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The first of the novels is: THE LAST COYOTE, the third in the Harry Bosch series. It starts with a sparse dialogue between detective Harry Bosch and a department psychologist. It seems that Harry has been suspended from the police department for beating up his commanding officer. But because Harry is so good at being a detective, the Job is giving him a chance to work out his problems with the shrink. Harry is also trying to put together his private life: his house has been declared unlivable because of a recent earthquake and his latest love has left him to move on to safer pastures. With all the free time on his hands, Harry finds he is drawn to look into the one crime that has followed him all his life, that of the 30-year-old unsolved murder of a Hollywood prostitute named Marjorie Lowe -- his mother. Starting with grilling the retired detective who was on the case originally, old wounds and old time corruption are opened to air, and it's all not an easy sight for Harry. In the second book in this volume: TRUNK MUSIC Harry is again on the job and he catches the murder of a Hollywood producer. The man was shot in the head and stuffed in the trunk, a classic Mafia hit that's know as Trunk Music. With a new Chief, who at last has the potential of seeing Harry's worth, though he's still not the favorite of the force, Harry gets to work. He again has two interesting cohorts to work with in this book. The dialogue is wonderful, with just the right sound of realism to it. The characters that surround Harry are three dimensional with hard, true to life factors in their make-up. Even Harry's lost love Eleanor shows up again and as usual there's a bumpy and painful ride there. In the sixth Harry Bosch novel, the third full book in this compilation, ANGELS FLIGHT, Harry is assigned to investigate the murder of a prominent African American attorney, Howard Elias, who made his career suing the police department for racism and brutality. Elias was just starting another high profile trial and the accusations as to who his killer might be is running high. Under pressure from IAD, the media, politicians and fellow officers, Harry has a bad time of it. Not only does he have to work with people who have always seen his style of police work as suspect, but the whole of the LAPD, Harry's brothers in Blue now and in the past becomes suspects in the crime. Harry is also having personal problems at home, his gambling addicted wife, Eleanor, has disappeared, leaving him without anything stable to keep him balanced except his own hard boiled outlook in life. This book's amazing twists and turns keep Bosch and the readers reeling. The story brings up bared emotions dealing with racism, old cases and the creeping fear that the police aren't always there to keep the peace with fairness in mind. The clues and the police work are straightforward, and though filled with enough red herrings to keep you guessing, the outcome is down to earth, hard, solid and believable, the final pages are not at all pulled out of the air. I've only read one other Bosch book before this threesome, so I'm new to the series, but I have to agree with the popular thoughts on Bosch this character and series is one of the best crime fiction series I've ever read. Connelly is a master of solid dialogue and well constructed characters. He knows how to put a mystery together, can unravel it well and gives the reader everything they could want in a hard boiled police procedural! It's wonderful that the earlier novels are being reissued like this, letting the readers discover all about Bosch in three book increments and I'd recommend all of the reissues to everyone who wants to read quality, exciting, and satisfying crime fiction.
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, November 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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