Rating: 
Summary: What Might Have Been...
Review: While there was a lot to like about this book, the real disappointment was what might have been. It would have been so much more interesting for Harry to have to deal with the lunatic Julia was turning out to be. And the ending(s) seemed slapped on rather than thought out. If you haven't read a Harry Bosch book before, read the early ones. If you've read them all - wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Not So Sure ABout the Ending
Review: I was not happy with the ending of this book but otherwise it was a good, not great read. The character development was a bit light, but Harry was certainly good old Harry in this one.
Rating: 
Summary: victim of success?
Review: i am a great fan of michael connelly and have read all his books. this one was very disappointing. he must be getting bored with the harry bosch character, or more to the point: connelly and other writers have so mined this vein of the rogue homicide cop that nothing is left--without making some imaginative leaps that connelly is not willing or able to make, in this book at least.and why should he since the majority of readers are so uncritical, and just want more of the same? i guess this is what happens when authors become so rich and so successful, and still have contracts for four or five more novels with the same characters. by all means read any, and all, of connelly's earlier works. but not this one, or any newer ones that may come out, until we see if he really intends to return to his earlier form and make a bit of an effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Many Ghosts
Review: I bought 'City of Bones' when it first came out, but put off reading it for a bit. The last couple of Connelly's novels about Detective Harry Bosch seemed a bit off pace, so I was waiting for a tolerant moment. Once I started reading I discovered that my premonitions were wrong, and that this was going to be a high water mark in the eight volume series. Michael Connelly has a trick of creating an introspective mood without actually making his characters become solipsistic, and 'City of Bones' at its deepest level is about Harry Bosch coming to grips with his own beliefs and needs. This subtext threads its way through a case involving the 20-year-old corpse of a young boy found buried in a small plot of woods. Cases this old are rarely soluble, but somehow just enough information keeps coming to the surface to keep Bosch and his partner, Jerry Edgar, working away at the case. Gradually Bosch becomes fixated on the case as its ramifications begin to have echoes in his own life. One of the key factors in Bosch's character development is a new relationship with rookie police officer Julia Brasher. She is the officer on duty at the murder site, and is drawn into the investigation. This relationship becomes the model for all the other relationships in the book; especially those Bosch has with his partner and his work. In the end it triggers something unexpected in the older detective, and will eventually cause him to make some surprising decisions. Beyond the character level, the plot is tightly drawn and well paced. Generally, a story that turns on forensic police procedure is interesting rather than exciting, but Connelly has goes to great lengths to prove that this does not have to be the case. There is a surfeit of plot twists and the high emotional pitch will keep the reader on tenterhooks - a delightful form of torture, too rarely experienced in the present. Obviously, I enjoyed the book. I found myself intentionally slowing down my reading speed in order to extend my pleasure with a writer whose minimalist style always seems to have more to say than the efforts of wordier contemporaries. This is a milestone in the Harry Bosch series, but hopefully not its last, shining moment.
Rating: 
Summary: The Great One Returns
Review: It didn't take all that long for Michael Connelly to become one of today's top mystery authors. And it's not hard to see why. His books are always suspenseful, filled with great dialogue and believable characters. His stories are intriguing and always intricate. And, most of the time, his plots are unpredictable. Although City Of Bones isn't Connelly's best, it still shows how amazing the author truly is. Here, we find Bosch, one of the characters Connelly established in his earlier works. He is now working as a detective in Hollywood. On New Year's eve, he is told to investigate bones that have been uncovered by a dog. On closer examination, the bones are shown to be human and belonging to a twelve year old boy who would have died over twenty years ago. The quest to find the boy's identity and his killer follows. And what a chase it is! The story is full of subplots that will keep you guessing until the very last page. I love Connelly's style. His books are gritty and straight to the point. He is the noir author par excellence. As Bosch investigates the crime and uncovers many of the answers that have been laying dormant for over twenty years, he will meet many great characters, such as a young female officer in whom he will find romance, or the victim's sister and father, who's past is filled with dark secrets that are just waiting to resurface. All of Connelly's characters have ghosts in their closets, which only adds to the dark tones of his stories. All in all, City Of Bones is yet another great work of fiction by today's best mysetery author. When you start one of Connelly's books, you won't want to let go of it until the it's done. City of Bones is no exception.
Rating:
Summary: Could not put this one down
Review: After more than 20 years in the ground, the bones of a boy are recovered from a shallow grave. Good forensics and a tip from the general public help LAPD detective Harry Bosch and his colleagues to identify the boy, but at that time the media attention has already claimed its first innocent present day victim of the case. As the investigation goes on Harry Bosch also has to find some time for his new lover until she becomes the second victim of the case. And there are more victims: people who get falsely accused, people who lose their jobs, families that reveal their secrets. When the case is finally solved Bosch is left behind with the question whether it was all worth it. This is another typical Harry Bosch thriller: fine detective work, good psychological insights into the detectives and the suspects and the usual fight of the loner (Bosch) against the system (the press, his superiors). It is one of those books that will cost you a night sleep once you start reading, but it is definitely worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Boooorrriiinnng.
Review: I've read every book Connelly has written and I hate to say it, but I think he is getting VERY lazy. This book is a quick easy read, but completely unengaging. I can't believe it is getting such good reviews here. The plot "twists" are easy to see and not surpising. The list of suspects are completely non-threatening and don't get me started on the [less than satisfying] ending. If you want a lot better novel in the same vein, pick up Dennis Lehane (except for mystic river) or even Robert Crais (LA Requim is a masterpiece).
Rating:
Summary: END OF THE ROAD?
Review: Connelly offers Bosch this time in a rather unusual dark, brooding story that indicates Harry might be on the way out? It's hard to tell, although as Harry thinks about things, maybe it is time? I certainly hope not, as Harry continues to develop into a quite complex character: a man who has many, many good points, but continues to develop his darker side, and pulls a couple of things in this one, too.
A dog digs up a bone, that turns out to be the humerus of a young boy, who has been missing and dead for twenty years. In spite of myself, I did enjoy the pun when Harry's talking to the command desk sergeant: "Harry, come on..humor us on this humerus." Connelly's wit is sharp, if derivative!
Harry and Edgar (who continue to exhibit a rather unusual friendship; Edgar seems jealous of Harry and hurt when excluded)become involved in the case. Harry falls head over heels for a new rookie, Julia Brasher, who shares some of Harry's darker side. Of course, Harry is not supposed to be shacking up with a rookie, but you knnow, Harry----nothing stops Harry from what he's doing, whether it be right or wrong.
As the case builds, a former pedophile is involved; a seedy friend from the little boy's past, and of course, the father and the sister. It's a web of intrigue, deceit and false leads, and Connelly masterfully weaves them to the predictable, if strange, denouement. "City of Bones" is not the best, but it is a marvelous addition to the series. Michael, please don't leave us hanging in the air!!
RECOMMENDED
Rating:
Summary: This book ROCKS
Review: Connelly is one of my favourite story-tellers and I always look forward to reading his latest. This was no exception. City of Bones is a superb book, one of the few that I get so absorbed in that I lose track of everything else that's going on.
In Harry Bosch, Connelly has created a detective who will become a modern classic, a tortured, all-too-human man who is also a gun gumshoe. Connelly's two biggest strengths are his dialogue--he is the Joss Wheedon of novelists--and his prose: concise, hard-boiled, gritty, observant, detail-oriented and Raymond Chandleresque. When you add in that he is a pretty mean plotter, too, it's easy to see why his books are so great.
City of Bones opens in a fairly unremarkable way, and everything seems to unfold in a logical and believeable manner. It's only when you look back at the end of the book that you realise just how ingenious and incredibly well-told the tale is, how the events just fit together and take on a life of their own. It is proof that you don't have to invent the fantastic to tell a good story--properly approached, even the most banal "real life" can contain some amazing ideas.
This book was a sheer joy to read and, as always, I look forward to the next. I won't spoil it, just grab it and read. If you haven't read any of his others, I highly recommend reading them in order and saving this for last, like a great dessert at the end of a sumptuous meal.
Rating:
Summary: The last Harry Bosch novel ?!?
Review: In city of bones Bosch investigates a murder happened more then 20 years ago. A dog comes back after a run in the woods with a human bone. It's a typical Connelly book, perfectly written in every detail and with of course some twists in it. If you haven't read any Bosch novels I suggest you start with the first one of the series. 5 stars.
|
