Rating: 
Summary: A haunting novel !
Review: Against the grain and toughened by time describe L.A. homicide detective Harry Bosch, Michael Connelly's main character. Hard hit by the discovery of a young boy's skeleton in the Hollywood Hills, "Dirty Harry" Bosch silently sets his sights on uncovering the child's identity and tracking the cold lead of the killer. City of Bones is a chilling story, which outlines an eerie parallel between the brutal abuse that the boy suffered during his brief, troubled life and the engulfing evil that Bosch doggedly tries to purge from his beloved city. Connelly has a knack for capturing the steady pressure of a determined detective and for conveying the misery of a tragic life, cut short, never given the chance for happiness. A gripping depth of despair is revealed through Connelly's detailed narrative, which serves as a sober reminder to be grateful for a decent and happy life. Excellent writing for a haunting novel.
Rating:
Summary: Connelly is chilling!
Review: Against the grain and toughened by time describes Michael Connelly's detective character, Harry Bosch. Hard hit by the discovery of a young boy's skeleton in the Hollywood Hills, "Dirty Harry" Bosch silently sets his sights on uncovering the child's identity and tracking the cold lead of the murderer. "City of Bones" is a chilling story, which outlines an eerie parallel between the brutal abuse that the boy suffered during his short life and the engulfing evil that Bosch doggedly tries to purge from his beloved city. Connelly has a knack for capturing the steady pressure of a determined detective and for conveying the misery of a tragic life, cut short, never given the chance for happiness. A gripping depth of despair is revealed through Connelly's detailed narrative, which serves as a sober reminder to be grateful for a decent and happy life. Excellent writing for a haunting novel.
Rating:
Summary: Great job Mr. Connelly!
Review: Again, I have to thank MC for writing such wonderful crime novels, and spending time with Harry Bosch is always a joy and of course, very entertaining. As all his other books, "City of Bones" is a fascinating story, ...What impresses me the most is the fact that while many authors (after wrtiting great first novels) show an immense lack of quality in their writing ...; in contrast, MC keeps his high standards and therefore deserves my deepest respect. Justly, he is an acclaimed writer of realistic, suspenseful crime novels with strong characters.
His books, esp. the Harry Bosch novels, are highly appreciated!
-buying order-
Rating: 
Summary: well-crafted
Review: After reading a few James Patterson novels, it is possible that any author could seem like a genious. However, I really did enjoy the reading of this book in its entirety. The one thing that I would like to point out here is that M. Connelly appears to be extremely talented in grafting out all of the facets in a story. The dialogue was intense enough so that you desired to be a part of the conversation, yet never was it too much. The same with detail. When the author described a particular setting, he was quick to give you what you needed to know. In other words, he did not ramble on for two pages about the appearance of one's house or computer (i.e. D. Koontz). And lastly, what goes on within the police force was brought together precisley so that even the simple reader can easily follow. This book is a definate reccomendation to all those that are tired of the same ol' myster writers that care more about culteralistic dialogue and more murders scenes than logical reasoning and reality.
Rating:
Summary: A Connelly Masterpiece
Review: The one thing that grabbed me the most about Michael's work in this book is that he kept tossing out to you possible leads in this case but everytime you thought you had it figured out...he lets you praise yourself for about five minutes with, "I knew it was him!" only to find out you are not as detective smart as you thought you were. Great job Michael! James Karlson, Author of Black Petals- A Murder Mystery Coming out Soon.
Rating:
Summary: Is it the end of the road for Bosch
Review: A woman's bones were found in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles in 1914. It was determined that they were nine thousand years old, and anthropologists concluded that she was murdered.
I heard that it was this event, and an anthropological book about child abuse, that inspired Michael Connelly's latest murder mystery, City of Bones.
LAPD detective Harry Bosch is left with only the bones found in the Hollywood Hills to solve the "cold," 20-year-old case that will soon be closed regardless of if the killer is put to justice. It isn't until the bones are studied that he finds a personal connection that, according to Connelly, "...taps into Harry's sense of rage." Until then though, the murder seems like any other case, and the story seems like any other mystery.
Bosch struggles throughout the novel with his need and capability to find justice and make a difference in an evil world. Julia Brasher, a thirtyish rookie, helps Bosch with logical and true encouragements such as "...there will always be the need for heroes," but these views prove detrimental to Brasher and in turn to Bosch.
With many suspects and no hard evidence, Bosch is forced to go with his gut feeling numerous times, leading the case into many exciting and suspenseful twists and turns. But, nothing can compare to the shocking ending, leaving long time Bosch followers to wonder if this is the end, or a new beginning.
*I also realize that the next book is out, but i'm a little behind!
Rating:
Summary: A sense of placement
Review: Connelly seems to be tying up loose ends in this novel ( the paperback teaser for his next shows why)with its sense of career completion. Harry makes a point of saying he is past the pension gateway, and the time span of the case - twenty year old bones- gives us a sense of time having passed. It's been a long time since Harry returned from Vietnam, which also comes up in the novel. Then too there is the finality of statements made by a number of the characters - the words one cannot take back- and a new road may be beckoning. The plot turns on the tale the bones tell and the urban sprawl of Southern California which transforms snake infested canyons into subdevelopments and former wilderness into neighborhood back lots. As the city comes to find the bones, so this novel rambles out of the city in a number of directions, playing upon the theme of scattering of the past and the detectives' task of reassembling it. The double turn of the ending is nicely done. (I'm not really giving it away, when the case seems resolved and you are only half way through the novels sizeable heft you know complications are coming). This is a good read for any detective novel fan and well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: As Good As It Gets
Review: It's always nice (and it is rare) to see an author get better and better. Many writers write just about the same book every time. This novel is a real gem in the detective/thriller genre. I don't think I've ever read one as good. The characters, the dialogue, the plot, and EVERYTHING come together in a superbly well crafted tale. I defy anyone to figure out whodunnit before the final pages. Yet it makes perfect sense. Connelly was always good but with this book he puts himself up there with the greats. Hope we see more of hero Harry Bosche.
Rating:
Summary: Bosch is back
Review: After taking a couple books off from his principal series character Harry Bosch (with the exception of a guest appearance in A Darkness More Than Night), Michael Connelly has returned to his hard-boiled detective in a novel that is as high caliber as any of the previous Bosch efforts. In this story, Harry is assigned to an old [end of life]; the bones of a child have been found by a dog, but they are at least decades old. It is quite a challenge; even determining the child's identity isn't easy. In the course of the investigation, Bosch also meets a rookie cop who he becomes romantically entangled with; as with everything in Bosch's life, there will be big complications here too. Connelly once again shows that he is one of the best mystery writers around today, probably in the top five on the active list. And Connelly is never stronger than when he writes about Bosch. It is not essential that you read the previous Bosch books to enjoy this one,...
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite there.
Review: This latest Bosch book is good, but not quite there, when compared to earlier ones. Some of the conversations/dialogs seems to be unnatural. That is, unnatural for Bosch to utter. There is a slight hint that this book was written to be turned into a screenplay. All the essentials are there, action, ...love (with the rookie) etc. Earlier Bosch seem to be more convincing.
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