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Former journalist Michael Connelly had demonstrated excellence in writing even before he turned to fiction. He and two other reporters won a Pulitzer Prize - an honour not lightly bestowed - for the feature story they did on survivors of a plane crash. The experience was not lost on Connelly who incorporated part of his resultant knowledge in a later novel, Angel's Flight. Connelly, when working for the Los Angeles Times was on the crime beat. His career involving the LAPD was another instance of his 'waste not' mentality when he created his fictional detective, Hieronymus Bosch - named for the famed Dutch artist of the fifteenth century. The Black Echo, which was inspired by a crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was released in 1992 and saw Harry Bosch's debut. This was an auspicious beginning for Connelly in fictional crime writing as it won the Edgar Award. Bosch became a series hero as Connelly extended his adventures in The Black Ice, The Concrete Blonde and The Last Coyote. Then came a break for Harry as the author wrote The Poet , a thriller featuring a print journalist. Bosch did not get much opportunity to enjoy his vacation as Connelly recalled him to life in Trunk Music. Blood Work, again, not a Bosch thriller, followed soon thereafter. Bosch returned once more in Angels Flight but was displaced by a new protagonist, a woman, Cassie Black, in Void Moon. A Darkness More Than Light brought Bosch back to the light of day, in company with Terry McCaleb from Blood Work. Following this, City of Bones appeared and with it. the resignation of Harry Bosch from the LAPD. Chasing The Dime was a stand-alone with a heavy emphasis on science as opposed to police work. Now Lost Light continues the adventures of a civilian Bosch. In addition to the Edgar Award, Connelly has won the Anthony, Macavity, Nero, Maltese Falcon , .38 Caliber and Grand Prix awards. A sterling effort indeed, with the awards justly merited. Lost Light is a dark novel - like all Connelly's work - with dark and depressing themes. It is also full of violence and replete with man's inhumanity to his fellow human. A dissatisfied Harry Bosch, adrift from the LAPD but now possessed of a private investigator's licence, has decided, partly in response to a request from quadriplegic former fellow officer, Lawton Cross, to investigate an unsolved case. A robbery on a movie set involving two million dollars resulted in the death of a bank employee and wounding of another as well as the wounding of one of the robbers by Bosch himself. Prior to this, production assistant for the movie company, Angella Benton, had been murdered. Now Bosch feels sure the two crimes were inter-related. Lawton Cross, whose partner was killed in the same incident that wounded him, was shot in the line of duty. His memory was partially affected by the injuries but he wishes Harry to track down the criminals. Bosch, meanwhile, is haunted by the memory of Angella Benton's hands as she lay dead. He accedes to Cross' almost blackmailing demands for whisky in order to obtain as much information as possible about the crime and its investigation from the ex-cop. Along the way, Bosch runs foul of the FBI but becomes enmeshed in the mystery of the disappearance of a woman agent who is tied to the crimes he is examining. Connelly is never an author likely to spare his protagonists misery and physical danger. Bosch is challenged emotionally as well when he finds it necessary to turn to his former wife, Eleanor Wish, for help in his case. He reveals his own dark side as he attempts to uncover secrets of Eleanor's life. This novel is as much of a page turner as any of Connelly's narratives. His attention to detail is perhaps a little too much for this gore-shy reviewer but those who enjoy the spatter of blood should have fun. The action is fast and furious, the characterisations all too true to life. If the ending is schmaltzy, well, the reader should let Harry Bosch have a little enjoyment. After all, with Connelly dictating his life, we know the pleasure will be all too short-lived!
Reviewed by Denise Wels, July 2003
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