Tag: harry-bosch

Book Review: Harry Bosch Still Knows How To Light A Fire Under A Cold Case

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Desert Star is a crime novel written by Michael Connelly which marks a welcome return of Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard.

Bosch has been retired from the Los Angelos Police Department for a while now, but he still follows up on a few cases he was unable to close. Ballard has continued to stay on with the department and is in charge of a revived cold case unit. She wants to close a long unsolved murder of a teen-ager who is the sister of a city councilman who championed the return of the unit. She wants to recruit Bosch, but there is a rift to mend. Meanwhile, Bosch has been haunted for many years by the unsolved murder of a family of four. He knows who was behind it, but he was unable to gather the evidence. Ballard’s invitation gives him a chance to bring justice that has eluded the victims’ family for far too long. Bosch also has to learn to work with a team and tolerate the politics that has often hindered his efforts to take more killers off the board. Also, Bosch has a medical condition hanging over his head, but even that is going to have a hard time keeping him from his relentless pursuit for justice.

Connelly is consistently quite good, but this particular novel is one of the better ones. Bosch is still as uncompromising as ever but for the right reasons. The sometimes-complicated friendship with Ballard is compelling. There are some threads that seem a little far-fetched, but my joy at some new cases for Bosch and Ballard overshadowed those concerns. With Bosch’s health in some peril, I do feel that I better get as much enjoyment as I can if Connelly decides to make some radically tragic decisions regarding his most popular protagonist.

The story does take a few unexpected brutal turns on the road to the resolution. It was a worthwhile treat to revisit LA as seen through the writings of Michael Connelly and the eyes of Harry Bosch.

The trail of fictional murders and detectives will next lead me back to the world created by J.A. Jance as she reveals the Blessing of the Lost Girls.

Book Review: The Dark Hours Belong to Ballard

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Dark Hours is a pretty intriguing novel by Michael Connelly and features Harry Bosch and his most recent series character, Renee Ballard. Bosch has been retired from LAPD for some time, but Detective Ballard still manages to draw him back into an investigation or two.

This thriller takes place during the thick of COVID lockdowns and mask-wearing. Ballard has been called out in the middle of the night to look into a fatal shooting. Evidence leads her to look into an unsolved case that was once investigated by Harry Bosch. Meanwhile, a pair of rapists have been stalking the streets of Los Angelos and have also attracted Ballard’s attention and ire. Bosch once again provides some invaluable support and insight even though he no longer carries a badge. Ballard also has to navigate the treacherous waters of department politics as well and finds her pool of allies getting smaller. It’s another cluster of tense situations provided by the prolific Michael Connelly.

I would have been fine if Connelly ignored the pandemic situation in his novels, but it’s not my call. Once thing that adds a dose of reality to his crime fiction is that his characters are often working more than one case in a particular novel. There is usually a primary plot, but Connelly will often have a side project for his protagonists going on and manages to skillfully weave in and out of them quite skillfully.

I don’t know if Connelly is really a master of the craft, but I don’t begrudge him his current popularity and success. Connelly is consistently good, and this particular novel isn’t the one to change my mind. I was pretty well hooked and inwardly cheering when Bosch would appear. This was still mostly a Ballard story, but I was fine with that. I enjoy the friendship that Connelly has developed between them. I found it interesting that Ballard acknowledged that Bosch has become sort of a mentor because that was not immediately obvious since Ballard is pretty sharp on her own. I thought it was pretty cool when she actually verbalized that aspect of their relationship. I also appreciate that Connelly has also chosen to not shoehorn in some romantic spark between them. Since there is a significant age gap between the two detectives, it would just seem tawdry and unnecessary, and Connelly seems to agree.

Overall, I enjoyed this one quite a bit, but I haven’t come across a Connelly novel that I did not enjoy in some degree. It was pretty good and should be one that crime fiction enthusiasts add to their reading lists.

Next up, I am reading my first J.K. Rowling novel, however it’s not her Harry Potter series. Time to meet Cormoran Strike in The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith. Yes, Galbraith is really J.K. Rowling. Anyway, that’s the next step in my path of literary indulgence.