Rating: 
Summary: A GATEWAY TO BETTER BOSCH...
Review: The Black Ice is book number two in the series of books by Michael Connelly that star detective Hieronymous Bosch. It is in ways more symbolic and experimental than both its predecessor and all of its successors. While this is interesting, and not entirely without merit, it all adds up to a sum that is less than its parts.
This is the weakest of the Bosch novels so far.
There is an overwrought, yet uncompleted feel to The Black Ice. Its conclusion in particular is more than a little far-fetched and all too convenient.
With that said, here is why The Black Ice is worth reading:
1. Michael Connelly is one of the most interesting and talented writers out there. The combination of his journalistic training and his ability to paint cinematic word pictures that still work as lengthy pieces of fiction is unmatched by other genre writers.
He links all of his books together in interesting ways. Once you step into his world, you begin to get inklings of just how vast it is. This is something rare in genre fiction--at least it is very rarely done this well.
2. Harry Bosch is one hell of a character. Rather than being the one-sided archetype so often found in genre fiction, Bosch is fully human. He is exceptional in that though he is quite humanized, he is completely dedicated to his "mission" as a detective--most ably summed up by Bosch himself:
"Everybody counts, or no one counts."
(An aside: I was recently discussing with my wife who her favorite character in Stephen King's Dark Tower Series is. We have read the books together. She went the emotional route and chose Oy--a sentimental, furry little creature.
When asked who mine is (outside of Cuthbert, who is a bit player in books 1 & 4) I answered Roland.
My wife does not like Roland. He is too mission-driven for her taste. I find, that like Bosch, Roland is more human for having to labor under the weight of a mission (I also feel that Oy gives his all for the mission as well, that he is not all cutesy and cuddly, but that is neither here nor there). The point being, that Bosch and Roland are two of the most fully fleshed out characters that I have come across in some time.
I feel that this is because, conciously or not, we all live by a "mission" of sorts; be they for ill or good.
an aside within an aside: my wife likes Bosch.)
3. The Black Ice is the gateway to the rest of the Bosch books. The books take a huge leap in quality from book three on. Its well worth paying the price of admission: reading the first two books.
I recommend the Bosch series of books very highly.
As part of that recommendation, I suggest you grin and bear The Black Ice.
Who knows, maybe you will find more here than I did.
Rating:
Summary: NOIR AND DULL
Review: The second harry Bosch novel, THE BLACK ICE, disappoints. Primarily because the character of Harry Bosch steps into the background. By that I mean the reader learns little new about loner, rebel cop Harry Bosch. That plus there is little action or conflict and thus little narrative tension. And the setting for the novel which is mainly in border Mexico is painted dull and drab and gray. Yawn. And I am a Harry Bosch fan. I plan on continuing in the Bosch series because I like the character and have hopes the author will do better. THE BLACK ICE does have a good bull fight scene and the mystery was logically, plausibly plotted. And one still gets the feeling we have a real working cop here in Harry Bosch. Not some fake fictional cop but the real thing. It is definitely noir but dull. Do better Connelly.
Rating: 
Summary: Another superior noir by connelly...
Review: This book was even tighter in it's execution than Black Echo. Bosch figures out a series of drug related murders and the puzzle fits nicely. Connelly jumps expertly from the FBI/Break in caper of the first novel to the DEA/drug murders of the second. Is Black Ice real? It certainly seemed to be. Bosch also continues to grow as character--as do Irving and others. A superior mystery.
Rating:
Summary: No Sleep Till Mexicali
Review: This is Michael Connelly's second book and - like his first - features Harry Bosch as its central character. Little has changed for Bosch in the eighteen months since the events of "The Black Echo". He's still a jazz-loving loner who's happy to bend the rules, while his taste for coffee, beer and cigarettes remains undiminished. As the book begins, it's Christmas Day and our hero is at home, alone and on call. Monitoring police / fire / ambulance radio messages on his scanner, he picks up a message regarding an apparent homicide within Hollywood boundaries that is being dealt with directly by RHD. Despite the fact that it's Christmas, Bosch isn't too happy that he wasn't notified first - as he should've been, according to protocol. Arriving uninvited at the scene of the crime, he tries to edge his way into things. At first glance, it's an apparent suicide involving Cal Moore, another cop working out of the Hollywood Division's narcotics unit. Although they worked in the same department, Bosch didn't know Moore that well. They'd only spoken properly once, about a stalled case Bosch was working : the murder of a drugs runner called Jimmy Kapps. Bosch was hoping Moore could give him a few leads - about the drug he was smuggling in from Hawaii, called Ice, and possible rival gangs who may have been responsible for his death. Bosch was aware, however, he'd had a few problems - including a possible showdown with IAD. Bosch's only involvement in the case, however, is informing Moore's widow. The following day, Bosch's boss - Harvey '98' Pounds - tells him to stop working the Kapps case and to keep away the Moore case. One of Bosch's fellow homicide detectives, Lou Porter, has decided to retire on stress related grounds - though it has been commonly known for some time that Porter had a drinking problem. Pounds has assigned Porter's cases to Bosch in the hope that Bosch will be able to clear at least one of them by New Year's Eve. Things soon become complicated though - Bosch's investigations constantly bring Cal Moore back into the equation. Of Porter's cases, he settles on the murder of an unidentified Mexican, whose corpse has been found dumped beside the kitchen door of a diner. Although it was Porter's case, Cal Moore had found the corpse. Not long afterwards, Bosch is contacted by Moore's former colleagues - Moore had left a file for Bosch's attention, with some information regarding the Kapps case. The information throws up some interesting coincidences - and Bosch doesn't believe in coincidences. Now believing that Moore case isn't a straightforward suicide, he believes that the cases are so tightly connected that in solving one he'll solve them all. Like Connolly's first book, I found this a very enjoyable story. Although this is the second book to feature Harry Bosch, it's not entirely necessary to have read the books in order. There's nothing in it that'll have any major impact on this story - but I would recommend reading "The Black Echo" first. It will clarify a couple of minor points and cover some parts of Harry's background.
Rating:
Summary: No Sleep Till Mexicali
Review: This is Michael Connelly's second book and - like his first - features Harry Bosch as its central character. Little has changed for Bosch in the eighteen months since the events of "The Black Echo". He's still a jazz-loving loner who's happy to bend the rules, while his taste for coffee, beer and cigarettes remains undiminished. As the book begins, it's Christmas Day and our hero is at home, alone and on call. Monitoring police / fire / ambulance radio messages on his scanner, he picks up a message regarding an apparent homicide within Hollywood boundaries that is being dealt with directly by RHD. Despite the fact that it's Christmas, Bosch isn't too happy that he wasn't notified first - as he should've been, according to protocol. Arriving uninvited at the scene of the crime, he tries to edge his way into things. At first glance, it's an apparent suicide involving Cal Moore, another cop working out of the Hollywood Division's narcotics unit. Although they worked in the same department, Bosch didn't know Moore that well. They'd only spoken properly once, about a stalled case Bosch was working : the murder of a drugs runner called Jimmy Kapps. Bosch was hoping Moore could give him a few leads - about the drug he was smuggling in from Hawaii, called Ice, and possible rival gangs who may have been responsible for his death. Bosch was aware, however, he'd had a few problems - including a possible showdown with IAD. Bosch's only involvement in the case, however, is informing Moore's widow. The following day, Bosch's boss - Harvey '98' Pounds - tells him to stop working the Kapps case and to keep away the Moore case. One of Bosch's fellow homicide detectives, Lou Porter, has decided to retire on stress related grounds - though it has been commonly known for some time that Porter had a drinking problem. Pounds has assigned Porter's cases to Bosch in the hope that Bosch will be able to clear at least one of them by New Year's Eve. Things soon become complicated though - Bosch's investigations constantly bring Cal Moore back into the equation. Of Porter's cases, he settles on the murder of an unidentified Mexican, whose corpse has been found dumped beside the kitchen door of a diner. Although it was Porter's case, Cal Moore had found the corpse. Not long afterwards, Bosch is contacted by Moore's former colleagues - Moore had left a file for Bosch's attention, with some information regarding the Kapps case. The information throws up some interesting coincidences - and Bosch doesn't believe in coincidences. Now believing that Moore case isn't a straightforward suicide, he believes that the cases are so tightly connected that in solving one he'll solve them all. Like Connolly's first book, I found this a very enjoyable story. Although this is the second book to feature Harry Bosch, it's not entirely necessary to have read the books in order. There's nothing in it that'll have any major impact on this story - but I would recommend reading "The Black Echo" first. It will clarify a couple of minor points and cover some parts of Harry's background.
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