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Harry Bosch #1
The Black Echo
For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal...because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit. Pitted against enemies inside his own department and forced to make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, Bosch goes on the hunt for a killer whose true face will shock him.
482 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 1992
About the author
Michael Connelly
503 books29.2k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,858 reviews
July 30, 2015
I’ve designed a gadget that will notify me when I run across clichés in crime thrillers with a *BEEP*. Let’s give it a test run on this Michael Connelly novel, shall we?
So this is the first book in the series featuring a LAPD detective named Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch *BEEP*. .. Shit, why is it going off already? Oh, right. Quirky name for a main character. It seems to be calibrated correctly. Let’s proceed.
In this novel published in 1992, Harry is a Vietnam veteran *BEEP* traumatized by his war experiences *BEEP* as a so-called tunnel rat who fought the VC in their network of underground passages. Harry is a driven detective whose inability to compromise often puts him at odds with his fellow cops *BEEP*. He has no family or life outside of his work *BEEP*, and he’s a borderline burn-out who lives on a diet of coffee, cigarettes and beer. *BEEP*
Harry gets called to check out a dead body in a drainage pipe that everyone on the scene instantly assumes is a junkie who overdosed, but he has a hunch that it was actually a murder. *BEEP* Part of the reason Harry is convinced it was homicide is that he recognizes the victim as one of his fellow Vietnam tunnel rats. *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* Damn, the old war buddy schtick really swung the needle into the red on this thing.
Harry quickly finds evidence that the victim was involved in a high profile bank robbery that had involved tunneling into a vault and emptying the safe deposit boxes. When Harry tries to get the FBI’s attention, he meets a beautiful female agent *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* named Eleanor Wish, but he also lands in hot water with his lieutenant who gets angry and yells at him a lot even though he hasn’t done anything wrong . *BEEP*. He also becomes the target of overzealous Internal Affairs cops *BEEP* that hound him even as he works with the FBI to try and solve the case. This quickly leads to a romance with Agent Wish *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*..and *BEEP*….Uh oh.. I think it’s overloading…*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* Is that smoke?? *BEEP* *BEEP* BEEP* Where’s the off switch? *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP**BEEEEEeeeeeeepppppp…pp..pp*
Crap. I think Connelly broke it.
Anyhow, the odd thing about his book is that even though it’s got just about every cop thriller cliché you’ve ever heard of, it still works pretty well. It’s entertaining in a straight forward kind of way, and Harry’s gruff and grouchy persona is kind of refreshing since most cop/detectives are portrayed as unrelenting smart asses these days.
A couple of things drag it down a bit. First, this is the third Connelly novel I’ve read set in the ‘90s and like the other two, there’s something about his stuff that seems more dated than a Perry Como album. I think it’s because he obviously liked describing the cutting edge tech of the day like police computer databases that are practically antiques now, and the way he dwells on them makes you feel like you’re watching a T. Rex walk the earth.
The second one involves Harry doing something very stupid and later you realize that Connelly only had him do it for the sake of setting up a climactic scene near the end.
Still, I did like a lot about this one and will probably try another in the series at some point. Hopefully, my cliché meter will be repaired and up to the task by then.
So this is the first book in the series featuring a LAPD detective named Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch *BEEP*. .. Shit, why is it going off already? Oh, right. Quirky name for a main character. It seems to be calibrated correctly. Let’s proceed.
In this novel published in 1992, Harry is a Vietnam veteran *BEEP* traumatized by his war experiences *BEEP* as a so-called tunnel rat who fought the VC in their network of underground passages. Harry is a driven detective whose inability to compromise often puts him at odds with his fellow cops *BEEP*. He has no family or life outside of his work *BEEP*, and he’s a borderline burn-out who lives on a diet of coffee, cigarettes and beer. *BEEP*
Harry gets called to check out a dead body in a drainage pipe that everyone on the scene instantly assumes is a junkie who overdosed, but he has a hunch that it was actually a murder. *BEEP* Part of the reason Harry is convinced it was homicide is that he recognizes the victim as one of his fellow Vietnam tunnel rats. *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* Damn, the old war buddy schtick really swung the needle into the red on this thing.
Harry quickly finds evidence that the victim was involved in a high profile bank robbery that had involved tunneling into a vault and emptying the safe deposit boxes. When Harry tries to get the FBI’s attention, he meets a beautiful female agent *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* named Eleanor Wish, but he also lands in hot water with his lieutenant who gets angry and yells at him a lot even though he hasn’t done anything wrong . *BEEP*. He also becomes the target of overzealous Internal Affairs cops *BEEP* that hound him even as he works with the FBI to try and solve the case. This quickly leads to a romance with Agent Wish *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*..and *BEEP*….Uh oh.. I think it’s overloading…*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* Is that smoke?? *BEEP* *BEEP* BEEP* Where’s the off switch? *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP**BEEEEEeeeeeeepppppp…pp..pp*
Crap. I think Connelly broke it.
Anyhow, the odd thing about his book is that even though it’s got just about every cop thriller cliché you’ve ever heard of, it still works pretty well. It’s entertaining in a straight forward kind of way, and Harry’s gruff and grouchy persona is kind of refreshing since most cop/detectives are portrayed as unrelenting smart asses these days.
A couple of things drag it down a bit. First, this is the third Connelly novel I’ve read set in the ‘90s and like the other two, there’s something about his stuff that seems more dated than a Perry Como album. I think it’s because he obviously liked describing the cutting edge tech of the day like police computer databases that are practically antiques now, and the way he dwells on them makes you feel like you’re watching a T. Rex walk the earth.
The second one involves Harry doing something very stupid and later you realize that Connelly only had him do it for the sake of setting up a climactic scene near the end.
Still, I did like a lot about this one and will probably try another in the series at some point. Hopefully, my cliché meter will be repaired and up to the task by then.
December 27, 2016
Published in 1992, this is the book that introduced L.A.P.D. homicide detective, Harry Bosch. The series, which runs twenty-four books thus far, has remained strong throughout and is, almost certainly, the gold standard of modern police procedurals.
When we first meet Harry, he's already forty-two years old and has been the product of one institution after another for virtually his entire life. His father left the family when Harry was very young and Harry never really knew him. Harry's mother turned to prostitution and was murdered when Harry was eleven. After her death, he was assigned to California's version of child protective services. He spent the rest of his youth in a series of foster homes, then joined the army and served in Vietnam. Upon leaving the service, he joined the L.A.P.D., eventually becoming something of a star in the Homicide Division.
The fact that Bosh was a Vietnam vet and already forty-two in his initial outing would ultimately put his creator, Michael Connelly, in something of a box. By the time the series was to the current halfway point, Harry was already in his middle fifties and staring at retirement, a situation which limited the author's options. Still, Connelly has addressed the problem in innovative ways, although one wonders whether, if he had it to do all over again, he might have dealt with the situation in a different fashion.
Given that he's forty-two, with a long career already behind him, Bosch appears in these pages as a character that's already almost fully formed. He's a rare animal in the L.A.P.D. in that he genuinely cares about the job and about achieving justice for the victims of the crimes he investigates. Later in the series, he will articulate his motto, which is that "Everybody counts or nobody counts." But it's clear that he's already driven by this principle when we first meet him.
For Harry, it's often a pretty lonely road in a department that basically seems to be filled with self-serving cops and bureaucrats who are much less interested in serving justice than they are in achieving their own ends. For example, Harry's partner has a side career in real estate and makes it very clear that the real estate job is much more important to him than being a cop. All he wants to do is put in his twenty years, collect his pension, and go into real estate full time. And if one of his current jobs gets in the way of the other, more likely it will be the police work that suffers.
If anything, the people in the chain of command above Harry are even worse. They're much more interested in advancing their own careers and protecting the image of the department than they are in the department's mission to serve and protect. And this means that Bosch is going to be in trouble almost all the time, in this book and throughout his career. Everybody admits that Harry is a brilliant detective, but he's not a team player and his actions occasionally embarrass the department. Accordingly, the Powers That Be would just as soon force Harry off the job and he's constantly battling against his superiors and against detectives from the Internal Affairs Division who will go to almost any lengths to dig up dirt against him.
Not that Harry is all that congenial himself. For whatever reason, perhaps because of his background, he doesn't relate very well to other people and it seems at times as though he goes out of his way to offend people, even when they're trying to get along with him.
A prime example is his smoking. By 1992, the health hazards of smoking and of second-hand smoke were pretty well established and already, lots of offices, restaurants and other such places were supposed to be smoke-free. Harry could care less and assumes that the rules simply don't apply to him. He's constantly lighting up in places where smoking is prohibited and in the presence of people who specifically ask him not to smoke. Even in the company of a woman he's allegedly trying to impress, Bosch still insists on smoking, even though it clearly annoys her. In fact, he becomes something of an asshole on this issue. It's hardly the way to win friends and influence people, but Harry clearly doesn't care.
The Black Echo begins when Harry is called to a death site near a dam. It appears that a heroin addict has crawled into a large pipe and overdosed. The case should be open and shut, and Harry's partner, the real estate salesman, clearly wants to declare it an OD and get back to the open house that he's hosting. But the scene doesn't look right to Harry and he pushes forward with the investigation.
Things really get interesting when the body is finally pulled out of the pipe and Harry vaguely recognizes the victim as William Meadows who served with Bosch in Vietnam. The two were "tunnel rats" who went deep underground to explore and destroy enemy tunnels. As Harry presses forward he discovers any number of other incongruities and ties Meadows to a crime that is currently under investigation by the F.B.I.
Bosch contacts the F.B.I., hoping to link their two investigations in an attempt to solve both the murder case that Harry is pursuing and the crime that the Fibbies are investigating. But the Bureau is just as hide-bound and as self-serving as the L.A.P.D., and Harry runs into roadblocks there as well.
Any other detective would almost certainly give up and just follow orders to lay off. But not Harry Bosch. He will pursue this case to the bitter end, no matter who he has to alienate or what he has to sacrifice in the process. And in this case it takes him through a brilliantly plotted story that leads to a tremendous climax.
From the very beginning Harry Bosch has been one of the most compelling figures ever to inhabit the world of crime fiction and he continues to fill that role twenty-four years down the road from this book. The Black Echo is a great beginning to what has become a fabulous series.
When we first meet Harry, he's already forty-two years old and has been the product of one institution after another for virtually his entire life. His father left the family when Harry was very young and Harry never really knew him. Harry's mother turned to prostitution and was murdered when Harry was eleven. After her death, he was assigned to California's version of child protective services. He spent the rest of his youth in a series of foster homes, then joined the army and served in Vietnam. Upon leaving the service, he joined the L.A.P.D., eventually becoming something of a star in the Homicide Division.
The fact that Bosh was a Vietnam vet and already forty-two in his initial outing would ultimately put his creator, Michael Connelly, in something of a box. By the time the series was to the current halfway point, Harry was already in his middle fifties and staring at retirement, a situation which limited the author's options. Still, Connelly has addressed the problem in innovative ways, although one wonders whether, if he had it to do all over again, he might have dealt with the situation in a different fashion.
Given that he's forty-two, with a long career already behind him, Bosch appears in these pages as a character that's already almost fully formed. He's a rare animal in the L.A.P.D. in that he genuinely cares about the job and about achieving justice for the victims of the crimes he investigates. Later in the series, he will articulate his motto, which is that "Everybody counts or nobody counts." But it's clear that he's already driven by this principle when we first meet him.
For Harry, it's often a pretty lonely road in a department that basically seems to be filled with self-serving cops and bureaucrats who are much less interested in serving justice than they are in achieving their own ends. For example, Harry's partner has a side career in real estate and makes it very clear that the real estate job is much more important to him than being a cop. All he wants to do is put in his twenty years, collect his pension, and go into real estate full time. And if one of his current jobs gets in the way of the other, more likely it will be the police work that suffers.
If anything, the people in the chain of command above Harry are even worse. They're much more interested in advancing their own careers and protecting the image of the department than they are in the department's mission to serve and protect. And this means that Bosch is going to be in trouble almost all the time, in this book and throughout his career. Everybody admits that Harry is a brilliant detective, but he's not a team player and his actions occasionally embarrass the department. Accordingly, the Powers That Be would just as soon force Harry off the job and he's constantly battling against his superiors and against detectives from the Internal Affairs Division who will go to almost any lengths to dig up dirt against him.
Not that Harry is all that congenial himself. For whatever reason, perhaps because of his background, he doesn't relate very well to other people and it seems at times as though he goes out of his way to offend people, even when they're trying to get along with him.
A prime example is his smoking. By 1992, the health hazards of smoking and of second-hand smoke were pretty well established and already, lots of offices, restaurants and other such places were supposed to be smoke-free. Harry could care less and assumes that the rules simply don't apply to him. He's constantly lighting up in places where smoking is prohibited and in the presence of people who specifically ask him not to smoke. Even in the company of a woman he's allegedly trying to impress, Bosch still insists on smoking, even though it clearly annoys her. In fact, he becomes something of an asshole on this issue. It's hardly the way to win friends and influence people, but Harry clearly doesn't care.
The Black Echo begins when Harry is called to a death site near a dam. It appears that a heroin addict has crawled into a large pipe and overdosed. The case should be open and shut, and Harry's partner, the real estate salesman, clearly wants to declare it an OD and get back to the open house that he's hosting. But the scene doesn't look right to Harry and he pushes forward with the investigation.
Things really get interesting when the body is finally pulled out of the pipe and Harry vaguely recognizes the victim as William Meadows who served with Bosch in Vietnam. The two were "tunnel rats" who went deep underground to explore and destroy enemy tunnels. As Harry presses forward he discovers any number of other incongruities and ties Meadows to a crime that is currently under investigation by the F.B.I.
Bosch contacts the F.B.I., hoping to link their two investigations in an attempt to solve both the murder case that Harry is pursuing and the crime that the Fibbies are investigating. But the Bureau is just as hide-bound and as self-serving as the L.A.P.D., and Harry runs into roadblocks there as well.
Any other detective would almost certainly give up and just follow orders to lay off. But not Harry Bosch. He will pursue this case to the bitter end, no matter who he has to alienate or what he has to sacrifice in the process. And in this case it takes him through a brilliantly plotted story that leads to a tremendous climax.
From the very beginning Harry Bosch has been one of the most compelling figures ever to inhabit the world of crime fiction and he continues to fill that role twenty-four years down the road from this book. The Black Echo is a great beginning to what has become a fabulous series.
March 7, 2017
First impressions can be so deceptive. Well, actually, first, second and third impressions, but who's judging? Me. Totally me.*
Still on the search for a new mystery series, and Michael Connelly's name keeps coming up, mainly because I always misspell John Connolly. John's writing is frequently lyrical and equally brutal, so there's only so much I can take. Perhaps the American Michael will be less demanding? Why, yes, he is. How much less demanding? Well, take this little sample from early on in Harry Bosch's murder investigation:
"He became restless. He looked down into the green glass ashtray and saw that all the butts were unfiltered Camels. Was that Meadow's brand or his killer's? He got up and walked around the room. The faint smell of urine hit him again. He walked back into the bedroom. He opened the drawers of the bureau and stared at their contents once more. Nothing turned in his mind. He went to the window and looked out at the back end of another apartment building across an alley. There was a man with a supermarket cart in the alley. He was poking through a Dumpster with a stick. The car was half full of aluminum cans. Bosch walked away and sat down on the bed and put his head back against the wall where the headboard should have been and the white paint was a dingy gray. The wall felt cool against his back."
Speechless. Mrs. Meunch, my ninth grade Advanced English teacher, would have emptied her pen of red ink had I turned in that paragraph. Dull, repetitive, uninteresting construction and description, as well as virtually meaningless in plot advancement. But here's where first impressions mislead: given that Connelly worked as a journalist, I didn't think his writing skills were that limited on purpose, and a sample chapter at the end of this book for his series starring a lawyer provided proof of a more sophisticated style. I suspect he was trying to echo both the staccato noir voice, as well as the neutral, progressive statements one might find in a police or medical report, that are supposed to be how things 'are' instead of with interpretation. It probably doesn't hurt that the style might also appeal to the mass market in digestibility.
That said, it ended up being an entertaining read. Connelly can't help himself, and as the investigation heats up, the language becomes more complex to handle the demands of perception and action. It ended up pulling me through the dusty Dr. Seuss language into a complex web of conflict between Harry Bosch, his current supervisor, Internal Affairs, the FBI and a hidden killer. Although I felt sure some of the situations introduced were red herrings--and boy, was Bosch downright stupid a couple of times--I wasn't sure of where it would end up. I liked that there was some unpredictability, as so few mass-market books actually surprise me.
The book shows it's age, particularly the lack of cell phones, with the time period reliance on pagers and pay phones. Harry was always trying to get someone to run something on a computer for him (!) and everyone was bitching about typewritten reports, and the proportion of typewriters to detectives. However, that may be an appeal for some readers. I'm thinking it'd be worth giving to my dad, former cop and Vietnam vet, who still hasn't used a cell phone and only adopted an answering machine with technological support from friends.
Overall, while Harry Bosch is no Matt Scudder, I'd say it's not a bad series to break up my fantasy and sci-fi reads. We'll see if it follows the Spencer pattern of going downhill once Connelly achieves mass-market success.
* This book also meets the Mom Seal of Approval: "it's hard to put down."
Three and a half stars.
Still on the search for a new mystery series, and Michael Connelly's name keeps coming up, mainly because I always misspell John Connolly. John's writing is frequently lyrical and equally brutal, so there's only so much I can take. Perhaps the American Michael will be less demanding? Why, yes, he is. How much less demanding? Well, take this little sample from early on in Harry Bosch's murder investigation:
"He became restless. He looked down into the green glass ashtray and saw that all the butts were unfiltered Camels. Was that Meadow's brand or his killer's? He got up and walked around the room. The faint smell of urine hit him again. He walked back into the bedroom. He opened the drawers of the bureau and stared at their contents once more. Nothing turned in his mind. He went to the window and looked out at the back end of another apartment building across an alley. There was a man with a supermarket cart in the alley. He was poking through a Dumpster with a stick. The car was half full of aluminum cans. Bosch walked away and sat down on the bed and put his head back against the wall where the headboard should have been and the white paint was a dingy gray. The wall felt cool against his back."
Speechless. Mrs. Meunch, my ninth grade Advanced English teacher, would have emptied her pen of red ink had I turned in that paragraph. Dull, repetitive, uninteresting construction and description, as well as virtually meaningless in plot advancement. But here's where first impressions mislead: given that Connelly worked as a journalist, I didn't think his writing skills were that limited on purpose, and a sample chapter at the end of this book for his series starring a lawyer provided proof of a more sophisticated style. I suspect he was trying to echo both the staccato noir voice, as well as the neutral, progressive statements one might find in a police or medical report, that are supposed to be how things 'are' instead of with interpretation. It probably doesn't hurt that the style might also appeal to the mass market in digestibility.
That said, it ended up being an entertaining read. Connelly can't help himself, and as the investigation heats up, the language becomes more complex to handle the demands of perception and action. It ended up pulling me through the dusty Dr. Seuss language into a complex web of conflict between Harry Bosch, his current supervisor, Internal Affairs, the FBI and a hidden killer. Although I felt sure some of the situations introduced were red herrings--and boy, was Bosch downright stupid a couple of times--I wasn't sure of where it would end up. I liked that there was some unpredictability, as so few mass-market books actually surprise me.
The book shows it's age, particularly the lack of cell phones, with the time period reliance on pagers and pay phones. Harry was always trying to get someone to run something on a computer for him (!) and everyone was bitching about typewritten reports, and the proportion of typewriters to detectives. However, that may be an appeal for some readers. I'm thinking it'd be worth giving to my dad, former cop and Vietnam vet, who still hasn't used a cell phone and only adopted an answering machine with technological support from friends.
Overall, while Harry Bosch is no Matt Scudder, I'd say it's not a bad series to break up my fantasy and sci-fi reads. We'll see if it follows the Spencer pattern of going downhill once Connelly achieves mass-market success.
* This book also meets the Mom Seal of Approval: "it's hard to put down."
Three and a half stars.
September 2, 2011
I came at Michael Connelly backwards, reading the entire Mickey Haller series before any of his Harry Bosch books. And after encountering Bosch in The Reversal, I wasn't that compelled to read more about him. But then I found the Kindle version of this on sale for 99c, so I couldn't really say no at that point.
I was not disappointed, but blown away instead. This is a perfect detective mystery tale. Connelly's storytelling gifts are many and varied. He is a master of pacing, has a knack for creating multi-dimensional characters, writes realistic dialogue, a creates a robust plot. The best part is that even after you think you figured out the caper, you haven't, because there are so many layers to Connelly's writing that you've only peeled it back to the next.
I was not disappointed, but blown away instead. This is a perfect detective mystery tale. Connelly's storytelling gifts are many and varied. He is a master of pacing, has a knack for creating multi-dimensional characters, writes realistic dialogue, a creates a robust plot. The best part is that even after you think you figured out the caper, you haven't, because there are so many layers to Connelly's writing that you've only peeled it back to the next.
December 22, 2022
I am ending my speed rating and reviewing with two 5* ratings
Bosch and I are already well acquainted from the TV series but I did not expect to enjoy the novel so much. Especially since it's a debut. It was an excellent procedural with rounded characters, fast paced plot and good, well researched writing. The final star came from the narration by the man himself, Titus Welliver, the actor playing Bosch in the TV series.
Bosch and I are already well acquainted from the TV series but I did not expect to enjoy the novel so much. Especially since it's a debut. It was an excellent procedural with rounded characters, fast paced plot and good, well researched writing. The final star came from the narration by the man himself, Titus Welliver, the actor playing Bosch in the TV series.
June 27, 2021
As research for a novel I'm writing, I've been reading relevant detective fiction and stealing everything of value. My story takes place in L.A. of 1991 and burgling Michael Connelly turned out to be a bonanza. Not only has Connelly written 22 Harry Bosch novels--basis for the Amazon series Bosch, which in its sixth season, combines one or more books, updated to present day, per season--but the literary Harry Bosch, LAPD Robbery-Homicide detective, begins in Los Angeles of the early '90s. I'd read a short story in Los Angeles Noir that Connelly wrote about an accident investigator that was superb. The Black Echo is definitely up to that high standard.
Instead of a review, let me share some notes.
Publish date: January 21, 1992
Story: LAPD Det. Harry Bosch spends Memorial Day weekend working a case of a dead man found in a storm drain pipe in the Hollywood Reservoir. Presumed to be a junkie overdose, Bosch sees clues that don't add up and also identifies the corpse as Billy Meadows, a fellow tunnel rat Bosch served with in Vietnam and had some contact with after the war. Kicked off the elite Robbery-Homicide squad for shooting a serial killer known as the Dollmaker who turned out to be reaching for his toupee instead of a weapon, Bosch is working homicide cases out of the Hollywood station.
Bosch is disliked by his superiors for his maverick methods. Two IAD officers named Lewis and Clarke who are obsessed with getting dirt begin to tail him. Bosch discovers that Meadows was a suspect in a brazen robbery in which the thieves tunneled underneath an L.A. bank vault and emptied safe deposit boxes of their valuables over the Memorial Day weekend the previous year. The thieves are at large, so Bosch is asked to assist FBI Special Agent Eleanor Wish in determining whether Meadows' likely murder and the bank heist are connected.
L.A. scenery: Connelly takes us from a murder scene in the Hollywood Reservoir to the runaway/hustling scene in Hollywood to an interrogation at Hollywood station. I loved the detail Connelly included about "the Slider," a modified chair that slopes just enough to push the subject's face right at his interrogators across the table and prevents him from getting comfortable. Another murder scene is set in a visitor tunnel at the Hollywood Bowl and the climax takes place in the sewer network under L.A. that will be familiar to fans of the '50s science fiction classic Them! in which giant atomic mutant ants built a nest under the city.
1990s nostalgia: Who remembers answering machines? These were once exposition delivery devices in movies and TV. The character walks in, sees a blinking light and plays their messages, usually from bill collectors (character is broke) or the ex (character is hard to live with). You had to remember to leave your machine "on" if you wanted to screen your phone calls while home, otherwise the machine wouldn't pick up! Bosch also relies on phone booths, spare change and a handheld address book he carries with him to communicate.
Opening paragraph: The boy couldn't see in the dark, but he didn't need to. Experience and long practice told him it was good. Nice and even. Smooth strokes, moving his whole arm while gently rolling his wrist. No runs. Beautiful.
Title in text: "Meadows," he said and shook his head at the memory of the man. "Meadows was something else ... Back then, we were all just a bunch of kids, afraid of the dark. And those tunnels were so damn dark. But Meadows, he wasn't afraid. He'd volunteer and volunteer and volunteer. Out of the blue and into the black. That's what he said going on a tunnel mission was. We called it the black echo. It was like going to hell. You're down there and you could smell your own fear. It was like you were dead when you were down there."
Select prose: They were in the neighborhood. The street was lined with run-down motels that had looked depressing the day they were finished being built. Bosch pointed out one of these, the Blue Chateau, and told her to park. It was as depressing as all the others on the street. Concrete block, early fifties design. Painted light blue with darker blue trim that was peeling. It was a two-story courtyard building with towels and clothes hanging out of almost every open window. It was a place where the interior would rival the exterior as an eyesore, Bosch knew. Where runaways crowded eight or ten to a room, the strongest getting the bed, the others the floor or the bathtub. There were places like this on many of the blocks near the Boulevard. There always had been and always would be.
Closing paragraph: Bosch hung the print in the hallway near his front door, and from time to time he would stop and study it when he came in, particularly from a weary day or night on the job. The painting never failed to fascinate him, or to evoke memories of Eleanor Wish. The darkness. The stark loneliness. The man sitting alone, his face turned to the shadows. I am that man, Harry Bosch would think each time he looked.
Thoughts: Connelly knows his turf and provided an abundance of sharp detail that made his world come alive for me. Bosch is a complete cliché--genius maverick cop with PTSD who drinks and smokes too much and lives the job--but The Black Echo was exciting. It was too long for my taste by 40,000 or 50,000 words and I felt the material with the vengeful IAD officers (Lewis & Clarke, really?) was overcooked, but I was hooked by the mystery and had to keep reading to find out what turns the case would take and how Bosch would get out of the jam he was in.
Word count: 136.329 words
Instead of a review, let me share some notes.
Publish date: January 21, 1992
Story: LAPD Det. Harry Bosch spends Memorial Day weekend working a case of a dead man found in a storm drain pipe in the Hollywood Reservoir. Presumed to be a junkie overdose, Bosch sees clues that don't add up and also identifies the corpse as Billy Meadows, a fellow tunnel rat Bosch served with in Vietnam and had some contact with after the war. Kicked off the elite Robbery-Homicide squad for shooting a serial killer known as the Dollmaker who turned out to be reaching for his toupee instead of a weapon, Bosch is working homicide cases out of the Hollywood station.
Bosch is disliked by his superiors for his maverick methods. Two IAD officers named Lewis and Clarke who are obsessed with getting dirt begin to tail him. Bosch discovers that Meadows was a suspect in a brazen robbery in which the thieves tunneled underneath an L.A. bank vault and emptied safe deposit boxes of their valuables over the Memorial Day weekend the previous year. The thieves are at large, so Bosch is asked to assist FBI Special Agent Eleanor Wish in determining whether Meadows' likely murder and the bank heist are connected.
L.A. scenery: Connelly takes us from a murder scene in the Hollywood Reservoir to the runaway/hustling scene in Hollywood to an interrogation at Hollywood station. I loved the detail Connelly included about "the Slider," a modified chair that slopes just enough to push the subject's face right at his interrogators across the table and prevents him from getting comfortable. Another murder scene is set in a visitor tunnel at the Hollywood Bowl and the climax takes place in the sewer network under L.A. that will be familiar to fans of the '50s science fiction classic Them! in which giant atomic mutant ants built a nest under the city.
1990s nostalgia: Who remembers answering machines? These were once exposition delivery devices in movies and TV. The character walks in, sees a blinking light and plays their messages, usually from bill collectors (character is broke) or the ex (character is hard to live with). You had to remember to leave your machine "on" if you wanted to screen your phone calls while home, otherwise the machine wouldn't pick up! Bosch also relies on phone booths, spare change and a handheld address book he carries with him to communicate.
Opening paragraph: The boy couldn't see in the dark, but he didn't need to. Experience and long practice told him it was good. Nice and even. Smooth strokes, moving his whole arm while gently rolling his wrist. No runs. Beautiful.
Title in text: "Meadows," he said and shook his head at the memory of the man. "Meadows was something else ... Back then, we were all just a bunch of kids, afraid of the dark. And those tunnels were so damn dark. But Meadows, he wasn't afraid. He'd volunteer and volunteer and volunteer. Out of the blue and into the black. That's what he said going on a tunnel mission was. We called it the black echo. It was like going to hell. You're down there and you could smell your own fear. It was like you were dead when you were down there."
Select prose: They were in the neighborhood. The street was lined with run-down motels that had looked depressing the day they were finished being built. Bosch pointed out one of these, the Blue Chateau, and told her to park. It was as depressing as all the others on the street. Concrete block, early fifties design. Painted light blue with darker blue trim that was peeling. It was a two-story courtyard building with towels and clothes hanging out of almost every open window. It was a place where the interior would rival the exterior as an eyesore, Bosch knew. Where runaways crowded eight or ten to a room, the strongest getting the bed, the others the floor or the bathtub. There were places like this on many of the blocks near the Boulevard. There always had been and always would be.
Closing paragraph: Bosch hung the print in the hallway near his front door, and from time to time he would stop and study it when he came in, particularly from a weary day or night on the job. The painting never failed to fascinate him, or to evoke memories of Eleanor Wish. The darkness. The stark loneliness. The man sitting alone, his face turned to the shadows. I am that man, Harry Bosch would think each time he looked.
Thoughts: Connelly knows his turf and provided an abundance of sharp detail that made his world come alive for me. Bosch is a complete cliché--genius maverick cop with PTSD who drinks and smokes too much and lives the job--but The Black Echo was exciting. It was too long for my taste by 40,000 or 50,000 words and I felt the material with the vengeful IAD officers (Lewis & Clarke, really?) was overcooked, but I was hooked by the mystery and had to keep reading to find out what turns the case would take and how Bosch would get out of the jam he was in.
Word count: 136.329 words
December 2, 2017
Michael Connelly introduced his signature protagonist, Harry Bosch, in the 1992 novel The Black Echo. Over twenty Harry Bosch novels have been published in this successful run for Connelly’s lone wolf, battle scarred hero detective.
“There is no such thing as a coincidence.”
So states Hieronymus Bosch, named from the fifteenth century Dutch painter of fantastic themes. Bosch was a “tunnel rat” in Vietnam – a soldier whose job it was to enter the warrens created and maintained by the enemy and fight underground. It would seem to be a wild coincidence that he is on duty when a call comes through for him to investigate the finding of a dead body in a drainage tunnel in LA; and it turns out that Harry knew the dead man, a fellow tunnel rat from his time in country.
So begins Bosch’s investigation into what happened to his old buddy, and Connelly’s popular run of mystery novels.
While this was certainly entertaining and fun, and Bosch is a charismatic detective, mixing elements of the hard-boiled investigator with a modern day, cagey world weariness, this made me think of watching film of a very young athlete who would one day become a hall of famer. Connelly’s later work is more polished, his structure more detailed and his characterizations more defined. As good as it is, this still reads like a debut novel from a talented but still very new author.
For a spot on description of the numerous clichés, see Kemper’s excellent review.
A good start, and it is no coincidence that Bosch has remained a staple for modern day crime thrillers.
“There is no such thing as a coincidence.”
So states Hieronymus Bosch, named from the fifteenth century Dutch painter of fantastic themes. Bosch was a “tunnel rat” in Vietnam – a soldier whose job it was to enter the warrens created and maintained by the enemy and fight underground. It would seem to be a wild coincidence that he is on duty when a call comes through for him to investigate the finding of a dead body in a drainage tunnel in LA; and it turns out that Harry knew the dead man, a fellow tunnel rat from his time in country.
So begins Bosch’s investigation into what happened to his old buddy, and Connelly’s popular run of mystery novels.
While this was certainly entertaining and fun, and Bosch is a charismatic detective, mixing elements of the hard-boiled investigator with a modern day, cagey world weariness, this made me think of watching film of a very young athlete who would one day become a hall of famer. Connelly’s later work is more polished, his structure more detailed and his characterizations more defined. As good as it is, this still reads like a debut novel from a talented but still very new author.
For a spot on description of the numerous clichés, see Kemper’s excellent review.
A good start, and it is no coincidence that Bosch has remained a staple for modern day crime thrillers.
November 1, 2020
Reconozco que si no hubiera sido escogido en un Club de Lectura, probablemente nunca habría leído este libro. En general, en esta línea, prefiero la novela negra que la policial, no por un sentido de morbo pero sí porque normalmente las personalidades de los involucrados tienden a ser más interesantes y las motivaciones más complejas.
Sin embargo, me llevé una gratísima sorpresa. Además de introducirnos en el universo de Harry Bosch (que va por su novela 27), personaje fetiche de Michael Connelly, El eco negro es una novela increíblemente bien estructurada, donde todo cuadra perfectamente al llegar a las últimas páginas, en un final realmente impactante e inesperado.
Me encantó el personaje de Harry Bosch, así como el estilo de Connelly. Excelentes descripciones y muy fáciles de seguir, por lo que no se pierde el ritmo de la lectura en ningún momento, a diferencia de lo que me ha pasado con varios otros autores, que precisamente se caen al momento de describir las escenas de acción. Realmente me entretuve mucho.
Punto adicional por la sensación vintage que se produce al leer esta novela 25 años después de su primera publicación (máquinas de escribir, bíper, teléfonos públicos, fumar en las oficinas) y por abordar el triste panorama que tuvieron que enfrentar los veteranos de Vietnam.
Reto #12 PopSugar 2017: Un bestseller de un género que normalmente no leas
Sin embargo, me llevé una gratísima sorpresa. Además de introducirnos en el universo de Harry Bosch (que va por su novela 27), personaje fetiche de Michael Connelly, El eco negro es una novela increíblemente bien estructurada, donde todo cuadra perfectamente al llegar a las últimas páginas, en un final realmente impactante e inesperado.
Me encantó el personaje de Harry Bosch, así como el estilo de Connelly. Excelentes descripciones y muy fáciles de seguir, por lo que no se pierde el ritmo de la lectura en ningún momento, a diferencia de lo que me ha pasado con varios otros autores, que precisamente se caen al momento de describir las escenas de acción. Realmente me entretuve mucho.
Punto adicional por la sensación vintage que se produce al leer esta novela 25 años después de su primera publicación (máquinas de escribir, bíper, teléfonos públicos, fumar en las oficinas) y por abordar el triste panorama que tuvieron que enfrentar los veteranos de Vietnam.
Reto #12 PopSugar 2017: Un bestseller de un género que normalmente no leas
July 17, 2018
Out of the blue and into the black is what they called going into a tunnel. Each one was a black echo. Nothing but death in there. But, still, they went.....
Reading a new detective series right from where it all began is always exciting & the Harry Bosch series seems to be the perfect series for it. The Black Echo is the debut novel by American crime author Michael Connelly, published back in 1992. This is the first of Connelly's Bosch series (with 20 books published & 21st to be published soon).
Set in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, Harry Bosch, working with the LAPD, is on the case of a dead man found in a drainage pipe. Harry recognizes the corpse as that of a fellow soldier in Vietnam; both were 'tunnel rats' (who searched for Viet Cong in the network of burrows beneath Vietnamese villages) What starts as a routine case of homeless man dying of a drug overdose, takes unimaginable twists & turns. The further this investigations takes him, the further Harry is driven back to his personal abyss in Vietnam. The ‘Black Echo’; a term used to describe claustrophobic dark silence that tunnel rats experienced when ordered to enter deep tunnels to kill hidden enemies. For Harry, the return to the repressed memories of his past is a nightmare. While, Harry is investigating probably the biggest career, he is also battling his mental demons. The power struggle between LAPD & the FBI and two Internal Affairs investigators who have him under surveillance, adds another twist to the story.
“The Black Echo” was unique & exciting, mainly because the plot is much more complex and much more original that it at first seems and the story keeps on introducing new twists, just when you think you know what’s going to come. The story is fairly long but you never feel bored at any point of time. The whole story is set in the 90s which feels unique in this age, when cops used pagers & pay-phones to make calls; typewriters & no DNA evidence, all of which add to the story, instead of making it feel dated.
Every detail of Bosch’s world, even a minor one, has a role to play. Even his flashbacks from Vietnam, advance the story forward in some way. The plot was strong with plenty of sub-plots to keep things moving forward. Harry’s backstory was handled craft fully. You don’t every detail of his past life but are told enough to know him or what is necessary. Even Harry’s older cases are discussed in enough detail to we know what happened. Yet, all those back stories do not distract from the main story. It’s slipped in at every turn so that it doesn’t slow things down. It can be tough to really keep the pace of the book going this book and author does well to not let the story get bogged down at any point.
Connelly shows off his deep knowledge of cop procedure, from the examination of the death-scene to the routine questioning of suspects to the characterisations of his fellow cops and superiors. Also the internal politics between the LAPD, FBI & IA is brilliantly depicted. Connelly was crime beat reporter for the LA times and he expertly expertly combines his experience of the federal and local investigative procedures with great accuracy.
As a troubled cop, Connelly’s characterisation of Harry is brilliant. Connelly has made Bosch realistic, giving him faults and flaws but also redeeming factors. Harry is methodical but also reckless & superstitious. He is troubled by his personal life but is ruthless in the job. Harry is a flawed hero of the modern times without any attempt made to glorify him or his actions. The only thing I was disappointed with was the reveal of the inside man: I could’ve seen it coming for a long time. But maybe I’m just used to reading too many detective novels.
Not a surprise that this book won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for "Best First Novel" in 1992 and i think it was truly well deserved. Overall, this book successfully delivers everything that anyone could ask for from a crime thriller and if you enjoy the crime genre, I would definitely recommend it.
May 30, 2021
In the 80’s it didn’t take me long to learn to look dubiously at book recommendations from authors, particularly if the recommender and "recommendee" lived in the same vicinity. I would still note, say, Donald Westlake recommending Lawrence Block recommending Brian Garfield, but I would also wait for outside confirmation. With the advent of the internet vicinity was no longer an accurate indicator. For example, shortly after the turn of the century the gang from Busted Flush Press lived nowhere near each other and yet unrelentingly sang the praises of their fellows. Often that praise, both in the past and more recently, was justified. Almost as often there was disappointment--which of course is inevitable. Any art form is subjective. But on occasion there was more to the disappointment than personal perspective.
So I came to Black Echo and Michael Connelly proceeded by universal acclaim stopping just short of worship. How is it possible to live up to that kind of advance billing? My standard response, in hopes of giving myself the best chance of enjoying the experience, is to temper expectations, particularly in the case of a first novel. What a waste of energy that turned out to be. Long before I’d finished the book I knew I had joined the chorus.
We first meet Harry Bosch as a detective out of the Hollywood Division of the LAPD, which to an outsider might sound like a premium assignment. It’s not. Bosch had once been a celebrity cop, successful enough in the world of 1992 (pre-reality TV) for a movie and series to be based on his work, but after a skirmish with Internal Affairs, Hollywood was as far down as he could be demoted short of outright termination. A grudge is still held by certain members of the department, in part because Bosch is a loner at heart and does not appreciate being a member of a family like the LAPD. We learn immediate that most do not like working with him, although he does inspire a few loyalties. His current partner, while preferring his other outside interest, will do his job and back Bosch when needed. And the coroner goes out of his way to assist him. But for the most part there are very few on his side, apparently with reason. We often witness Bosch being surly or rude to people who are voluntarily assisting him. It begs the question: Why should we, the reader, like Bosch? Care about him? Root for him? The answer? Because the author has decided that we should.
Michael Connelly displays his considerable skill immediately. As the detective on call, Bosch is summoned a reservoir where a junkie has overdosed in a three-foot-wide pipe. Immediately Connelly establishes character, mood, and a sense of scene. And he also understands the general rule concerning the use of coincidence: once per story and as close to the beginning as possible. Connelly breaks the former but the reader doesn’t mind. The second coincidence is to bypass the boredom inherent in routine investigation. The first is to establish a personal connection to the case for Bosch. He recognizes the victim as someone with whom he had served in Vietnam. Again, Connelly wisely has Bosch discover signs questioning the accidental OD before he discovers the identity of the corpse.
It doesn’t take long for the case to open out into something bigger. The FBI become involved. And Internal Affairs decides to use the opportunity to take another run at dismissing Bosch. At first I feared their involvement would serve as a means of propping up the middle part of the book, to provide obstacles for Bosch to circumvent. I need not have worried there either; they had a legitimate part to play. Connelly avoided every pitfall and checked every box.
And I even got a confession. Black Echo is procedural at heart so detailed confessions are an unanticipated bonus. This, I freely admit, is a personal preference. I enjoy the hero tracking down the killer, beating the ticking clock and saving the day. And I enjoy the detective expounding on how his deductions explained all the false clues while still leading to the correct solution. But above all I love confessions, preferably with some genuine emotion. I don’t just want to know why, I want to hear why. In a reality-based story like this I had no right to expect anything of the kind. And, truth be told, Black Echo would have been a great read without my unexpected gift. With it--even if you don’t share my love of confessions--it remains a great read. Again, a testament to the skill of Connelly. It doesn’t jar. The confession flows naturally from everything that preceded it, the next inevitable step as the story winds itself to a close.
Sometimes the popular opinion is right. And I gladly stand with the crowd.
So I came to Black Echo and Michael Connelly proceeded by universal acclaim stopping just short of worship. How is it possible to live up to that kind of advance billing? My standard response, in hopes of giving myself the best chance of enjoying the experience, is to temper expectations, particularly in the case of a first novel. What a waste of energy that turned out to be. Long before I’d finished the book I knew I had joined the chorus.
We first meet Harry Bosch as a detective out of the Hollywood Division of the LAPD, which to an outsider might sound like a premium assignment. It’s not. Bosch had once been a celebrity cop, successful enough in the world of 1992 (pre-reality TV) for a movie and series to be based on his work, but after a skirmish with Internal Affairs, Hollywood was as far down as he could be demoted short of outright termination. A grudge is still held by certain members of the department, in part because Bosch is a loner at heart and does not appreciate being a member of a family like the LAPD. We learn immediate that most do not like working with him, although he does inspire a few loyalties. His current partner, while preferring his other outside interest, will do his job and back Bosch when needed. And the coroner goes out of his way to assist him. But for the most part there are very few on his side, apparently with reason. We often witness Bosch being surly or rude to people who are voluntarily assisting him. It begs the question: Why should we, the reader, like Bosch? Care about him? Root for him? The answer? Because the author has decided that we should.
Michael Connelly displays his considerable skill immediately. As the detective on call, Bosch is summoned a reservoir where a junkie has overdosed in a three-foot-wide pipe. Immediately Connelly establishes character, mood, and a sense of scene. And he also understands the general rule concerning the use of coincidence: once per story and as close to the beginning as possible. Connelly breaks the former but the reader doesn’t mind. The second coincidence is to bypass the boredom inherent in routine investigation. The first is to establish a personal connection to the case for Bosch. He recognizes the victim as someone with whom he had served in Vietnam. Again, Connelly wisely has Bosch discover signs questioning the accidental OD before he discovers the identity of the corpse.
It doesn’t take long for the case to open out into something bigger. The FBI become involved. And Internal Affairs decides to use the opportunity to take another run at dismissing Bosch. At first I feared their involvement would serve as a means of propping up the middle part of the book, to provide obstacles for Bosch to circumvent. I need not have worried there either; they had a legitimate part to play. Connelly avoided every pitfall and checked every box.
And I even got a confession. Black Echo is procedural at heart so detailed confessions are an unanticipated bonus. This, I freely admit, is a personal preference. I enjoy the hero tracking down the killer, beating the ticking clock and saving the day. And I enjoy the detective expounding on how his deductions explained all the false clues while still leading to the correct solution. But above all I love confessions, preferably with some genuine emotion. I don’t just want to know why, I want to hear why. In a reality-based story like this I had no right to expect anything of the kind. And, truth be told, Black Echo would have been a great read without my unexpected gift. With it--even if you don’t share my love of confessions--it remains a great read. Again, a testament to the skill of Connelly. It doesn’t jar. The confession flows naturally from everything that preceded it, the next inevitable step as the story winds itself to a close.
Sometimes the popular opinion is right. And I gladly stand with the crowd.
January 7, 2022
An excellent mystery & main character, if a bit dour. I really liked the amount of detail & logic in this. Great twists & very realistic. Even the 'bad' guys were well done or maybe they were especially well done. Not all were as bad as I first thought - jerks, but they had reasons. Again, very realistic. On to the next in the series.
The series, as I've been able to put it together, is not just one, but is intertwined with Connelly's other series. I've put the books & stories in order by combing Connelly's web site & some others. If you spot an error, I'd really appreciate a heads up.
Connelly, Michael - Reading Order Updated 25Jun2019 (Thanks, John!) with all novels & short stories broken out with links. Note that GR has 'Harry Bosch Universe' & 'Harry Bosch World' lists. Mine varies from both by including ALL Connelly's characters appearing in the chronology correctly, even the minor ones. I did that because there are references that would otherwise be missed. (Thanks to GregT (not on GR) for his insight into this before I got into the series.) Here is the Wikipedia Harry Bosch entry which also helps with the order.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_B...
01 - The Black Echo (Harry Bosch #1), 1992
02 - The Black Ice (Harry Bosch #2), 1993
03 - The Concrete Blonde (Harry Bosch #3), 1994
04 - The Last Coyote (Harry Bosch #4), 1995
05 - The Poet (Jack McEvoy #1), (1996)
5.5 "Suicide Run"(2007) in Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories, 2011 was moved from 17.5 to 11.6 & then to 5.5. Harry is working with Edgar out of the Hollywood division & Kiz Rider is a lab tech. (Thanks, John!)
06 - Trunk Music (Harry Bosch #5), 1997
07 - Blood Work (Terry McCaleb #1), 1998
08 - Angels Flight (Harry Bosch #6), 1999
09 - Void Moon (Cassie Black #1) (2000)
9.5 - Cielo Azul(2001) in Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories, 2011 Moved because
10 - A Darkness More Than Night (Harry Bosch #7, also Terry McCaleb #2), 2001
10.4 - Chasing the Dime (per John (see comment 14 below) ...The Detective (not the main character) is Robert Renner. He later appears in The Closers where he works with Harry in Open-Unsolved. Janis Langwiser, an Assistant DA in Angels Flight and A Darkness More Than Night, is a defense attorney in this book. She was Harry's defense attorney in Lost Light. One other minor mentions is the main character's sister, who was a victim of Norman Church in The Concrete Blonde. The story happens in September 2002...)
10.5 - Christmas Even (2002) in Angle of Investigation (2011)
11 - City of Bones (Harry Bosch #8), 2002 (Last book partnered with Edgar)
12 - Lost Light (Harry Bosch #9), 2003
13 - The Narrows (Harry Bosch #10), 2004
14 - The Lincoln Lawyer (Mickey Haller #1), 2004
15 - The Closers (Harry Bosch #11), 2005
15.5 - Angle of Investigation (2005) in Angle of Investigation (2011)
16 - Echo Park (Harry Bosch #12), 2006
17 - The Overlook (Harry Bosch #13), 2007
17.4 - Father’s Day (2007) in Angle of Investigation (2011) (HB's first investigation?)
17.6 - One Dollar Jackpot(2007) in Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories, 2011
18 - The Brass Verdict (Harry Bosch #14, also Mickey Haller #2), 2008
19 - The Scarecrow (Jack McEvoy #2), 2009
20 - Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch #15, Mickey Haller appears briefly), 2009
20.5 - Blue on Black - Harry Bosch Short Story 2010
20.6 - The Perfect Triangle, 2010 Mickey Haller short story, published in The Dark End of the Street: New Stories of Sex and Crime by Today's Top Authors (May 2010)
21 - The Reversal (Mickey Haller #3, (Harry Bosch #16), 2010
22 - The Fifth Witness (Mickey Haller #4 – Harry Bosch appeared only briefly, 2011)
23 - The Drop (Harry Bosch #17), 2011 (Meets Hannah)
23.5 - Blood Washes Off, 2011 - Harry Bosch Short Story, published in The Rich and the Dead (May 2011) (Inconsistent with timeline: He is in RHD, but Open-Unsolved)
23.6 - The Crooked Man, 2014 (Harry Bosch short story, published in In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon) Not correct chronology due to inconsistencies in the story.
24 - The Black Box (Harry Bosch #18), 2012
24.5 - A Fine Mist of Blood, 2012 - Harry Bosch Short Story, published in Mystery Writers of America Presents Vengeance(April 2012)
24.6 - The Safe Man: A Ghost Story (2012) (SS) Stand alone, not part of this universe.
24.6 - Switchblade, 2014 (Harry Bosch #18.5)
25 - The Gods of Guilt (Mickey Haller #5 – Harry Bosch appeared only briefly), 2013
26 - The Burning Room (Harry Bosch #19), 2014
27 - The Crossing (Harry Bosch #20), 2015
28 - The Wrong Side of Goodbye (Harry Bosch #21), 2016
28.5 - “Burnt Matches,” featuring Mickey Haller, to be published in The Highway Kind: Tales of Fast Cars, Desperate Drives and Dark Roads (coming October 2016)
* “Nighthawks,” featuring Harry Bosch, to be published in In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper (coming December 2016)
29 - The Late Show (Renée Ballard #1), 2017
30 - Two Kinds of Truth (Harry Bosch #20), Oct2017
31 - Dark Sacred Night (Renée Ballard #2, Harry Bosch #21)
32 - The Night Fire (Renée Ballard #3, Harry Bosch #22)
33 - Fair Warning (Jack McEvoy #3)
34 - The Law of Innocence (Mickey Haller #6)
35 - The Dark Hours - (Renee Ballard #4, Harry Bosch #23)
Harry Bosch Wikipedia entry
From Connelly's web site:
Harry Bosch Series:
Harry Bosch Background: Born in 1950 in Los Angeles to Marjorie Phillips Lowe. He was named Hieronymus Bosch after the 15th century Dutch artist and nicknamed “Harry.” He became an orphan at 11 when his mother, a prostitute, was murdered. He grew up living in a youth hall and foster homes. He joined the army and did two tours in Vietnam. Harry returned to Los Angeles and joined the LAPD in 1972. He became a detective after five years in patrol.
Books in published order:
The Black Echo (1992)
The Black Ice (1993)
The Concrete Blonde (1994)
The Last Coyote (1995)
Trunk Music (1997)
Angels Flight (1999)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
City Of Bones (2002)
Lost Light (2003)
The Narrows (2004)
The Closers (2005)
Echo Park (2006)
The Overlook (2007)
The Brass Verdict (2008)
Nine Dragons (2009)
The Reversal (2010)
The Fifth Witness (2011) (one page brief appearance)
The Drop (2011)
The Black Box (2012)
The Gods of Guilt (2013) (one page brief appearance)
The Burning Room (2014)
The Crossing (November 2015)
Mickey Haller Series:
Mickey Haller Background: Born in 1965 in Los Angeles to a B-list movie actress from Mexico and the famous criminal defense attorney, J. Michael Haller. He was named after his father, who died when Mickey was five. After law school, he worked in the Public Defenders’ Office for about 3 years. He left and went into private practice as a criminal defense attorney, opening up Michael Haller and Associates.
Books in published order:
The Lincoln Lawyer (2005)
The Brass Verdict (2008)
Nine Dragons (2009) (small part)
The Reversal (2010)
The Fifth Witness (2011)
The Gods of Guilt (2013)
The Crossing (November 2015)
Other Main Characters
Rachel Walling Appearances:
The Poet (1996)
The Narrows (2004)
Echo Park (2006)
The Overlook (2007)
The Scarecrow (2009)
The Reversal (2010) (small part)
The Black Box (2012) (small part)
The Burning Room (2014, brief appearance)
Jack McEvoy Appearances:
The Poet (1996)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001) (small part)
The Brass Verdict (2008) (small part)
The Scarecrow (2009)
Terry McCaleb Appearances:
Blood Work (1998)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
The Narrows (2004)
Cassie Black Appearances:
Void Moon (2000)
The Narrows (2004) (small part, using an alias)
Complete Short Story List
The series, as I've been able to put it together, is not just one, but is intertwined with Connelly's other series. I've put the books & stories in order by combing Connelly's web site & some others. If you spot an error, I'd really appreciate a heads up.
Connelly, Michael - Reading Order Updated 25Jun2019 (Thanks, John!) with all novels & short stories broken out with links. Note that GR has 'Harry Bosch Universe' & 'Harry Bosch World' lists. Mine varies from both by including ALL Connelly's characters appearing in the chronology correctly, even the minor ones. I did that because there are references that would otherwise be missed. (Thanks to GregT (not on GR) for his insight into this before I got into the series.) Here is the Wikipedia Harry Bosch entry which also helps with the order.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_B...
01 - The Black Echo (Harry Bosch #1), 1992
02 - The Black Ice (Harry Bosch #2), 1993
03 - The Concrete Blonde (Harry Bosch #3), 1994
04 - The Last Coyote (Harry Bosch #4), 1995
05 - The Poet (Jack McEvoy #1), (1996)
5.5 "Suicide Run"(2007) in Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories, 2011 was moved from 17.5 to 11.6 & then to 5.5. Harry is working with Edgar out of the Hollywood division & Kiz Rider is a lab tech. (Thanks, John!)
06 - Trunk Music (Harry Bosch #5), 1997
07 - Blood Work (Terry McCaleb #1), 1998
08 - Angels Flight (Harry Bosch #6), 1999
09 - Void Moon (Cassie Black #1) (2000)
9.5 - Cielo Azul(2001) in Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories, 2011 Moved because
10 - A Darkness More Than Night (Harry Bosch #7, also Terry McCaleb #2), 2001
10.4 - Chasing the Dime (per John (see comment 14 below) ...The Detective (not the main character) is Robert Renner. He later appears in The Closers where he works with Harry in Open-Unsolved. Janis Langwiser, an Assistant DA in Angels Flight and A Darkness More Than Night, is a defense attorney in this book. She was Harry's defense attorney in Lost Light. One other minor mentions is the main character's sister, who was a victim of Norman Church in The Concrete Blonde. The story happens in September 2002...)
10.5 - Christmas Even (2002) in Angle of Investigation (2011)
11 - City of Bones (Harry Bosch #8), 2002 (Last book partnered with Edgar)
12 - Lost Light (Harry Bosch #9), 2003
13 - The Narrows (Harry Bosch #10), 2004
14 - The Lincoln Lawyer (Mickey Haller #1), 2004
15 - The Closers (Harry Bosch #11), 2005
15.5 - Angle of Investigation (2005) in Angle of Investigation (2011)
16 - Echo Park (Harry Bosch #12), 2006
17 - The Overlook (Harry Bosch #13), 2007
17.4 - Father’s Day (2007) in Angle of Investigation (2011) (HB's first investigation?)
17.6 - One Dollar Jackpot(2007) in Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories, 2011
18 - The Brass Verdict (Harry Bosch #14, also Mickey Haller #2), 2008
19 - The Scarecrow (Jack McEvoy #2), 2009
20 - Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch #15, Mickey Haller appears briefly), 2009
20.5 - Blue on Black - Harry Bosch Short Story 2010
20.6 - The Perfect Triangle, 2010 Mickey Haller short story, published in The Dark End of the Street: New Stories of Sex and Crime by Today's Top Authors (May 2010)
21 - The Reversal (Mickey Haller #3, (Harry Bosch #16), 2010
22 - The Fifth Witness (Mickey Haller #4 – Harry Bosch appeared only briefly, 2011)
23 - The Drop (Harry Bosch #17), 2011 (Meets Hannah)
23.5 - Blood Washes Off, 2011 - Harry Bosch Short Story, published in The Rich and the Dead (May 2011) (Inconsistent with timeline: He is in RHD, but Open-Unsolved)
23.6 - The Crooked Man, 2014 (Harry Bosch short story, published in In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon) Not correct chronology due to inconsistencies in the story.
24 - The Black Box (Harry Bosch #18), 2012
24.5 - A Fine Mist of Blood, 2012 - Harry Bosch Short Story, published in Mystery Writers of America Presents Vengeance(April 2012)
24.6 - Switchblade, 2014 (Harry Bosch #18.5)
25 - The Gods of Guilt (Mickey Haller #5 – Harry Bosch appeared only briefly), 2013
26 - The Burning Room (Harry Bosch #19), 2014
27 - The Crossing (Harry Bosch #20), 2015
28 - The Wrong Side of Goodbye (Harry Bosch #21), 2016
28.5 - “Burnt Matches,” featuring Mickey Haller, to be published in The Highway Kind: Tales of Fast Cars, Desperate Drives and Dark Roads (coming October 2016)
* “Nighthawks,” featuring Harry Bosch, to be published in In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper (coming December 2016)
29 - The Late Show (Renée Ballard #1), 2017
30 - Two Kinds of Truth (Harry Bosch #20), Oct2017
31 - Dark Sacred Night (Renée Ballard #2, Harry Bosch #21)
32 - The Night Fire (Renée Ballard #3, Harry Bosch #22)
33 - Fair Warning (Jack McEvoy #3)
34 - The Law of Innocence (Mickey Haller #6)
35 - The Dark Hours - (Renee Ballard #4, Harry Bosch #23)
Harry Bosch Wikipedia entry
From Connelly's web site:
Harry Bosch Series:
Harry Bosch Background: Born in 1950 in Los Angeles to Marjorie Phillips Lowe. He was named Hieronymus Bosch after the 15th century Dutch artist and nicknamed “Harry.” He became an orphan at 11 when his mother, a prostitute, was murdered. He grew up living in a youth hall and foster homes. He joined the army and did two tours in Vietnam. Harry returned to Los Angeles and joined the LAPD in 1972. He became a detective after five years in patrol.
Books in published order:
The Black Echo (1992)
The Black Ice (1993)
The Concrete Blonde (1994)
The Last Coyote (1995)
Trunk Music (1997)
Angels Flight (1999)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
City Of Bones (2002)
Lost Light (2003)
The Narrows (2004)
The Closers (2005)
Echo Park (2006)
The Overlook (2007)
The Brass Verdict (2008)
Nine Dragons (2009)
The Reversal (2010)
The Fifth Witness (2011) (one page brief appearance)
The Drop (2011)
The Black Box (2012)
The Gods of Guilt (2013) (one page brief appearance)
The Burning Room (2014)
The Crossing (November 2015)
Mickey Haller Series:
Mickey Haller Background: Born in 1965 in Los Angeles to a B-list movie actress from Mexico and the famous criminal defense attorney, J. Michael Haller. He was named after his father, who died when Mickey was five. After law school, he worked in the Public Defenders’ Office for about 3 years. He left and went into private practice as a criminal defense attorney, opening up Michael Haller and Associates.
Books in published order:
The Lincoln Lawyer (2005)
The Brass Verdict (2008)
Nine Dragons (2009) (small part)
The Reversal (2010)
The Fifth Witness (2011)
The Gods of Guilt (2013)
The Crossing (November 2015)
Other Main Characters
Rachel Walling Appearances:
The Poet (1996)
The Narrows (2004)
Echo Park (2006)
The Overlook (2007)
The Scarecrow (2009)
The Reversal (2010) (small part)
The Black Box (2012) (small part)
The Burning Room (2014, brief appearance)
Jack McEvoy Appearances:
The Poet (1996)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001) (small part)
The Brass Verdict (2008) (small part)
The Scarecrow (2009)
Terry McCaleb Appearances:
Blood Work (1998)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
The Narrows (2004)
Cassie Black Appearances:
Void Moon (2000)
The Narrows (2004) (small part, using an alias)
Complete Short Story List
January 20, 2020
4.5★
“One cop's word against another's was something they wouldn't touch in this department. Deep down, they knew a cop's word by itself was worthless. That was why Internal Affairs cops always worked in pairs.”
This is my first crack at the extremely popular Bosch series, and it’s no surprise that I liked it. We’re introduced to a middle-aged cop who may have ‘executed’ – rather than, as he claimed, ‘defended himself against’ – a particularly evil villain. As a consequence, he’s been moved on and is now part of the Los Angeles Police Dept.
The book opens with a young kid tagging a big pipe in the middle of the night when he hears a vehicle and hides in time to see someone drag a body into the pipe. He makes an anonymous call to the cops and hightails it out of there. Dead body.
This was written in 1992, so it’s a time of pagers and payphones and tape recorders – no instant communication here. I was surprised all the phones were working, incidentally. A bit like some old detective shows where they can pull up and park in front of wherever they’re going, but I digress.
Anonymous rhymes with Hieronymus, Bosch tells us. Mother liked the old Dutch painter, so why not? Bosch, ma’am. Hieronymus Bosch. Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as Bond – James Bond, does it?
Harry’s a Vietnam vet, suffers badly, sleeps poorly, enjoys a drink, and lives on coffee and cigarettes. So he’s ready to go see a body anytime, day or night. Is he okay? The psych evaluation after his shooting seems to hedge its bets.
“. . . the evaluation report on a psychological given Bosch the year before to determine if he should be allowed to return to duty after killing an unarmed man. The department psychologist wrote:
. . .
He speaks in terms of violence or the aspect of violence or the aspect of violence being an accepted part of his day-to-day life, for all of his life.
. . .
He will be able to pull the trigger. In fact, his conversation reveals no ill effects at all from the shooting, unless his sense of satisfaction with the outcome of the incident—the suspect's death—should be deemed inappropriate’”
“The suspect’s death.” That’s the practically-public-enemy I mentioned earlier, the one Bosch claimed might have been reaching for a gun when Bosch ‘stopped’ him. (Or ‘topped’ him?) They should have given him a medal for taking the guy off the streets, but the law doesn’t work that way.
Someone later quotes J. Edgar Hoover as saying “Justice is incidental to law and order.” I’ve seen many similar observations, and I’m inclined to agree. But I also remember a film about a so-called Star Chamber where a group of judges used to meet and compare notes on villains who got off, and then they arranged an assassination. It was a very satisfying thought, until they targeted the wrong guy, and it all went pear-shaped. I guess law and order may have to do until we find a better system. But I digress again, sorry.
Bosch has to work with the FBI, which gives him no pleasure, and the fact that the victim in the pipe was someone he used to know who worked with him in the miles of tunnels in Vietnam causes more flare-ups of his war memories.
There are a couple of inept FBI agents, Lewis and Clarke, who do get referred to disparagingly as ‘the explorers’.
“Each man was built wide and low to the ground for better handling. Each had a slightly forward tilt to his body, as if he were wading out to sea, crashing through breakers with his face.”
There is also a lovely female FBI agent, which breaks the monotony of the otherwise testosterone-filled story. It helps us understand Harry to have someone like her asking about his background. I can’t imagine any of the other characters having that kind of conversation with him. They bond over a painting I have always loved, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. I would think a lot of cops and people working at night would identify with this.
Illustration of Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” 1942
There was a section in the middle where I worried we were going to get bogged down in the logistics of the rather complicated operation of smoking out the bad guys, so to speak, but then the action ramped up, and it soon became clear why things were spelled out.
Suffice to say I learned a lot about tunnels in Vietnam and L.A. No wonder the world is full of sinkholes these days. I’ve also read about the people who hid in enormous underground cave systems during WWII, so I’m wondering how many levels of the planet we could actually be living on. I digress yet again.
All in all, a great read, and I’m looking forward to the next one now.
“One cop's word against another's was something they wouldn't touch in this department. Deep down, they knew a cop's word by itself was worthless. That was why Internal Affairs cops always worked in pairs.”
This is my first crack at the extremely popular Bosch series, and it’s no surprise that I liked it. We’re introduced to a middle-aged cop who may have ‘executed’ – rather than, as he claimed, ‘defended himself against’ – a particularly evil villain. As a consequence, he’s been moved on and is now part of the Los Angeles Police Dept.
The book opens with a young kid tagging a big pipe in the middle of the night when he hears a vehicle and hides in time to see someone drag a body into the pipe. He makes an anonymous call to the cops and hightails it out of there. Dead body.
This was written in 1992, so it’s a time of pagers and payphones and tape recorders – no instant communication here. I was surprised all the phones were working, incidentally. A bit like some old detective shows where they can pull up and park in front of wherever they’re going, but I digress.
Anonymous rhymes with Hieronymus, Bosch tells us. Mother liked the old Dutch painter, so why not? Bosch, ma’am. Hieronymus Bosch. Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as Bond – James Bond, does it?
Harry’s a Vietnam vet, suffers badly, sleeps poorly, enjoys a drink, and lives on coffee and cigarettes. So he’s ready to go see a body anytime, day or night. Is he okay? The psych evaluation after his shooting seems to hedge its bets.
“. . . the evaluation report on a psychological given Bosch the year before to determine if he should be allowed to return to duty after killing an unarmed man. The department psychologist wrote:
. . .
He speaks in terms of violence or the aspect of violence or the aspect of violence being an accepted part of his day-to-day life, for all of his life.
. . .
He will be able to pull the trigger. In fact, his conversation reveals no ill effects at all from the shooting, unless his sense of satisfaction with the outcome of the incident—the suspect's death—should be deemed inappropriate’”
“The suspect’s death.” That’s the practically-public-enemy I mentioned earlier, the one Bosch claimed might have been reaching for a gun when Bosch ‘stopped’ him. (Or ‘topped’ him?) They should have given him a medal for taking the guy off the streets, but the law doesn’t work that way.
Someone later quotes J. Edgar Hoover as saying “Justice is incidental to law and order.” I’ve seen many similar observations, and I’m inclined to agree. But I also remember a film about a so-called Star Chamber where a group of judges used to meet and compare notes on villains who got off, and then they arranged an assassination. It was a very satisfying thought, until they targeted the wrong guy, and it all went pear-shaped. I guess law and order may have to do until we find a better system. But I digress again, sorry.
Bosch has to work with the FBI, which gives him no pleasure, and the fact that the victim in the pipe was someone he used to know who worked with him in the miles of tunnels in Vietnam causes more flare-ups of his war memories.
There are a couple of inept FBI agents, Lewis and Clarke, who do get referred to disparagingly as ‘the explorers’.
“Each man was built wide and low to the ground for better handling. Each had a slightly forward tilt to his body, as if he were wading out to sea, crashing through breakers with his face.”
There is also a lovely female FBI agent, which breaks the monotony of the otherwise testosterone-filled story. It helps us understand Harry to have someone like her asking about his background. I can’t imagine any of the other characters having that kind of conversation with him. They bond over a painting I have always loved, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. I would think a lot of cops and people working at night would identify with this.
Illustration of Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” 1942
There was a section in the middle where I worried we were going to get bogged down in the logistics of the rather complicated operation of smoking out the bad guys, so to speak, but then the action ramped up, and it soon became clear why things were spelled out.
Suffice to say I learned a lot about tunnels in Vietnam and L.A. No wonder the world is full of sinkholes these days. I’ve also read about the people who hid in enormous underground cave systems during WWII, so I’m wondering how many levels of the planet we could actually be living on. I digress yet again.
All in all, a great read, and I’m looking forward to the next one now.
February 28, 2021
4/5 Estrellas
He decidido entrar en el Universo Harry Bosch por el principio, y me he llevado una grata sorpresa. Me he encontrado una novela policiaca clásica que, pese a ser una de las primeras del autor, está sólidamente construida y que permite adivinar que lo que queda por delante (nada menos que 25 libros, sólo de esta serie), va a ser intensamente disfrutable.
Evidentemente este primer libro no es totalmente redondo, empieza a perfilarse nuestro protagonista, Harry Bosch (Hieronymus, como el pintor, realmente, pincelada de humor americano). Acosado por las consecuencias de un caso anterior, ha sido "desterrado" de la Brigada Especial de Homicidios al Departamento de Homicidios y Robos de la Policía de Hollywood en Los Ángeles. Solitario, insomne y un poco amargado, se encuentra con un caso que lo retrotrae a su terrible pasado en la Guerra de Vietnam, como soldado especializado en el rastreo de túneles del Vietcong. A partir de este punto, se despliega toda una trama investigadora, en general bien hilada, con partes en las que se pierde un poco el interés y la intensidad de la investigación (supongo que esto irá mejorando en los siguientes libros), en la que tendrá que enfrentarse a sus propios demonios y donde todo el mundo parece tener algo que ocultar. Este libro fue escrito en 1992 (hace caso 30 años), es decir, en la era pre-móvil, es muy llamativo como se tienen que ir apañando los investigadores, buscado cabinas telefónicas, con avisos al busca y dejándose mensajes. Qué rápido ha pasado el tiempo y como ha cambiado la tecnología. Otro de los puntos fuertes de empezar la serie por el principio será ver como se van adaptando los investigadores a los nuevos tiempos y a las nuevas tecnologías (el último libro de la serie salió en 2019).
Entre las cosas que menos me han gustado, está el tema de Asuntos internos, cuyo ensañamiento en perseguir a Harry roza casi el esperpento y que, aunque están bastante bien integrados en la trama, en algunos momentos la hacen poco creíble. Al final todo queda bien resuelto en un desenlace bastante previsible.
Para ser el primer libro, es bastante bueno y se entiende perfectamente el éxito que ha ido cosechando el autor desde estos primeros libros. Sin ninguna duda, esta serie pasa a formar parte de mis futuras lecturas, entre las que la iré dosificando poco a poco.
Recomendable.
He decidido entrar en el Universo Harry Bosch por el principio, y me he llevado una grata sorpresa. Me he encontrado una novela policiaca clásica que, pese a ser una de las primeras del autor, está sólidamente construida y que permite adivinar que lo que queda por delante (nada menos que 25 libros, sólo de esta serie), va a ser intensamente disfrutable.
Evidentemente este primer libro no es totalmente redondo, empieza a perfilarse nuestro protagonista, Harry Bosch (Hieronymus, como el pintor, realmente, pincelada de humor americano). Acosado por las consecuencias de un caso anterior, ha sido "desterrado" de la Brigada Especial de Homicidios al Departamento de Homicidios y Robos de la Policía de Hollywood en Los Ángeles. Solitario, insomne y un poco amargado, se encuentra con un caso que lo retrotrae a su terrible pasado en la Guerra de Vietnam, como soldado especializado en el rastreo de túneles del Vietcong. A partir de este punto, se despliega toda una trama investigadora, en general bien hilada, con partes en las que se pierde un poco el interés y la intensidad de la investigación (supongo que esto irá mejorando en los siguientes libros), en la que tendrá que enfrentarse a sus propios demonios y donde todo el mundo parece tener algo que ocultar. Este libro fue escrito en 1992 (hace caso 30 años), es decir, en la era pre-móvil, es muy llamativo como se tienen que ir apañando los investigadores, buscado cabinas telefónicas, con avisos al busca y dejándose mensajes. Qué rápido ha pasado el tiempo y como ha cambiado la tecnología. Otro de los puntos fuertes de empezar la serie por el principio será ver como se van adaptando los investigadores a los nuevos tiempos y a las nuevas tecnologías (el último libro de la serie salió en 2019).
Entre las cosas que menos me han gustado, está el tema de Asuntos internos, cuyo ensañamiento en perseguir a Harry roza casi el esperpento y que, aunque están bastante bien integrados en la trama, en algunos momentos la hacen poco creíble. Al final todo queda bien resuelto en un desenlace bastante previsible.
Para ser el primer libro, es bastante bueno y se entiende perfectamente el éxito que ha ido cosechando el autor desde estos primeros libros. Sin ninguna duda, esta serie pasa a formar parte de mis futuras lecturas, entre las que la iré dosificando poco a poco.
Recomendable.
July 1, 2017
Great series! compelling,complicated and there are many layers to the plot to which the author handle with ease by unraveling the storyline..great writing (paperback!)
May 30, 2020
I thought I'd finally start the Harry Bosch series as it's always highly regarded, The Black Echo is such a great introduction for the LAPD Homicide Detective.
The novel opens with a normal run of the mill murder investigaton as a body is discovered off Mulholland Drive, once Bouch realises that he knows the victim as Billy Meadows from their time together during the Vietnam War the plot really kicks into gear.
It's such a smart way to learn of Harry's past as he recounts the experiences of being a 'tunnel rat' and how the horrors and isolation has affected him.
The story takes place during the end of May, with each part covering an individual day.
Even though each section is long it's easy to get draw into the mystery, it was only seeing the page count jump that I happened to notice.
A really strong and accomplished debut.
The novel opens with a normal run of the mill murder investigaton as a body is discovered off Mulholland Drive, once Bouch realises that he knows the victim as Billy Meadows from their time together during the Vietnam War the plot really kicks into gear.
It's such a smart way to learn of Harry's past as he recounts the experiences of being a 'tunnel rat' and how the horrors and isolation has affected him.
The story takes place during the end of May, with each part covering an individual day.
Even though each section is long it's easy to get draw into the mystery, it was only seeing the page count jump that I happened to notice.
A really strong and accomplished debut.
September 24, 2015
This is the first instalment in the extensive Harry Bosch series, and also happens to be the first one that I have read (or heard in this case). I really enjoyed it.
Harry Bosch is a detective in the LAPD homicide division in Hollywood. While investigating a body found in an old tunnel, he recognises it as a fellow ex marine Meadows who served with him in the Vietnamese war. They were both “tunnel rats” who fought below Vietnam in the extensive tunnels. After recognising him, and realising it wasn’t a simple drug overdose that it looked like, Harry gets pulled into a bigger investigation. His bosses want him out of the force at any cost, and his enemies want him dead. The hunt is on for the killer before he finds himself the next victim.
This book pretty much had everything I enjoy in a novel. Bit of violence, a mystery, romance, sex, and lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed the audio version narrated by Dick Hill. He played Harry really well and I got totally wrapped up in it. However his female voices left a lot to be desired (not his fault, he is a man after all) and I struggled to listen to his impersonation of women. Especially the lead female character Eleanor.
Harry is an awesome character. I will be very interested to see how he develops in the later novels, when I get there. I also enjoyed that it was written in the early 90’s. No smart phones or internet… Everything took much longer, and the characters were constantly having to find payphones to contact other people. Not sure how we all survived back then!
I enjoyed the different storylines within the novel. Loved how everyone was out to get poor Harry, even though he was totally innocent. Sure, he didn’t go exactly by the book but he wasn’t crooked. Loved the tension and romance between him and Eleanor. Loved his ex partner. Thought all the characters were great in their own right. Even Lewis and Clarke!
The only thing I didn’t like about The Black Echo was the TOTALLY PREDICTABLE twist at the end. I must have figured it out about a quarter of the way into the book and it frustrated me that Bosch didn’t pick it up until the end. I think this was the main reason why I dropped a star.
I have the second in the series “The Black Ice”, also narrated by Dick Hill, ready to go on my iPhone. Looking forward to it.
For more reviews visit my blog
www.booksbabiesbeing.com
Find me on Twitter
www.twitter.com/BBB_Mel
Harry Bosch is a detective in the LAPD homicide division in Hollywood. While investigating a body found in an old tunnel, he recognises it as a fellow ex marine Meadows who served with him in the Vietnamese war. They were both “tunnel rats” who fought below Vietnam in the extensive tunnels. After recognising him, and realising it wasn’t a simple drug overdose that it looked like, Harry gets pulled into a bigger investigation. His bosses want him out of the force at any cost, and his enemies want him dead. The hunt is on for the killer before he finds himself the next victim.
This book pretty much had everything I enjoy in a novel. Bit of violence, a mystery, romance, sex, and lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed the audio version narrated by Dick Hill. He played Harry really well and I got totally wrapped up in it. However his female voices left a lot to be desired (not his fault, he is a man after all) and I struggled to listen to his impersonation of women. Especially the lead female character Eleanor.
Harry is an awesome character. I will be very interested to see how he develops in the later novels, when I get there. I also enjoyed that it was written in the early 90’s. No smart phones or internet… Everything took much longer, and the characters were constantly having to find payphones to contact other people. Not sure how we all survived back then!
I enjoyed the different storylines within the novel. Loved how everyone was out to get poor Harry, even though he was totally innocent. Sure, he didn’t go exactly by the book but he wasn’t crooked. Loved the tension and romance between him and Eleanor. Loved his ex partner. Thought all the characters were great in their own right. Even Lewis and Clarke!
The only thing I didn’t like about The Black Echo was the TOTALLY PREDICTABLE twist at the end. I must have figured it out about a quarter of the way into the book and it frustrated me that Bosch didn’t pick it up until the end. I think this was the main reason why I dropped a star.
I have the second in the series “The Black Ice”, also narrated by Dick Hill, ready to go on my iPhone. Looking forward to it.
For more reviews visit my blog
www.booksbabiesbeing.com
Find me on Twitter
www.twitter.com/BBB_Mel
August 20, 2007
I read an article in the L.A. Times about Michael Connelly, and his background as a crime reporter intrigued me, so I decided to read his books. I started with The Black Echo, the first book in the Hieronymous Bosch series, and I am very glad that I read these books in order. Connelly is a masterful writer in that he is constantly referencing past cases and old details in his Bosch series. Some of the characters from his other novels also tend to make guest appearances.
This book sucked me in to its storyline, and once I finished, I knew I had to read everything else Connelly had written. A few novels were less satisfying to me than others (Chasing the Dime, anyone), but I eagerly await each new Connelly novel. I appreciate his conflicted hero and his precise moral code. I also love how each Connelly novel creates such a sense of place. Los Angeles is lucky to have a writer that understands the city so well.
This book sucked me in to its storyline, and once I finished, I knew I had to read everything else Connelly had written. A few novels were less satisfying to me than others (Chasing the Dime, anyone), but I eagerly await each new Connelly novel. I appreciate his conflicted hero and his precise moral code. I also love how each Connelly novel creates such a sense of place. Los Angeles is lucky to have a writer that understands the city so well.
January 11, 2015
Having read a few of the later Harry Bosch novels it was time I started at the beginning of the series and read them in order. I am very glad I read this one! Okay so Harry is a bit of a cliche but he is also very likeable in a strange sort of way. He reminds me a little of Jack Reacher with his war damaged personality and his total disregard for authority. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story and especially liked the procedural details and seeing the way a case develops as various clues are discovered. Towards the end of the book I actually became a bit bogged down with information overload and maybe a few too many twists but the ending was thrilling enough to redeem anything. A great read and I will move on happily to the next in the series.
July 10, 2017
No suelo leer novela negra. Ni policial. Es un género que, a parte de algún escritor, no suele llamarme mucho la atención. Pues bien, sin duda Michael Connelly, es a día de hoy uno de esos escritores que trataré de seguir. Decir que este inicio de serie me ha encantado es quedarme corta. El personaje de Bosch me ha gustado mucho, sobre todo por lo humano que es (con sus defectos y virtudes), así como la estructura de la novela y ese giro final que, aunque intuyes algo, no deja de sorprenderte.
June 6, 2021
¿Conectar -con los personajes- o no conectar?
Esa es la cuestión.
Si logras “conectar” te metes en la historia, la vives, te interesa y estás deseando saber qué pasa, cual es la siguiente vivencia, pensamiento o peripecia de esos seres a los que acabas de conocer pero pueden ser importantes en tus siguientes horas de lectura.
Hace nada un amigo -Overhaul- ha reseñado Flores para Algernon. NO me parezco nada al personaje principal de esa novela, Charlie, pero en la lectura vives con él, te alegras con él, hasta lloras con él.
¿A que las bases están claras? Seguro.
Vale, pues en El eco negro tenemos a Harry Bosch.
• Fuma sin importante quién tenga al lado (yo cuando fumaba lo tenía MUY en cuenta para no molestar).
• Está, cómo no, traumatizado (oye, pues yo soy normalito, normalito).
• No tiene ni un amigo con 40 años (uffff, tampoco coincido ahí).
• El humor no lo ha visto ni de lejos. Ni en pensamientos ni en expresiones (estoooooo, no soy Sir Terry pero algo de eso tengo en mi vida).
Eso, que tampoco coincido mucho con Harry Bosch. Tampoco lo hacía con Charlie Gordon (el de Algernon). Y sin embargo con aquél se me escapaba la lagrimica aun siendo cerca de Bilbao y con Harry ni fú ni fá. Harry es un detective endurecido de manual. De los clásicos. Sin aditivos. El libro está bien porque la trama está bien hilada, es honrada. No nos hace trampas el autor con giros sacados de la manga, el lineal pero correcta. Eso salva al libro. Eso y el oficio del autor, que por supuesto sí se lo reconozco.
Para mí es poco decir “salva” el libro. Yo quiero disfrutar las páginas, estar deseando enganchar el libro y no soltarlo. Que no me molesten, que me dejen leer. Que me joda que se acabe y que casi a mitad del mismo ya esté buscando qué más tiene escrito el autor. Que sin acabar esté pensando qué contaros para que le metáis a la saca y gocéis como yo lo he hecho.
Pues con Harry Bosch no he encontrado nada de eso. Tb decir que no soy ningún fiera del género. Ejemplos para que veáis mis gustos en el género y por ello si s podéis fiar o no de mis estrellas:
NO he triunfado (ninguno ha llegado al “8/10”) con:
Los nórdicos (salvo Millennium).
Dasier Hammett.
Raymon Chandler.
Agatha Christie.
Lincoln Child.
Douglas Preston.
Clive Clusser.
John Connolly.
Fred Vargas.
Daniel Silva.
Dickër.
Lackberg.
Arthur Machen.
Murakami.
Amelie Nothomb.
SÍ me gustan Camilleri, Gómez Jurado, Lorenzo Silva, Winslow, Eva García, Follett, Le Carré, Carmen Mola, Forsyth, Barker, Géllida, Kerr, Larsson, Redondo (alguno), Rosa Montero, Zafón.
Pues eso.
P.D: Labijose, porfa, no me borres de tus amistades.
Esa es la cuestión.
Si logras “conectar” te metes en la historia, la vives, te interesa y estás deseando saber qué pasa, cual es la siguiente vivencia, pensamiento o peripecia de esos seres a los que acabas de conocer pero pueden ser importantes en tus siguientes horas de lectura.
Hace nada un amigo -Overhaul- ha reseñado Flores para Algernon. NO me parezco nada al personaje principal de esa novela, Charlie, pero en la lectura vives con él, te alegras con él, hasta lloras con él.
¿A que las bases están claras? Seguro.
Vale, pues en El eco negro tenemos a Harry Bosch.
• Fuma sin importante quién tenga al lado (yo cuando fumaba lo tenía MUY en cuenta para no molestar).
• Está, cómo no, traumatizado (oye, pues yo soy normalito, normalito).
• No tiene ni un amigo con 40 años (uffff, tampoco coincido ahí).
• El humor no lo ha visto ni de lejos. Ni en pensamientos ni en expresiones (estoooooo, no soy Sir Terry pero algo de eso tengo en mi vida).
Eso, que tampoco coincido mucho con Harry Bosch. Tampoco lo hacía con Charlie Gordon (el de Algernon). Y sin embargo con aquél se me escapaba la lagrimica aun siendo cerca de Bilbao y con Harry ni fú ni fá. Harry es un detective endurecido de manual. De los clásicos. Sin aditivos. El libro está bien porque la trama está bien hilada, es honrada. No nos hace trampas el autor con giros sacados de la manga, el lineal pero correcta. Eso salva al libro. Eso y el oficio del autor, que por supuesto sí se lo reconozco.
Para mí es poco decir “salva” el libro. Yo quiero disfrutar las páginas, estar deseando enganchar el libro y no soltarlo. Que no me molesten, que me dejen leer. Que me joda que se acabe y que casi a mitad del mismo ya esté buscando qué más tiene escrito el autor. Que sin acabar esté pensando qué contaros para que le metáis a la saca y gocéis como yo lo he hecho.
Pues con Harry Bosch no he encontrado nada de eso. Tb decir que no soy ningún fiera del género. Ejemplos para que veáis mis gustos en el género y por ello si s podéis fiar o no de mis estrellas:
NO he triunfado (ninguno ha llegado al “8/10”) con:
Los nórdicos (salvo Millennium).
Dasier Hammett.
Raymon Chandler.
Agatha Christie.
Lincoln Child.
Douglas Preston.
Clive Clusser.
John Connolly.
Fred Vargas.
Daniel Silva.
Dickër.
Lackberg.
Arthur Machen.
Murakami.
Amelie Nothomb.
SÍ me gustan Camilleri, Gómez Jurado, Lorenzo Silva, Winslow, Eva García, Follett, Le Carré, Carmen Mola, Forsyth, Barker, Géllida, Kerr, Larsson, Redondo (alguno), Rosa Montero, Zafón.
Pues eso.
P.D: Labijose, porfa, no me borres de tus amistades.
September 12, 2017
Not quite 5 stars, but close. The book went off on a slow start which made me think it would be a 3 star, but halfway it got more pace and became more tense. The information about Vietnam was interesting and I liked Harry Bosch as a character.
December 25, 2022
A magnificent debut novel!
THE BLACK ECHO, Michael Connelly's debut novel and LAPD Detective Harry Bosch's premiere appearance to a grateful reading public, opens with Bosch being assigned to what is supposed to be a pro forma investigation. A "hype", a derelict drug addict, has been found dead of an apparent heroin overdose in a drainage pipe. The expectation is that a routine report would be filed and that would be that. But within moments of crawling into the pipe to examine the scene, Bosch begins to spot details that don't fit the accidental overdose scenario. More than that, Bosch is surprised to learn that he knows the deceased - Billie Meadows, a fellow "tunnel rat" veteran from Vietnam.
From the opening paragraphs of the novel, Connelly's magnificent story-telling introduces the reader to Bosch's dark, troubled persona and his now familiar investigative style - doggedly picking at the unhealed scab of tiny details that don't fit, skillfully peeling away the layers of deceit on an onion that doesn't smell quite right until the kernel of truth at the centre lies exposed. In this case, Bosch quickly finds police records showing that Meadows was a prime suspect in a major bank robbery that fell under federal jurisdiction. Even though he is assigned to work with FBI Agent Eleanor Wish, their obvious reluctance to share information on the details of their investigation into the bank heist has Bosch smelling a rat! And finding the rat - trailing that rat from present-day Los Angeles to 1974 Saigon, into the jungles of Vietnam and back - the rat he knows is on the inside of either LAPD or the FBI, proves elusive indeed until Bosch makes his way past the final turn of this complex maze of subterfuge.
The dark underpinnings of Bosch's meticulously crafted complex character start here - his disdain for authority; his unwillingness to fit the mould of the "police family"; the troubled nature of a psyche that is undoubtedly all too common in Vietnam veterans; his fear of surrendering to an unconditional love; the disturbing family history that began with his birth to a hooker who was subsequently murdered and his childhood travails at the hands of government agencies; the surprising extent of Bosch's visceral reaction to the murder of a street punk. Pathos is presented without pity or despair and Bosch emerges a very real and very human police officer indeed.
Much of this ground will be familiar to veteran Bosch fans but THE BLACK ECHO will serve to bring an even deeper level of understanding to his motives and his conduct. For those that have yet to savour Connelly's brilliant creation and his mastery of the police procedural genre, THE BLACK ECHO is definitely THE place to start.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
THE BLACK ECHO, Michael Connelly's debut novel and LAPD Detective Harry Bosch's premiere appearance to a grateful reading public, opens with Bosch being assigned to what is supposed to be a pro forma investigation. A "hype", a derelict drug addict, has been found dead of an apparent heroin overdose in a drainage pipe. The expectation is that a routine report would be filed and that would be that. But within moments of crawling into the pipe to examine the scene, Bosch begins to spot details that don't fit the accidental overdose scenario. More than that, Bosch is surprised to learn that he knows the deceased - Billie Meadows, a fellow "tunnel rat" veteran from Vietnam.
From the opening paragraphs of the novel, Connelly's magnificent story-telling introduces the reader to Bosch's dark, troubled persona and his now familiar investigative style - doggedly picking at the unhealed scab of tiny details that don't fit, skillfully peeling away the layers of deceit on an onion that doesn't smell quite right until the kernel of truth at the centre lies exposed. In this case, Bosch quickly finds police records showing that Meadows was a prime suspect in a major bank robbery that fell under federal jurisdiction. Even though he is assigned to work with FBI Agent Eleanor Wish, their obvious reluctance to share information on the details of their investigation into the bank heist has Bosch smelling a rat! And finding the rat - trailing that rat from present-day Los Angeles to 1974 Saigon, into the jungles of Vietnam and back - the rat he knows is on the inside of either LAPD or the FBI, proves elusive indeed until Bosch makes his way past the final turn of this complex maze of subterfuge.
The dark underpinnings of Bosch's meticulously crafted complex character start here - his disdain for authority; his unwillingness to fit the mould of the "police family"; the troubled nature of a psyche that is undoubtedly all too common in Vietnam veterans; his fear of surrendering to an unconditional love; the disturbing family history that began with his birth to a hooker who was subsequently murdered and his childhood travails at the hands of government agencies; the surprising extent of Bosch's visceral reaction to the murder of a street punk. Pathos is presented without pity or despair and Bosch emerges a very real and very human police officer indeed.
Much of this ground will be familiar to veteran Bosch fans but THE BLACK ECHO will serve to bring an even deeper level of understanding to his motives and his conduct. For those that have yet to savour Connelly's brilliant creation and his mastery of the police procedural genre, THE BLACK ECHO is definitely THE place to start.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
Read
April 27, 2023I found it too long-winded and boring, with too many descriptions and details.
Also, the plot had a very slow pace and the inner thoughts never ended…
Dnf 18%
January 16, 2023
What a great debut novel for both the author and the series. It's your typical homicide detective yarn, but it's done so stylishly. The whole ex military angle has been done to death and this story focuses on ghosts from Bosch's Vietnam past. I'm hoping other entries get away from this. As far as how Bosch conducts himself, he's far from your standard military man. He lives off of cigarettes and coffee with no hint of being organized besides his investigation work.
I wasn't blown away by this book as it didn't really do anything unique. My main critique is that it was too damn long. I prefer my detectives novels shorter so I can get through them quickly. This one seemed to keep going after what felt like the end. Connelly was like a magician revealing one more trick for the audience. It was cool, but totally unnecessary in my opinion.
I wasn't blown away by this book as it didn't really do anything unique. My main critique is that it was too damn long. I prefer my detectives novels shorter so I can get through them quickly. This one seemed to keep going after what felt like the end. Connelly was like a magician revealing one more trick for the audience. It was cool, but totally unnecessary in my opinion.
March 14, 2011
This was a super detective book that I couldn't put down.I made a mistake by not reading the books in order of sequence.I read first "The Concrete Blonde" followed by "The Black Echo."The Black Echo was the first in the series.Harry is a homicide cop who works a case and never gives up, always looking for a different angle.He picks up a case on the weekend and his partner is needing to work his moonlighting job, so Harry goes himself to see the body in a drainpipe. He recognizes an old buddy from the army, from Vietnam. They were "tunnel rats" together and it looks like he took an overdose, but little things don't sit right with Harry -- no tracks from walking into the pipe, the dope equipment looks planted.But Harry recognizes that the death was not accidental. Then a daring bank heist where the tunnels under the city of L.A. were used to access the bank vault gets linked in. Harry works with a female FBI agent, looking out for a possible link to Harry's own department, puts Harry and his partner at risk. A super detective story that is full of twists and turns.A must read.
December 27, 2017
3 and a half stars for me. Quite a slow and average start for the first quarter of the book then picked up as it went along. A little outdated but still quite a good read.
April 1, 2021
দুর্দান্ত, অতুলনীয়, অসাধারণ।
কনেলির সব লেখা একই ধাঁচের নাকি? দুইটা স্টোরি থাকবে, একটু আধটু ব্যাকস্টোরি থাকবে, ফার্স্ট হাফে ড্রামাটিক হবে আর লাস্ট হাফ হবে ধুম-ধারাক্কা টুইস্ট আর অ্যাকশনে ভরপুর। কাহিনী বিন্যাস পুরো বাটারফ্লাই এফেক্ট। মানে, 'কেঁচো খুড়তে কেউটে' টাইপের। মাইকেল কনেলির লেখনীর একটা অন্যরকম দিক হলো যে, গল্প পড়লে গল্পে নিজের সশরীরে উপস্থিত থাকার ফিলিংস পাওয়া যায়। এটায়ও তেমনই। মাইন্ডগেম, ব্যাংক হেইস্ট, সাইকোলজি মিলে দুর্দান্ত গল্প। ক্যারেক্টর বেজড্ সিরিজের প্রথম বই হিসেবে এই বইয়ে যেটা সবচেয়ে বেশী প্রয়োজন ছিলো, তা হলো ক্যারেক্টর ডেভেলপমেন্ট। নয়ত সিরিজের পরবর্তী বইগুলাতে অনেক কিছুই মাথার উপর দিয়ে যাওয়ার সম্ভাবনা থেকে যায়। আর এই জায়গাটায় এসেই লেখক মিড অনের উপর দিয়ে ৯৫ মিটারের ছক্কা হাকিয়েছে। এখানে প্রায় আড়াইশ পৃষ্ঠা পর্যন্ত গল্প বেশ ছিমছাম গতিতে এগিয়েছে। স্লো, কিন্তু কোথাও ঝুলে যায় নি, বোর লাগেনি। আর তাতে স্পেস পেয়ে মেইন আর সাইড ক্যারেক্টর গুলোর চরিত্রায়ন বেশ শক্তপোক্ত হয়েছে। বশের কিছু ব্যাকস্টোরি, ড্রামা সিন এখানে আছে। বশ প্রথম দিকে হতাশাগ্রস্ত ডিটেকটিভ মনে হলেও পরে তুখোড় মাইন্ড বেন্ডিং সেনসেশনাল মনে হয়েছে। আর শেষের দিকে এককথায় রুদ্ধশ্বাসে ছিলাম। প্লট টার্ন, একশন, টুইস্���ে একেবারে তুখোড়।
মূল কাহিনির মত অনুবাদও বেশ সাবলীল, ঝরঝরে। অযথা কাট্টাখোট্টা ভাষার ব্যাবহারও ছিলো না। বানান ভূলও ছিলো না (চোখে পড়ে নি)।
তো টুইস্ট, সাসপেন্স, রোম্যান্স, হালকা ট্র্যাজিকের সাথে হ্যারি বশের স্যাগাসিটি মিলে কনেলির একটা দুর্দান্ত আখ্যানের সাথে কয়েকটা দিন মন্দ কাটে নি। থ্রিলার প্রেমীদের জন্য বইটা মাস্টরিড 🙂
ফ্ল্যাপ: লস অ্যাঞ্জেলসের টানেলে পাওয়া যায় এক অজ্ঞাত লাশ। রাতেই ঘটনাস্থলে গিয়ে বশ টের পেল লাশটা ভিয়েতনাম যুদ্ধের ওর এক সহযোদ্ধার। কেন খুন হতে হলো তাকে? কে খুন করলো? অন্যদিকে গোপনে মাটির নিচে খুঁড়ে শহরের ব্যাংকগুলোতে ডাকাতি করছে একদল ডাকাত। কারা এরা? খুনের সাথে ডাকাতির সম্পর্ক কি? ভিয়েতনাম যুদ্ধের সাথেই বা কী সম্পর্ক?
কনেলির সব লেখা একই ধাঁচের নাকি? দুইটা স্টোরি থাকবে, একটু আধটু ব্যাকস্টোরি থাকবে, ফার্স্ট হাফে ড্রামাটিক হবে আর লাস্ট হাফ হবে ধুম-ধারাক্কা টুইস্ট আর অ্যাকশনে ভরপুর। কাহিনী বিন্যাস পুরো বাটারফ্লাই এফেক্ট। মানে, 'কেঁচো খুড়তে কেউটে' টাইপের। মাইকেল কনেলির লেখনীর একটা অন্যরকম দিক হলো যে, গল্প পড়লে গল্পে নিজের সশরীরে উপস্থিত থাকার ফিলিংস পাওয়া যায়। এটায়ও তেমনই। মাইন্ডগেম, ব্যাংক হেইস্ট, সাইকোলজি মিলে দুর্দান্ত গল্প। ক্যারেক্টর বেজড্ সিরিজের প্রথম বই হিসেবে এই বইয়ে যেটা সবচেয়ে বেশী প্রয়োজন ছিলো, তা হলো ক্যারেক্টর ডেভেলপমেন্ট। নয়ত সিরিজের পরবর্তী বইগুলাতে অনেক কিছুই মাথার উপর দিয়ে যাওয়ার সম্ভাবনা থেকে যায়। আর এই জায়গাটায় এসেই লেখক মিড অনের উপর দিয়ে ৯৫ মিটারের ছক্কা হাকিয়েছে। এখানে প্রায় আড়াইশ পৃষ্ঠা পর্যন্ত গল্প বেশ ছিমছাম গতিতে এগিয়েছে। স্লো, কিন্তু কোথাও ঝুলে যায় নি, বোর লাগেনি। আর তাতে স্পেস পেয়ে মেইন আর সাইড ক্যারেক্টর গুলোর চরিত্রায়ন বেশ শক্তপোক্ত হয়েছে। বশের কিছু ব্যাকস্টোরি, ড্রামা সিন এখানে আছে। বশ প্রথম দিকে হতাশাগ্রস্ত ডিটেকটিভ মনে হলেও পরে তুখোড় মাইন্ড বেন্ডিং সেনসেশনাল মনে হয়েছে। আর শেষের দিকে এককথায় রুদ্ধশ্বাসে ছিলাম। প্লট টার্ন, একশন, টুইস্���ে একেবারে তুখোড়।
মূল কাহিনির মত অনুবাদও বেশ সাবলীল, ঝরঝরে। অযথা কাট্টাখোট্টা ভাষার ব্যাবহারও ছিলো না। বানান ভূলও ছিলো না (চোখে পড়ে নি)।
তো টুইস্ট, সাসপেন্স, রোম্যান্স, হালকা ট্র্যাজিকের সাথে হ্যারি বশের স্যাগাসিটি মিলে কনেলির একটা দুর্দান্ত আখ্যানের সাথে কয়েকটা দিন মন্দ কাটে নি। থ্রিলার প্রেমীদের জন্য বইটা মাস্টরিড 🙂
ফ্ল্যাপ: লস অ্যাঞ্জেলসের টানেলে পাওয়া যায় এক অজ্ঞাত লাশ। রাতেই ঘটনাস্থলে গিয়ে বশ টের পেল লাশটা ভিয়েতনাম যুদ্ধের ওর এক সহযোদ্ধার। কেন খুন হতে হলো তাকে? কে খুন করলো? অন্যদিকে গোপনে মাটির নিচে খুঁড়ে শহরের ব্যাংকগুলোতে ডাকাতি করছে একদল ডাকাত। কারা এরা? খুনের সাথে ডাকাতির সম্পর্ক কি? ভিয়েতনাম যুদ্ধের সাথেই বা কী সম্পর্ক?
February 5, 2018
I decided to start this series now for a few reasons. One, the major one, is that I watched the first season of the Amazon show based on it (Bosch), and really really loved it. It's got great characters, great actors playing them, the soundtrack is amazing (even for an anti-jazz person like me... I'm starting to appreciate it because of the show), and the writing is really great. I stopped watching around episode 2 of season 2 simply because I wanted to read the books before these characters are the ONLY characters for me.
But it's too late. I can't see Bosch as anyone but Titus Welliver now. I can't see Jerry Edgar as anyone but Jamie Hector (though it's a bit strange to think of Hector in this role, because I still think of him as Marlo Stanfield from The Wire. Damn that was a good show.) And I can't see Irvin Irving as anyone except the fantastic Lance Reddick.
So, it was a little weird for the characters that I've accepted and appreciate in their show roles are so very different in the book. So very different.
I'm not actually complaining. I don't know what went into the writing of the show, and I certainly don't know if it was ever supposed to be a true adaptation. Maybe it's just character inspiration (very LOOSE inspiration) and the show plot was never intended to follow the book series at all. Or maybe they cherry picked from later in the series - that's always possible, considering that the show seems much more modern than the books. But it doesn't actually matter, because I enjoyed both, and I'm somewhat glad that they are so different. It allows them to BE different and not constantly be compared in my mind.
But, you know, since we're here, I do have to say that the book felt somewhat unpolished. It was dated, SO VERY DATED, but also just felt like a first novel. I am certain that as the series progresses, the writing will smooth out and the series will find its voice and style, but it seemed to lack that in this book. The Black Echo was rough around the edges, somewhat cliched, and pretty spartan in the style department. Maybe that was intentional, but I think it's just a case of not having found itself yet. I don't think that the series could continue through something like 20 books if they didn't get a bit better than what we saw here. Not that it was bad... but it was not bad for a first novel.
Still... for a nearly 500 page book, it was a pretty quick read. It kept me interested and wanting to know what would happen, despite some questionable methods and some really concerning police procedures.
I liked Harry, and I liked how vulnerable he was in certain ways in the book that he is not in the show. In the book, he is less sure of himself in some ways that, though small, were telling and important to me. I liked that he didn't always have all the answers - and not just to his investigation, but to... life. So often, these loner cop types can seem as though they have it all figured out and the world can go fuck itself once it gets with the program, too. I liked that Bosch isn't there yet. He thinks his own way, and makes his own plays, and he can be a jaded, cocky shit at times, but he definitely doesn't have everything figured out, and I don't think he's ready to write off the world just yet. And I really, really liked him for that.
There were actually a few laugh out loud moments for me in this book, and I loved the shit out of Bosch's sense of humor in those moments. His ways of fucking with the IAD guys had me giggling, even though I was like "Oh no... you're so fucked now!" I hope that trait continues on through the series, because those moments of levity are fantastic.
I figured the twist a little before the book revealed it, but I don't grudge the book for it. There were only so many ways that it could go, and I only pegged the who, not the why. Again, I think that's coming back to first book syndrome. I doubt if I will call the whodunnit on later books in the series.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to continuing the series, and seeing where it goes.
But it's too late. I can't see Bosch as anyone but Titus Welliver now. I can't see Jerry Edgar as anyone but Jamie Hector (though it's a bit strange to think of Hector in this role, because I still think of him as Marlo Stanfield from The Wire. Damn that was a good show.) And I can't see Irvin Irving as anyone except the fantastic Lance Reddick.
So, it was a little weird for the characters that I've accepted and appreciate in their show roles are so very different in the book. So very different.
I'm not actually complaining. I don't know what went into the writing of the show, and I certainly don't know if it was ever supposed to be a true adaptation. Maybe it's just character inspiration (very LOOSE inspiration) and the show plot was never intended to follow the book series at all. Or maybe they cherry picked from later in the series - that's always possible, considering that the show seems much more modern than the books. But it doesn't actually matter, because I enjoyed both, and I'm somewhat glad that they are so different. It allows them to BE different and not constantly be compared in my mind.
But, you know, since we're here, I do have to say that the book felt somewhat unpolished. It was dated, SO VERY DATED, but also just felt like a first novel. I am certain that as the series progresses, the writing will smooth out and the series will find its voice and style, but it seemed to lack that in this book. The Black Echo was rough around the edges, somewhat cliched, and pretty spartan in the style department. Maybe that was intentional, but I think it's just a case of not having found itself yet. I don't think that the series could continue through something like 20 books if they didn't get a bit better than what we saw here. Not that it was bad... but it was not bad for a first novel.
Still... for a nearly 500 page book, it was a pretty quick read. It kept me interested and wanting to know what would happen, despite some questionable methods and some really concerning police procedures.
I liked Harry, and I liked how vulnerable he was in certain ways in the book that he is not in the show. In the book, he is less sure of himself in some ways that, though small, were telling and important to me. I liked that he didn't always have all the answers - and not just to his investigation, but to... life. So often, these loner cop types can seem as though they have it all figured out and the world can go fuck itself once it gets with the program, too. I liked that Bosch isn't there yet. He thinks his own way, and makes his own plays, and he can be a jaded, cocky shit at times, but he definitely doesn't have everything figured out, and I don't think he's ready to write off the world just yet. And I really, really liked him for that.
There were actually a few laugh out loud moments for me in this book, and I loved the shit out of Bosch's sense of humor in those moments. His ways of fucking with the IAD guys had me giggling, even though I was like "Oh no... you're so fucked now!" I hope that trait continues on through the series, because those moments of levity are fantastic.
I figured the twist a little before the book revealed it, but I don't grudge the book for it. There were only so many ways that it could go, and I only pegged the who, not the why. Again, I think that's coming back to first book syndrome. I doubt if I will call the whodunnit on later books in the series.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to continuing the series, and seeing where it goes.
November 7, 2022
"My editor told me, 'You're now in a city that's a sunny place for shady people,'"--Michael Connelly, speaking of his adopted city, LA.
This first novel in Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch detective series won the Edgar Award for First Novel in 1993, and there is plenty here to see that bam, right out of the gate, this Connelly guy--a creative student of Harry Crews and one-time police beat reporter--knew his way around a detective story. Bosch is a typical sad-sack detective--alone, drinking, crusty, smoking, outsider, Viet Nam Vet, (Connelly says he based his character on Phillip Marlowe, though Bosch is less funny):
“'Do you know a six-letter word for a man of constant sorrow and loneliness?' she asked after sliding the window open and then checking her nail for damage. 'Bosch.'”
and the story itself is mostly unsurprising (to me, at least; one big twist near the end I anticipated), but it's more than solid as a first offering of a series.
So I liked this book, and expect to four- and five-star a lot of them. 24 books as of 2022 are in the series, but I had met Harry in the Connelly series featuring his high profile defense lawyer half-brother, Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer), so I already had six books getting to know him a little.
I won't say much more about the book, because you should read the very best review of this book, which is not wrong as it points out how cliched this book is, but even he admits he finally finds the book very good:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bosch was a "tunnel rat" In Viet Nam, a terrifying and claustrophobic job that has affected his personality, and the story here in part involves a fellow "rat" who gets killed, the FBI, a woman he kinda falls in love with (but don't get yr hopes up, romantics), a bank heist, police corruption, lies and deceit, the usual LAPD story.
About that tunnel rat experience and the black echo: "Out of the blue and into the black is what they called going into a tunnel. Each one was a black echo. Nothing but death in there. But, still, they went."
Harry further explains to Eleanor: "It was the darkness, the damp emptiness you'd feel when you were down there alone in those tunnels. It was like you were in a place where you felt dead and buried in the dark. But you were alive. And you were scared. Your own breath kind of echoed in the darkness, loud enough to give you away. Or so you thought. I don't know. It's hard to explain. Just . . . the black echo."
I like it quite a bit and already know even better ones are ahead.
This first novel in Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch detective series won the Edgar Award for First Novel in 1993, and there is plenty here to see that bam, right out of the gate, this Connelly guy--a creative student of Harry Crews and one-time police beat reporter--knew his way around a detective story. Bosch is a typical sad-sack detective--alone, drinking, crusty, smoking, outsider, Viet Nam Vet, (Connelly says he based his character on Phillip Marlowe, though Bosch is less funny):
“'Do you know a six-letter word for a man of constant sorrow and loneliness?' she asked after sliding the window open and then checking her nail for damage. 'Bosch.'”
and the story itself is mostly unsurprising (to me, at least; one big twist near the end I anticipated), but it's more than solid as a first offering of a series.
So I liked this book, and expect to four- and five-star a lot of them. 24 books as of 2022 are in the series, but I had met Harry in the Connelly series featuring his high profile defense lawyer half-brother, Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer), so I already had six books getting to know him a little.
I won't say much more about the book, because you should read the very best review of this book, which is not wrong as it points out how cliched this book is, but even he admits he finally finds the book very good:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bosch was a "tunnel rat" In Viet Nam, a terrifying and claustrophobic job that has affected his personality, and the story here in part involves a fellow "rat" who gets killed, the FBI, a woman he kinda falls in love with (but don't get yr hopes up, romantics), a bank heist, police corruption, lies and deceit, the usual LAPD story.
About that tunnel rat experience and the black echo: "Out of the blue and into the black is what they called going into a tunnel. Each one was a black echo. Nothing but death in there. But, still, they went."
Harry further explains to Eleanor: "It was the darkness, the damp emptiness you'd feel when you were down there alone in those tunnels. It was like you were in a place where you felt dead and buried in the dark. But you were alive. And you were scared. Your own breath kind of echoed in the darkness, loud enough to give you away. Or so you thought. I don't know. It's hard to explain. Just . . . the black echo."
I like it quite a bit and already know even better ones are ahead.
October 9, 2023
Que bueno me ha parecido!! Venía yo con una idea un poco rara y la verdad, me ha convencido para muy bien. Creo que esperaba encontrarme algo más desfasado y para nada. Otro detective perdedor, bueno en lo suyo, pero todo el mundo le hace la puñeta. El caso es interesante, en todos sus aspectos y aristas, que tiene varios. Otro señor adoptado. A seguir.
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