Rating: 
Summary: The Concrete Blonde is a Concrete No Put Down Book
Review: After reading The Poet, my first Connelly novel, I was hooked. I thought to myself, ok, perhaps it was a fluke. While I like mysteries, I am usually too tied up working on an Illusion, that I rarely pick up, less finish a book that I have started. Well, let me tell you, it was like I had found a new food. You know, the kind you order every time you go out to eat? So, I went to my local book store, and purchased The Concrete Blonde. Well, it wasn't a fluke. From chapter one Connely grabbed my attention. And once again, I could thank him for the red lines on my eye whites. The timing of release of just enough information in the style befitting the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, when he wrote for The Strand. It is difficult to review this title, due to the fact that I don't wish to give out any clues as to its end. I can tell you it answered some questions in my mind about police procedure, Hollywood, and the world of Hookers and pornography. Not that in any way was this a "SMUT" book, but it was enlightning to see that Connelly's character doesn't shy away from the life he is in. Keep up the good work Mr. Connelly. I doubt I will miss any of your titles in the future. P.S. I am currently engrossed in TRUNK MUSIC.
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Summary: Hard Hitter
Review: Almost had to cancel Christmas to finish the book.
As good a "who-dunnit" as I've ever read. It is a keeper...don't lend it or you'll never get it back.
Rating: 
Summary: bad stereotypes, serious plot flaws, good court scenes
Review: Connelly's detective, Harry Bosch, is the same stereotype we've seen for decades. Nothing creative here. The whodunnit plot follows the usual path: crime, suspect, surprising twist or two, dramatic and personal near-disaster in which our hero hopes to save the girl, a bigger twist and the dramatic conclusion in which the whole thing is revealed for those who didn't keep up as it unfolded. Several plot elements are completely implausible. For example, about 1/3 of the book is spent on an early suspect based only on a hunch and a cursory investigation. This adds pages but no substance to the story. The plot involves a courtroom element throughout, and this is well-presented. All my criticisms aside, I found that I just had to know what would happen next, and kept on turning pages, even as I laughed at the many implausibilities. It's a mediocre detective story patterned after the "classic" Chandler novels, and the fact that I like it is more a complement to the genre than to Connelly.
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Summary: Gets you involved quickly and holds your attention .....
Review: I was browsing through Amazon for new mystery writers and happened upon Connelly. Those who have rated his writings a 10, have not erred, in my estimation. I generally read an hour or two to get drowsy and fall asleep each night. Once I started The Concrete Blonde, I got no sleep. I finished the book in a day and a half. Reminds me of a good movie you want to see again and again. I've picked up my second Connelly book and will start it tonight.
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Summary: fantabulous!
Review: this book 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. It drew the reader in and really allowed you to get to know the characters. It was well written and totally addictive - once you opend it you couldn't put it down!
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Summary: It made me a Connelly fan for life.
Review: Looking desperately for new authors (having read through everything else in my collection twice), I bought "The Concrete Blonde" on a whim while standing in a Wal-Mart shopping line. I finished it in a little over a day and a half; I couldn't put it down (and wanted to sacrifice everything else to finish it). Subsequently, I inadvertently read the whole Bosch trilogy ("The Last Coyote" had not yet come out) from back to front, then re-read them in the proper order. Connelly can paint a seedy scene with the best of them. Highly recommended, but not for those with weak stomachs
Rating:
Summary: Superb suspense. Michael Connelly is terrific!
Review: A real winner. Quite a deviation from his other Harry Bosch novels. Exiciting to the end, and you really get to hate the prosecutor here
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing - once you've read it you're a fan!
Review: I selected this novel, a bit disappointed that I couldn't get my hands on a new Lucas Davenport mystery from John Sandford. But all disappointment vanished within five minutes of beginning The Concrete Blonde. It's everything a mystery/detective/suspense reader loves. If you're looking for something totally absorbing, a real page-turner that may keep you up all night to finish it, then this is for you! Truly imaginitive, uniquely creative, it makes you want to get started on another as soon as you put this one down. Having read Black Ice, Last Coyote, and the Poet, I can honestly say that Michael Connelly is "first class," right up there with the best of his genre.
Being an attorney myself, I am usually completely turned of by phony courtroom scenes and by a generally lousy grip of the law that many mystery writers seem to share. But not so here. I think I actually learned something! It's a must read for any mystery lover
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Summary: A great read!
Review: 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.
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 erroneous conclusions and he gleefully smashes them to pieces.
This book almost caused me to be late to work two days in a row! I give this book an enthusiastic "A".
Rating:
Summary: Best so far
Review: This book is highly recommended to fans of crime fiction/police procedurals. Actually, in this book, you also get an interesting civil rights trial set in 1990's LA, California. Connelly does everything right in my opinion. He tells enough about Bosch's history so that you could start with this novel (which is by far better than his first two). Secondly, the cop speak (police jargon) is right on. Most importantly Connelly plots a wonderful murder mystery with several viable suspects until near the end of the book. This book held my interest from page one, and I loved every bit of The Concrete Blonde.
Connelly does so much more than weave a mystery. His writing is very excellent. When I read this book I felt like I was right there in L.A. Also, the thoughts of Bosch are hilarious at times. Harry is a very likeable and intriguing character.
I read the first two Bosch books, but this is the best so far as I previously stated. For the sake of learning more about Bosch, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series. I love the character of Bosch as much as I love the setting of 1990's L.A. On to the next adventure of Harry Bosch.
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