's case is mentioned again. In Concrete Blonde, the Dollmaker case is finally described in fine details (great!!), and the murder of Harry's mother is mentioned. So obviously I will continue with Last Coyote to find out that murder. Mr. Connelly has done a great job to create such a character with great skill. Actually, I didn't plan to read Concrete Blonde just after I've finished with Black Ice. But I've read the excerpt at the back, and I was immediately attracted by the plot and determined to read this 3rd Harry entry. It didn't disappointed me. First, about the Dollmaker case. Second, the courtroom drama. Many (non-legal thriller) authors has added some drama scene in their books - James Paterson in Pop Goes to Weasel, Sidney Sheldon in The Other Side of Midnight, but NONE of them write as good as Connelly (though I think Scott Turrow and Richard North Patterson are a little bit better - but they are laywers!!). Third, I love Sylvia very much, it is very interesting to see what's happening to her relationship with Harry. In summary - I love this book, but I find Connelly can have better ones (e.g. Blood Work), so I rank this at 3-star, meaning better than average and recommended for you to read.
Rating: 
Summary: If this is his best, I don't want to read his worst
Review: I'm sorry to go against the average opinion on this book but I found it extremely boring, at least till page 200 or so! Everytime I'd open it and try to read it I got sleepy eyes.
What's up with all the street names of LA?? Who cares about every single street every single carachter takes on his way to anywhere??
Unless you're from LA this becomes utterly boring! Delete all the references to streets, avenues, boulevards and whathaveyou and you will end up with a 20 pages book even a child could write.
Very repetitive (too much so) descriptions and thoughts and quite predictable.
Again, if so many people consider this book to be the best among those Connelly has written thus far I can say this is my first and LAST.
Rating:
Summary: BLONDES DO HAVE MORE FUN
Review: This is my first Connelly book and it is a tremendous story! I found myself completely engrossed in Harry Bosch and the complex plot. Connelly deftly balances courtroom intrigue and police procedurals, not relying on a lot of crimes being committed during the course of this novel. He refers instead to a previous crime which he thought was over, but has now resurfaced as the victim's widow has filed suit against him. A really good writer, Connelly entangles us in several breathtaking courtroom confrontations and "dirty" cop scenarios. Bosch is a great character, his relationship with Sylvia is very believable and you want it to work out. Add Money Chandler, the vicious defense attorney, who is one of the best "hero/villains" I've read in a long time. All the characters are well-fleshed and even though I thought I had the mystery figured out, Connelly pulls a very credible surprise on us! I can't wait to get the other Bosch books now. A great series!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous, with a series of surprising twists
Review: I've read a lot of mysteries: just about the entire "Travis McGee" series by John D. MacDonald; all of the "Fletch" novels (including the two "Son of" books) by Gregory McDonald; every Raymond Chandler piece of fiction; most of Dashiell Hammett; some Ed McBain; many Carl Hiassen books; a few Agatha Christies. Michael Connelly ranks up there with all of those distinguished writers. He has a fluid, detailed writing style that conveys the scene without bogging down in such intricacies that the reader gets lost. The dialogue is snappy and hard-boiled but will probably age well (unlike, say, some of Chandler's). "The Concrete Blonde" is the third novel starring LAPD detective Harry Bosch. (The order goes "The Black Echo," "The Black Ice," "The Concrete Blonde," "The Last Coyote," "Trunk Music," and "Angel's Flight." The new novel coming out in early 2001 involves Bosch as well, but it's not clear if Bosch is the main character or a secondary character.) I've read the first three and the last ("AF"), and, while they are all good, "The Concrete Blonde" is the best thus far. Earlier in his career, an incident that is described or alluded to in virtually every novel, Bosch gained some notoriety and fame for taking down a serial killer known as "The Dollmaker." He was so called because he would use makeup and polish to paint up his victims. The killer sent bad poems to Bosch, taunting him with descriptions of the victims. Eventually, Bosch tracked down the killer and shot him to death when the man reached toward his pillow . . . for a hairpiece, as it turned out. Bosch was cleared of wrongfulness in the shooting, though he was disciplined for not calling for backup. Fast forward four years. The dead man's widow is now suing the LAPD and Bosch for violating her husband's civil rights, and the case is going to trial. All of a sudden, a letter is dropped off for Bosch at the police department: it contains a poem, just like the ones the Dollmaker sent, and it leads the LAPD to another body . . . which is painted up just like the Dollmaker's victims. Could Bosch have killed the wrong man? "The Concrete Blonde" alternates between the court scenes and the investigation of the new murder, and the transitions are deftly handled. While the court scenes are not perfectly accurate (I am, unfortunately, a lawyer by trade), they are much better than in most novels. The mystery is tight and compelling. Having read lots of mysteries, I often am able to guess at the outcome simply because the set-up reminds me of another book I've read. In fact, that happened with "The Black Ice." Not so with "The Concrete Blonde." About 180 pages into it, I thought I had it figured out. With about 50 pages to go, I thought my instinct had been confirmed. Oops. I was wrong, and about as shocked as Bosch! In addition to weaving a great mystery, Connelly paints a reasonably deep picture of his main character, Bosch, a Vietnam veteran (he cleared out enemy tunnels) who is simultaneously cultured but also emotionally damaged. To sum it up, let me put it this way: I started with "Angel's Flight," and when I was finished, I ordered all of the Harry Bosch novels immediately.
Rating:
Summary: Great L. A. sleuthing
Review: Michael Connelly keeps your attention from the first page. Harry Bosch, wry LAPD homicide detective, puts together the pieces of an interesting puzzle. Who killed the blonde buried in concrete???? Bosch uses all his informants to build a case. You will enjoy the polictical intrigue with Parker center, home of the LAPD brass.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect mix of suspense and courtroom drama
Review: I have read many many thriller novels and for some reason have only recently discovered Connelly who is the Grand Master. Concrete Blonde is one of the best Bosch books and I recomend ot anyone to start with "Black Echo" and read each one in chronological order. I love so many things about this book and about the whole Bosch series!!
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't Anyone Read Agatha Christie Anymore?
Review: I read this book because so many people said what a great surprise ending it had. Are they kidding? I guessed the murderer about halfway through the book, and was disappointed when I was right. Not much of a challenge. If the incomparable Ms Christie had written this book, somebody REALLY surprising - but with fair clues - like the panhandler, would have turned out to be the murderer. Believe me, I'm not giving anything away when I say this. Subtlety isn't this author's strong point. I expect his avid fans to put a ton of "Not Useful" marks by this review, but the review isn't for them. It's for the reader who's looking for a good mystery: don't be snowed by all the gushing. An unsuspenseful story, predictable culprit, and undistinguished style - don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: Best so far in the series
Review: As I'm moving along through the series, this is the best book so far. I'm told by friends that this is where the series gets very good. This book was the perfect blend of courtroom drama and murder-mystery suspense. That's what made this book so good. When one part of the story was moving a little slower, the other picked up pace. It fit perfectly. Also, the book keeps you guessing until the very end. It's fun to go on that journey with the cops and see where it leads you. Bonus when it's a surprise ending. I think by this book the characters are getting fine tuned, and the author is finding his groove. I'm very excited to start the next book and see what it brings me.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting court drama and search for a murder
Review: This book was pretty interesting because not only did it involve the police and Harry's struggle with them- but it involved a court drama. And his past. It's always fun when you know a character to go back and learn a little more about them and I felt this novel did a pretty good job of that. (I know the next one moves further into that category...) I also loved that it continues on from the book before it and his relationship with Sylvia. It's cool to see things progress, as if you're catching up with a friend. What I enjoyed the most was how Connelly switched things up a little and added the courtroom drama. A bit of the break of the monotomy that can get to be a part of certain police crime books. And it was about a serial killer, which created a lot of suspense. I continue to be having fun while reading the Bosch series from Connelly.
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