Harry Bosch has been retired from the LAPD for nearly a year when he starts investigating one of his unsolved cases. A production assistant on a movie had been murdered and it looked like a sex crime. Bosch had hardly started investigating when that very movie production was subject to a $2 million heist. It now looked like the murder had been a smoke screen for the heist so it was rolled into the investigation at Robbery Homicide Division. Bosch was off the case but never forgot it. The detectives who had taken over were later shot in a botched robbery while having lunch; one was dead and the other was a quadriplegic. Despite being warned off the case, Bosch dug in. The case had drawn interest from the FBI and the newly-minted Homeland Security apparatus. Was terrorism related to the heist? Had it been coincidence that the officers on the case were shot?
As usual, this is a Connelly mystery where everything ties together. No coincidences. Well, maybe there are some coincidences, Bosch has to admit but he still thinks they are rare. Of note, there are more bad actors in law enforcement. This is a common trope for Connelly and has finally gotten old for me. In order to hide the villain in plain sight, the villain is a cop, FBI agent, or the like. Sure seems like there are a lot of bad eggs.
Unlike all previous Bosch novels, this one is told in the first person. Not a fan. I didn't much like Jack McAvoy in The Poet, which was also first person. At one point, Bosch complains about new law enforcement rules that came about since 9/11; this seems more like Connelly ranting than Bosch. Bosch has a history of crossing lines to solve crimes but now he's a stickler for limiting law enforcement. Yeah, that didn't sound quite right.
Despite these complaints, it is still an excellent book and well worth the read. Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment