Rating: 
Summary: Enthralling but not engaging
Review: Connelly has produced some excellent novels in his Bosch series. Each is worth reading and each has a punch to it. As this murder takes place many years prior to its discovery and solution the story is less engaging than the other novels in the series. Gone is the element and involvement of the murderer. Yet it is a good read. I would wait for the paperback or get it from the library rather than investing the dollars needed for the hardback.
Rating: 
Summary: One Author Who Consistantly Surprises
Review: "City of Bones" proves once again that Connelly is still at the top of his game, and Harry Bosch is one of the best fictional characters, and with each case his personality gains more depth. The writing is strong and consistent, and as with all Bosch novels well researched, and cleverly plotted. The only error I spotted was the mention of a 1975 quarter as evidence, when that is the one year that the US Mint did not mint since 1932, instead all quarters were the bicentenial type with the drummer boy reverse and dual dated 1776-1976, but that wouldn't alter the plot in any significant way.
Michael Connelly is at the top of my permenant list of must read authors, along with George Pelecanos, Elmore Leonard and James Lee Burke, among others. Keep them coming Michael.
Rating: 
Summary: Vintage Connelly
Review: I can't say much as I still awed by how this book turned out. I finished this a day before New Year's Eve 2002, and the timing of the books was similar to when I read it. The story was amazing ... it got me hooked since the first few pages. One great thing about Conelly is how he managed to write such a beautiful but kind of quiet ending. How Harry stood in the rain waiting for the cab. It was lovely ... it was sad ... and again I must say it is surely one of the BEST Bosch books so far! It surely better than the last one (A Darkness More Than Night) which did not have enough Bosch. I can't wait to read "Lost Light"
Rating: 
Summary: Weak story development
Review: This is the first book I've read in this series and will be my last. It was very interesting until the end. There were a lot of storyline off-shoots that just weren't followed through on. I read the end feeling I must have missed something. A lot of questions were left unanswered, at least in my mind. There were interesting twists in the story but they fizzled out in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Crime Story
Review: Never read Connelly before so I wasn't sure what to expect, although I am a big fan of his buddy George Pelecanos. This eighth book in the LA-set Harry Bosch series centers on the discovery of an old child's skeleton. It reads kind of like a good TV movie (although much darker than anything on TV), taking the reader through the forensics that eventually lead to the child's identification, and the long plodding investigation to uncover the truth. As a procedural it's quite well done, with plenty of detail and nuance throughout. Particularly well-handled are the numerous interviews Bosch conducts with witnesses and suspects throughout the book. Quite a bit of internal police politics come into play as well, giving the book a certain "insider" element. Certain elements are a bit cliché, from Harry's drive/obsession with the case, to the pressure from his superiors, and even a love interest. However, the book manages to stay away from being run-of-the-mill by showing the police making plenty of mistakes, and portraying all kinds of shades of gray in behavior. On the whole, it's a solid read, but not one that'll have me scurrying to read the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: Once again Michael Connelly has penned a narrative that draws you into its midst and holds you captive to its conclusion. Connelly takes you through the discovery of old bones and uses action and dialogue to carry you step by step through the case to the discovery of the murderer. Another blockbuster from this talented writer.
Beverly J Scott author of Righteous Revenge
Rating:
Summary: ". . . Has anybody here seen Harry?"
Review: It must be difficult to write of one character repeatedly. Yet Connelly's extraordinary skill at bringing us to see the dark side and then bringing us back, wiser but always a little shaken, remains unparalleled. Harry Bosch. Can there be any doubt that this is Humphrey Bogart 60 years ago? Harry Bosch belongs in the lexicon of the American novel alongside of Dave Robicheaux, Patrick Kenzie, Elvis Cole, Joe Pike, Hawk and the rest. Harry reluctantly gives his partner, Jerry Edgar, New Years Day off and spends the day "catching suicides," one a "no change of mind" and the other an "accidental." We are drawn into the dark side of a once heroic profession, cleaning up the detritus of lost and sometimes stolen lives. His new friend "Boot" Julia Brasher tells him that she hates to clean the vomit out of the back of the squad car. And right away, we know where we are. Like Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique," we have a sense that the tale will be beautiful and yet very, very sad. Connelly is a master and possibly after several less than satisfying ventures, this is again classic Bosch. On that same empty New Years Day, a call comes in that an aging Doctor's dog has discovered a child's bone while rooting around Laurel Canyon. What Connelly does perhaps better than anyone else lies in the subtle dialogue of his characters. The petition of the forensic anthropologist, telling Harry that without faith, we are all lost. The conversation with the old Doctor, wealthy, happily binding Harry's broken ribs, who had given 1/2 a century to curing ills but who has no place to go on New Years Day. These are all part of the deep background Connelly paints. The child was a victim of serial abuse and naturally, this triggers recollections of his own lost foster home youth. The conversation with Julia Brasher on how he removed the tatoos from his fists before he went to Vietnam and the brief, understated recitation of his time in the tunnels is orchestrated in such a manner as to make the telling of the story, while not predictable, secondary to the characters. Mike Connelly can still make his point about those who believe that last blue shield can still make a difference with a conversation over a box of donuts. Good stuff. Excellent writing. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Another good one
Review: A dog, rummaging in the woods, returns with the arm bone of a child. So begins the case for Harry Bosch which will lead him to the identity of the child and the story of a brutal and too short life told by his bones. The cast of characters includes his sister, father, mother and good friend who reveal different parts of his troubled life. Along the way Harry encounters a rookie cop who ignites a long dead passion. The story plunges along at breakneck speed and turns from a routine investigation to one filled with tragedy as a loose lipped cop and the press misidentify the killer. A very good read typical of all Connelly books. Harry Bosch again comes through as a tough, sympathetic but somewhat flawed protagonist. Harry's transfer at the end of the story to his old stomping grounds in Hollywood and the threat by the Chief to stay on his tail presages the packing up of his office and returning his badge and gun. What now for Harry Bosch?
Rating:
Summary: Five stars for Connelly and one for the reader avg. 3 stars
Review: I have listened to every Harry Bosch novel. I am retired and live on SS therefore have limited funds to spend on my love of books. After listening to this pretender I felt robbed. The writing was just as good as always. The reading is just not Bosch. Dick Hill IS Harry Bosch. No other performer can come close. The pace. the differentiation in voices etc just are not there in this version. GIVE ME DICK HILL!!! I will not buy another unless he is the reader. The fact is; in audio, the performer is as important as the author. Don Cantrell
Rating:
Summary: Harry's on the case...
Review: This is an enthralling Harry Bosch mystery with Harry investigating a 20 year old homocide when some bones are unearthed. This is a classic Connelly page turner. If you like the past Bosch books you'll like this one. This is not the best of the series but it is better than "A Darkness More Than Night". Not as many twist, turns, and surprises as the other books but still at least one good one included. The reader can sit back and relax while reading "City of Bones" knowing Harry's on the case.
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