City of Bones

Rating:
Summary: Terrific
Review:
This being my first Michael Connelly novel I only knew him by reputation and didn't know what to expect of his writing. I bought it take on a short vacation and ended up reading the entire novel on the car ride en route. Needless to say, I was thoroughly enthralled by this book.

Detective Harry Bosch's endeavor to solve a 20-year-old murder of a 12-year-old boy made for an interesting plot. But it was Connelly's ability to seamlessly move his characters in and out of a shifting storyline that kept the pages turning at a brisk pace. I found his writing to be very fluid and very readable. And I really didn't come across any dead spots in the book. I suppose that at some point the final outcome became predictable but, for me, that didn't dampen one iota my enjoyment of City of Bones. Other reviewers have stated that Connelly has done better in some of his other books in the Harry Bosch series. That being the case, I certainly will be reading many more of Connelly's works.

Rating:
Summary: The bones of consciousness
Review: A thriller, one more some would say. For sure, but what is the interest of this one ? It reveals LA and Hollywood under an X-raying light. All those small details we see everyday and that have no meaningful depth on the instant, become significant in this particular homicide case. The bones of the victim and their suffering. A backpack with nearly nothing in it. A skateboard that is yet another skateboard and yet it is encrypted with meaningful details that start shining like morning stars with the investigation. A father who is thought to be abusing his son and it is all wrong, a preconceived idea. A sister who is supposed to be crystal clean since she tipped the police about the case and turns out to be another victim. A reformed childmolester who is forced into suicide by the media unprofessionally tipped by a police leak. And a gruesome end that smells like frontier justice and vengeance against a criminal who really had no chance and luck in life, even if the book does not ponder enough on the fatality that befalls some individuals in our society. There cannot be any such thing as a born criminal. But there sure are some circumstances that can become particularly oppressive and lead to the worst situations imaginable.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU


Rating:
Summary: good stuff
Review: After ditching a Scott Turow book, reading only 100 boring pages...I fell into this book that I had purchased at a discount and turned page after page in lightening speed. Connelly simply has a good writing style that rarely bogs down. Like "The Narrrows" (the other Connelly book that I read) the ending didn't garner a 5 star rating from me, but a solid 4 stars for the reading entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: Big-time Payoff for Bosch Fans
Review: After the relative disappointment of "A Darkness More than Night", I was anxious to see if the Harry Bosch mythology could be salvaged eight novels and a dozen years after its beginning. I felt that Harry had been left at a crossroads at the end of that novel - would he slip down the self-destructive path of a cynical, hard-boiled anti-hero or magically find a new lease on life?

It's a very difficult task for any storyteller to keep a central character involved in fresh but believable dramatic situations time and time again (imagine what a regrettable eye-roller an eighth season of "24" would probably be!). However, I had to believe that if any writer could guide his protagonist back into the upper tier of mystery fiction, it's Michael Connelly. "City of Bones" justifies that belief by tying up the loose ends of Bosch's recent past and then opening up his future to a limitless number of possibilities. The central investigation of the novel is also very good, pitting Harry's drive for justice against big odds on a cold case over two decades old.

The subtle strength of the book, however, is in the development of Bosch's complete life, not just as an LAPD detective but as an individual. By the time you turn the last page on the (semi-) surprise ending, you completely empathize with the difficulties that he faces and you feel for the tough choices that he has to make - in short, you care. Too many authors fall into the "mad lib" method of churning out rapid-file novels like a get-rich-quick scheme once they've established a popular lead character. The books all begin to read the same, the characters never really develop, and everyone stops caring. Connelly avoids this trap via his attention to the details in Bosch's life - he answers the questions that have been at the back of the established readers' minds before they've even materialized. I can't give specifics without leaking spoilers, but the big issues are all covered here; if you've been following Bosch from the beginning, then you'll really appreciate this book as so much more than an everyday whodunit.

As always, the writing is effortless to digest because Connelly's narrative and (especially) dialogue flows so naturally. Pacing is right on time as well - the twists of the case and of Harry's life happen at all the right intervals. One of the subplots has an ending that's left a bit wide open and as a result is somewhat perplexing, but I'm nitpicking at this point. Finally, the action in the book is the most emotionally gripping we've been given since "The Last Coyote" (when Harry tracked down the culprits in his mother's homicide) but never goes over the top. Whoever edits Connelly's works has one of the easiest jobs on the planet.

Long-time Bosch fans will find "City of Bones" to be rewarding on a number of levels. Readers new to Connelly who just picked up the hardcover remainder from the sale table will want (need, actually) to begin with the earlier works in the series. The first six Bosch novels have been republished in a pair of hardcover omnibuses that are a great value at about $20 each. If you're a fan of mystery or crime procedural novels, you'll be doing yourself a favor by getting to know Harry Bosch.

Rating:
Summary: I'd give it six if I could
Review: First I have to say I'm a fan of Michael Connelly's work. His writing to me is beyond words. It opens up so much inside. His stories reach far beyond most others in the genre. Because of his characters and the situation he creates with his extremely well written and masterly plotted storylines I am often forced to rethink my own opinion on things.
City of Bones ranks as one of my favorites because the end is so beautiful and real. Sometimes life just takes it own turns and there's nothing you could have done about it.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing, utterly disappointing
Review: I've generally liked the Bosch series, having read 3 earliers ones. This one, however, is forced and very unbelievable. What is it about a middle-aged detective that makes a beautful young police woman throw herself at him? And then of course she gets killed on the job right before Bosch's eyes. Total crap. Lazy work here. Try the earlier ones.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, excellent
Review: If there is a better police procedural crime novel, I've missed it. I approached this book with some misgivings, having been disappointed by "Chasing the Dime." But Henry (Hieronymous--I liked that little touch) Bosch is a first-class, believable detective, all the way. He's jaded to some degree but tries to maintain some touch with the populace. The us-them relationship police have with the press and the "looky loos," as civilians are called, is there, certainly, but outwardly subdued.

The plot feels right, enhanced by the fact that the writer didn't try to tie up all the loose ends, such as, the surprising matter of Julia Brasher and, not to give too much away, the fact that the killer is not at all a sure thing when we reach the final page. Not all killers confess into a tape recorder and psychoanalyze their own motives.

Bosch makes mistakes. He goes down dead-end trails after false clues. He is imperfect. In short, he is realistic. So are the other characters, including his partner, the technicians, Bosch's superiors in the department, the suspects, the incidental personae--the entire cast. They don't always do what we expect, but people in real life don't either. Too many books have characters who appear to be "on rails." We know exactly where they are going and how the plot is going to follow them.

I realize I haven't outlined the plot, but others have, and sometimes they give away too much. Suffice it to say that I'll read more of the Harry Bosch series and hope for books that are in this same class.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, excellent
Review: If there is a better police procedural crime novel, I've missed it. I approached this book with some misgivings, having been disappointed by "Chasing the Dime." But Henry (Hieronymous--I liked that little touch) Bosch is a first-class, believable detective, all the way. He's jaded to some degree but tries to maintain some touch with the populace. The us-them relationship police have with the press and the "looky loos," as civilians are called, is there, certainly, but outwardly subdued.

The plot feels right, enhanced by the fact that the writer didn't try to tie up all the loose ends, such as, the surprising matter of Julia Brasher and, not to give too much away, the fact that the killer is not at all a sure thing when we reach the final page. Not all killers confess into a tape recorder and psychoanalyze their own motives.

Bosch makes mistakes. He goes down dead-end trails after false clues. He is imperfect. In short, he is realistic. So are the other characters, including his partner, the technicians, Bosch's superiors in the department, the suspects, the incidental personae--the entire cast. They don't always do what we expect, but people in real life don't either. Too many books have characters who appear to be "on rails." We know exactly where they are going and how the plot is going to follow them.

I realize I haven't outlined the plot, but others have, and sometimes they give away too much. Suffice it to say that I'll read more of the Harry Bosch series and hope for books that are in this same class.

Rating:
Summary: Tight, Tense, and Compelling.....
Review: It was a dog that found the first bone in the Hollywood Hills, and brought it home. His owner, a retired doctor, identified it immediately as a human arm bone, probably from a ten or twelve year old child, and called the police. After finding about sixty percent of the remaining skeleton in a shallow grave, forensic experts figured the boy had died about twenty years ago from a blow to the back of the head. But it was his short life that tormented Los Angeles Homicide Detective, Harry Bosch. The bones showed that this kid had been horribly abused almost since he was born and had lived his life in constant agony and suffering. It was January 1, the first day of the new year, and Harry had caught a cold case, the kind of crime that gave him nightmares, and stayed with him forever. And as Harry digs deeper and deeper into the tragic events that led to this boy's death, and the bones on the hill, he sets off another unexpected chain reaction of misery and death that pushes him to his limits and a shocking conclusion..... Michael Connelly has written a dark, compelling, and unforgettable thriller, full of intriguing twists and turns, and intense riveting scenes. His writing is vivid, crisp, and intelligent, with a real ear for dialogue, and his intricate story line is tight and suspenseful. But it's Mr Connelly's brilliant characterizations that make City Of Bones and all his novels stand out. These are real people, full of complexities and nuances, sometimes heroic and well-meaning, often flawed and chasing their own internal demons, and Michael Connelly breathes life into even the most minor character. City Of Bones is the eighth book in a marvelous series that just gets better with each new installment. To understand the troubled and introspective Harry Bosch, start at the beginning with The Black Echo, and read them all. For those of you who are already fans, Michael Connelly's latest is a "must read" and shouldn't be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Solid mystery, good twists and turns...
Review: Not the best Bosch, but certainly another solid noir entry. Kudos to my main man Connelly on that. Obviously the series did not after this and since I read the Narrows first, I know what happens to Bosch. Still, it was in line with his character to make such a rash decision. The mystery was geniunely surprising. The BRasher part seemed underdeveloped could have been much stronger. Still, Bosch is alone and ready to do more damage, which in this case is quite good.