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Summary: Another entertaining novel by Michael Connelly
Review: In THE BLACK ICE, Det. Harry Bosch finds that a murder investigation he's working on is somehow tied to another detective's purported suicide. After a bit of digging, it is determined that the suicide is actually a murder and it seems to be connected to the dead detective's past in a border town near Mexico and a potent new drug that's being smuggled across the border. Bosch's investigation gets him into hot water with his superiors in the LAPD, takes him down to Mexico and has him joining forces with the DEA in a dramatic raid on a drug trafficker's compound.I thought THE BLACK ICE was slightly more predictible than the other two Connelly books I've read, and yet I was totally surprised by one of the major twists toward the end of the book. It's a highly entertaining read and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre.
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Summary: A stunning, exceptional crime novel!
Review: The Black Ice has been the fifth book of M.Connelly that I have read. So far, it is his best! The story is gripping, exciting, elaborate, suspensful, and absolutely well thought out.
The tensness is increasing permanently till the end with a finish that is quite surprising. In particular, I liked the way Connelly describes the character of Harry Bosch. You really 'learn' something about him and get some insights into his complex and 'different' personality.
If you like crime novels/police stories than this is for you! Although Connelly's way of writing is different from J.Ellroy or R.Chandler, his novels are absolutely comparable.
My recommendation is, buy the book 'The Harry Bosch Mysteries' where you've got the first three H.Bosch novels in a chronological order (The Black Echo, The Black Ice, The Concrete Blonde). Although it is not essential it is better to start at the beginning due to the fact that some 'small stories' are much easier to understand.
I will continue to read the other books of M.Connelly because he is a great author in a time where you find loads of rubbish in the book shelves. BUY IT YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
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.
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Summary: Harry's A Real Rebel
Review: A cop is found in a motel, apparently the victim of suicide. Harry Bosch isn't so sure. He finds a connection between the dead cop and the importation of a new designer drug called black ice which is coming from Mexico. His investigation, which for the most part is unauthorised, takes him from his home turf in LA, down to the US - Mexico border. This is the second Harry Bosch book, following on from The Black Echo, and Harry Bosch is proving to be a real rebel in the LAPD. The action comes thick and fast when Harry's on the trail, and no stone is left unturned, either legally or otherwise. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the hard-boiled police procedural genre.
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Summary: Another excellent Harry Bosch story!
Review: I can't get enough of Michael Connelley. I was introduced to him in 'Void Moon' and I haven't been disappointed yet! 'The Black Ice' introduces the reader back to Harry Bosch who is investigating the apparent suicide of an anti-narcotics cop. But, as usual, things are not always as they seem in Boschs' world and soon is in Mexico, looking for answers that involves drugs and a body count. Bosch is a superb character and Connelly is sensational at developing him and making a brilliant story to go along with it. The reason that I love picking up anything that Connelly has written is that everything he writes is different and extremely entertaining and that is what keeps me coming back for more! If you are sick of the usual 'whodunit's and want thrillers with a twist or few, then pick up The Black Ice or Void Moon, you won't be disappointed!
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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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Summary: Stereotypical Set-up, but with Excellent Results
Review: I've been looking for this novel, you see. It's about a well adjusted and highly effective police detective, on the fast track, who is loved by all the brass and has a nice family waiting at home for him every night. This detective is given a lot of support by the investigative apparatus and has developed a nice working relationship with the press. He works cases methodically and practically, never making himself the target of some psycho. Well, I haven't found it yet, but one thing I can tell you is Harry Bosch is not that detective and The Black Ice is definitely not that book. Michael Connelly has developed the stereotypical me against the world cop book that comes off as anything but stereotypical. In this latest police procedural, the procedure are all thrown out the window as Bosch tries to solve the murder of a fellow policeman that no one seems to want solved. Tied in with the death of narcotic's officer Cal Moore's demise, is a few drug related killers and the recent sudden retirement of a fellow homicide detective. Connelly spins a web of corruption and lost youth, symbolically weaving together the tough childhood's of the slain detective and Bosch and takes the tale south of LA, to twin Mexican Border Towns and a ring of smugglers transporting the latest hip drug, Black Ice.
While this may not have been a great novel, Connelly does a great job with the subtle symbolism in this book. He doesn't need to hit you over the head with it and he gives the reader a lot of credit for intelligence. But then it all breaks down in the end after the obligatory action scenes, Bosch takes a turn as Hercule Poirot, and needs to explain everything down to the last detail to an ungrateful boss. For the most part this was a brisk paced and fun addition to the Harry Bosch series.
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Summary: AUDIO TAPE WARNING - MULTI-TRACK STEREO
Review: Just a warning to all the audiobook listeners out there. The unabridged cassette tapes are multi-track stereo meaning that the cheap publisher uses the left and right channels to record separate chapters. So unless you have a headphone splitter the tape will not work correctly. I fail to understand why in this day and age, the publishers can't spend a few more pennies and put the 4 additional tapes in the box. If AOL can send out about a bizillion CD's a year for free, why can't this publibsher spring for some old fashon cassettes! I listened to about 5 minutes of it and couldn't stand it any longer. I would have returned it had it not been past the 30 days for Amazon's return policy.
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Summary: Great police thriller!
Review: It is my first book of Harry Bosh' series (but I've read other books by Michael Conelly that I liked) and I was impressed. There are many novels with the motif of 'lone wolf' but it is difficult to make the reader really like the main hero. This book is the one. The plot seems totally logical and realistic, and at the ame time intriguing until the end. Mexican background, including Harry' adventures there, seems real and interesting. The police work in LA is described with such details that you definetely get the atmosphere the writer tried to convey. Definitely recommended to all fans of mistery novels and police thrillers.
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Summary: The series is keeping me reading...
Review: I've only read the first two books in this series, and obviously the author was still finding his way a little as he was writing these first few books...but they were still great. I am very excited about the rest of the series. They seem to just get better, so far anyway. Harry Bosch is a dynamic character. And I enjoy anything with suspense, and a homocide cop's life is certainly on the edge! If you like James Patterson, Michael Connelly is surely great competition!
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