Tag: Homicide

The Dark Hours – Michael Connelly

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The Dark Hours (Renée Ballard, #4; Harry Bosch, #23; Harry Bosch Universe, #36) by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review – Feb 09, 2024 

I gave this book four stars but I feel it was only worth 3.5.
There is nothing wrong with the story and perhaps I was less impressed because the protagonist was mostly Renee Ballard, not my favorite Connelly character.
Technically, it’s a Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch novel but the latter only makes a limited appearance later in the story as the female detective’s backup.
In The Dark Hours, Ballard juggles two cases, murder and rape, but struggles with everyone else in the “new L.A.P.D.” to get the job done. Of course, she can always count on retired Detective Harry Bosch for help.
The story picks up pace as Ballard bounces between the two cases, and then races to the finish line to wrap up all the bad guys in messy finale.

The Concrete Blonde – Harry Bosch

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The Concrete Blonde (Harry Bosch, #3; Harry Bosch Universe, #3) by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review Nov 24, 2023  

I’ve missed Harry Bosch.
Although this is an older title, I haven’t stumbled across one of Michael Connelly’s cop stories in a while. I’ve been able to get my Bosch fix through streaming both that series and the Lincoln Lawyer.

This book has Harry all twisted inside-out, having him involved in a big civil suit launched against him for taking out a serial killer. Then, while the trial is going on, a note appears that shows there might be a copycat killer or that Harry killed the wrong man.

Add in Bosch’s lates romance that he is trying to cling to…and various suspects he tracks down only to find he’s got the wrong guy, and The Concrete Blonde is a fast-paced read with lots of twists and turns that keeps you guessing to the end.

Two Kinds of Truth – Michael Connelly

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Two Kinds of Truth (Harry Bosch, #20; Harry Bosch Universe, #30)
by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Jan 27, 2022  


This was one of three Bosch novels I traded for while in Sayulita, Mexico. All are out of order, something that happens when you pick up cheap second-hand books to read while you’re away. If that’s not confusing enough, I’ve made it worse by watching all seasons and episodes of the Bosch TV series.
So, where it was nice to read the more in-depth literary versions of certain stories, it also had me confused at times where certain characters, partners and cases have been changed or condensed for the theatrical version. Either way, it’s all Bosch and it’s all good.
This story is typical Harry, where he won’t rest until he brings a killer to justice. Throw in an old case that comes back to haunt him, worry about his daughter, the usual politics that comes with police work, and you have another good Bosch novel.

The Night Fire – Michael Connelly

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The Night Fire (Harry Bosch, #22; Renée Ballard, #3; Harry Bosch Universe, #32)
by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Jan 25, 2022  

When will Harry Bosch be old enough to fully retire? It mentions in this book that he’s almost 70! That means he’s been chasing killers for over 40 years. That would be way more than enough for me to want something more out of life. But then who could we count on to fight for all those lost souls…the one’s that matter because they all matter.
Even though Harry is retired from policing it doesn’t stop him from teaming up with one of his old partners (Renee Ballard) to hunt down killers. And Bosch’s brother from a different mother (Mickey Haller) gets a bit of ink in this book, now that the two of them have found some common ground to get along.
I enjoyed The Night Fire but the Ballard character just doesn’t do it for me. As usual, Bosch is the anchor that holds Connelly’s ship fast.
Hopefully the author can get a few more stories out of our favorite cop character before he gets stuck in the mud at the bottom of the ocean.

The Black Ice – A Bosch Novel

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The Black Ice (Harry Bosch, #2; Harry Bosch Universe, #2)
by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Oct 08, 2021 


For me, reading a Harry Bosch novel is like inviting an old friend to dinner and catching up over beers. The Black Ice is the 2nd installment in Michael Connelly’s Bosch series, published back in 1993, but recently re-released as a paperback.

Whether it’s an old book or a new one, I can’t get enough of Harry Bosch. There’s still a few stories I haven’t read yet, but the television series has filled in a lot of the blanks. I think I’ve seen each episode at least five times now.

The Black Ice is a good story, about a Robbery/Homicide case that should have been assigned to Bosch, but he inserts himself into it anyway. The plot moves well and kept me interested throughout. And, if you’re a really sharp detective, you might pick up on a couple clues as to the major twist at the end.

I’ve rated this book five stars because it lacks nothing and is a great read.

Four Blind Mice – James Patterson

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53625Four Blind Mice (Alex Cross, #8)
by James Patterson (Goodreads Author)

15204490

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

May 31, 2020


I usually like to rag about Patterson because of all the other writers who gain attention from using his name, but this story is his, and a good one.
What made the book more enjoyable for me is his protagonist, Dr. Alex Cross. I liked the character in other books he’s in, as well as a few movies based on his exploits.
The story moves well, and is a fast read with hardly any fluff. There’s just enough backstory to keep you in the loop, and the other characters added depth to the story.
The plot seemed predictable, but a couple twists kept me curious right until the end.
A truly enjoyable book.

The Narrows – Michael Connelly

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the narrowsThe Narrows (Harry Bosch, #10; Harry Bosch Universe, #13) 
by

Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

15204490

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Feb 17, 2019  

 

What crime fiction reader doesn’t like Harry Bosch? He’s my kind of cop with an attitude similar to mine when I was on the job, but I surely didn’t take it home with me or let it keep me up at night.
Having read several books in the series I wish I’d stated from the beginning, but I stumble across them while I’m travelling and trade them up as I go.
Michael Connelly knows how to tell a good copy story, his characters and police procedures are spot on. He makes it easy to love the good guys and hate the bad ones.
In this novel Bosch teams up with FBI agent Rachel Walling, after they discover they’re both working the same case from different perspectives. I enjoyed the crossover with the Terry McCaleb story.
The plot builds speed quickly and it kept me flipping pages quick enough to act as a paper fan to keep me cool in the extreme heat here in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
What crime fiction reader doesn’t like Michael Connelly?