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The title of Michael Connelly's new novel is a clever pun that embraces one of detective Harry Bosch's current cases as well as his present situation. He has been personally called upon by the LAPD police chief to investigate the death of a city councilman's son, who fell or was pushed from the window of the fancy Chateau Marmont Hotel in Hollywood. Harry is reluctant to take the case because Councilman Irving, a former cop himself, hates Bosch. Since leaving the police force for a political career, Irving has done all he can to reduce the budget of his former employer, much to the rancor of Harry and his fellow officers. Harry knows that Irving will want to steer him and leak the case to the press if it suits his needs. But Harry tries to make it clear that he will take the case on his own terms and on the condition that the chips have to fall where they may. The other connotation of the drop here is the end of Bosch's service with the LAPD, known as the Deferred Retirement Option Plan. He has reached the mandatory retirement age and has come to an agreement with them about how many extra months can be tacked on before he is dropped from the force. Throughout the novel, Harry wavers about how he feels about his coming retirement. Sometimes, sensing that he has lost his edge, he is grateful. Tied up with a case like the Irving death, full of what he likes to call "high jingo" - dirty politics and other shenanigans - he's glad to be playing the last innings of the game. But at other times, he's wistful about creating his meticulous murder books and fearful that those coming up after him like his partner, Chu, will be unable to take his place. Chu's betrayal of Bosch's trust in this novel only reinforces Harry's doubts. Despite this element of the story, the current Bosch is less introspective and certainly less complex than he was years ago in crime novels like BLACK ECHO, in which Harry was introduced. Now Connelly relies much more on action to drive his characters forward, and to that end, he has inserted another story here, though it doesn't tie in well with the first one. In the second investigation, Harry, who is actually assigned to a cold case unit, is looking into investigations that can now benefit from DNA laboratories to go over the old evidence. In an 1989 case, the rapist's blood matches a convicted sex offender named Clayton Pell, who was only eight or nine at the time of the crime. Bosch and Chu have to convince Pell to help them find the real culprit, which, like the Irving case, leads them into a complicated investigation as well as a bit of romance for Harry. Len Cariou is the long-time narrator of this series, and he has become the recognizable voice of Harry Bosch. He reads with precision and great clarity, but I find his pacing slow, with too much emphasis on major words. He has done a good job developing Chu over the last two books, giving him a distinctive tenor voice that is lighter than Harry's but just as firm. And Cariou has taken Harry's daughter Maddie from a child to someone who now sounds almost adult - just perfect. Kiz, Harry's former partner, reappears here, and I like the managerial tone her voice has taken on for her new status as the chief's assistant. Cariou not only understands his characters, but he also seems to care about them. THE DROP is an excellent audio production of another Connelly page turner. If Harry thinks he is losing his edge, Connelly surely hasn't. Both will be back, along with Cariou, for a few more volumes before Harry decides on his next move. § Karla Jay is a legally blind audio book addict, who lives in New York City, where she is Distinguished Professor of English and Women's Studies at Pace University.
Reviewed by Karla Jay, January 2012
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