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Title: The Black Echo (Harry Bosch, 1) by Michael Connelly, Dick Hill ISBN: 1-59355-417-6 Publisher: Brilliance Audio Pub. Date: November, 2003 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 10 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.28 (60 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: An enjoyable, if overlong, debut that won the Edgar.
Comment: Michael Connelly's debut, which won the Edgar Award for Best 1st Novel, is an engrossing mystery in the tradition of
updated L.A. noir. It begins when near-burnout detective
Harry Bosch is called on to investigate the death of a
smackhead found in a drainage pipe. Turns out the dead junkie is an old war buddy of Harry's. Other facts about the apparent O.D. begin to bother the lone-wolf detective, and what begins as a routine inquiry turns into a convoluted mystery involving the FBI, the Internal Affairs Division of the LAPD, and old secrets from 'Nam.
Connelly uses a wealth of authentic detail and an intricate-but-never-incomprehensible plot to great effect,
but the book is hampered by hackneyed characterizations and verbosity. In fact, Connelly's over-writing telegraphs many of the surprises of the story, especially when he tries to portray Bosch's thought-processes on the verge of discovery. Bosch's mullings circle important clues again and again, in Connelly's attempt at a kind of angst, until the reader wants to reach into the book and scream the all-too-obvious conclusions at the detective. The book could have been cut by a fourth without losing anything, and the cuts would have strengthened the tautness the mystery's spine.
The character of Bosch himself is not particularly vibrant or inventive, conforming to all the cliches of the genre of wounded, lone-wolf detectives whose only saving graces consist of a plodding perseverance and a kind of reckless courage, although there is an interesting attempt to elevate Bosch's woundedness to a kind of metaphor involving a Hopper painting and the artist who is Bosch's namesake. The other characters are, for the most part, even flatter.
Given that this is 1st novel, however, it is a promising one, especially in its detailed authenticity, and I would recommend it as a starting place for anyone interested in contemporary LA police procedurals.
Rating: 5
Summary: AWESOME POLICE PROCEDURAL, CONNELLY IS THE NEW MASTER
Comment: The first book I read by Mr. Connelly was his departure from the Bosch series, "The Poet" and I knew I had to read the rest. I have read every single other Bosch novel and finally went back to the beginning and read this. I should have started with this one, its just as good if not better than the series and Bosch is a fully-fleshed out character who you can always cheer for. This book is also interesting because of its attention to detail and the police procedure as well as the first meeting of Harry and Agent Eleanor Wish, his mysterious future love. Connelly has become my favorite author and his books are a pleasure to read. Just make sure you start with this one and work your way down, it does make a difference!
Rating: 3
Summary: A good first book, BUT...
Comment: Connelly's prose is excellent, and I enjoyed reading a story set in the Los Angeles of my youth, but this story failed to engage me otherwise. The tone of the story is very grim, and I found myself constantly putting this book down and hoping it would end.
Despite Harry Bosch's intriguing name, at his core he seems to be a cookie-cutter hard-boiled detective. From the other reviews I have read, it is possible that he becomes more interesting in later novels, but I probably will not continue to read this series. Most of the characters in this novel were flat and uninteresting, with the exception of Sharkey, who was still a fairly unsympathetic character.
Although the mystery plot was intriguing, some of the sub-plots were not. These elements play out more as cliches than real sub-plots. Harry's bosses, and the Internal Affairs people seem to be unnecessarily antagonistic towards him and Harry develops an improbable romance with an FBI agent. These are merely cliches, and seem inexplicable within the novel's context.
While the investigation seems to make sense as you're reading, the denouement strains credibility when the author tries to tie up all of the loose ends with a contrived twist.
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Title: The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly ISBN: 0312955006 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 July, 1995 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Black Ice by Michael Connelly ISBN: 0446613444 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 02 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly ISBN: 0312958455 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 July, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Trunk Music by Michael Connelly ISBN: 0312963297 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 March, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Angels Flight by Michael Connelly ISBN: 0446607274 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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