Saturday, August 21, 2021

The Burning Room

The Open-Unsolved Unit has doubled in size.  All the partner pairs have been split to welcome aboard a slate of rookies.  Bosch has been paired with Lucy Soto, a young officer who was promoted to detective in the wake of a shootout that killed her partner.  Bosch has doubts about her, thinking her elevation is more of a political move than a meritorious one.  She bypassed a lot of officers with more experience.  On this particular day, Bosch is at the autopsy of a man who was shot 10 years earlier.  Despite living 10 years after his injury, his death is classified a homicide.  Though originally assumed to be a random drive-by shooting, the recovery of the bullet that was lodged in the victim's spine leads to a different conclusion.  There other case involved an arson from 1993.  This is the inspiration for the most recent - and final - season of the TV series.  However, beyond the initial setup of an arson and dead residents, there are no similarities.  The book storyline is much more satisfying.  Of note, Rachel Walling makes a brief appearance, hinting at what Jack McAvoy has been doing since leaving the LA Times.

Bosch has had a series of unappealing partners since he left Jerry Edger.  Lucy Soto proved to be a nice change of pace and an excellent partner.  All in all, another great book by Connelly.  Highly recommended.

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