Type of bind: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 464
Printing Date: 2002-04
Sale Popularity Level: 235582
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
When the bones of a 12-year-old boy are found scattered in the Hollywood Hills, Harry Bosch is drawn into a case that brings up the darkest memories from his own haunted past.The bones have been buried for years, but the cold case doesnt deter Bosch. Unearthing hidden stories, he finds the childs identity and reconstructs his fractured life, determined that he not be forgotten. At the same time, a new love affair with a female cop begins to blossom for Boschuntil a stunningly blown mission leaves Bosch in more trouble that ever before in his turbulent career.The investigation races to a shocking conclusion and leaves Bosch on the brink of an unimaginable decisionone that will leave readers hungrily awaiting Michael Connellys subsequent masterpiece.
Amazon.com Review:
Since his very first appearance in 1992's Edgar-winning The Black Echo, Detective Hieronymous 'Harry' Bosch has joined Dennis Lehane's Patrick and Angie, George Pelecanos's Derek Strange, and Greg Rucka's Atticus Kodiak in the pantheon of new-school hard-boiled detectives. Rather than giving Bosch a clever gimmick (like Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme, who is a quadriplegic), Michael Connelly embraces the noir archetype: Bosch, an L.A. homicide detective, is a chain-smoking loner who refuses to play by his superiors' rules. Although he has quit smoking, Harry's still the same tightlipped outsider, taking each crime as a personal affront as he tries to cleanse his beloved city of the darkness he sees engulfing it.
In City of Bones, Connelly's eighth Bosch title, Bosch and his well-dressed partner, Jerry Edgar, are working to identify a child's skeleton, buried for 20 years in the forest off Hollywood's Wonderland Drive, and to bring the killer to belated justice. For Bosch this is more than just another homicide, as the mystery child, beaten and abandoned, comes to represent much of what he sees as evil in his city. Add in a tragic love affair with a fellow cop, complications from overzealous media, and the growing feeling that he's fighting a losing battle about which no one cares, and the usually stoic Bosch is pushed to his limits. This isn't the strongest plot Connelly has concocted for Bosch, but it leads to an ending the whole series has been building toward. The conclusion may not shock longtime fans, but it will leave them wondering where the series will go from here. --Benjamin Reese
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Rated by buyers -
One quick look through some of these reviews and I was very surprised with how many people seemed to give away major plot twists and plot points without realizing that this type of thing will ruin the book for anyone who'se considering reading it. I won't do that, except to say that this story is a very well-thought out mystery in the long-running Harry Bosch series, one that involves the constant struggle with the media that police in this country obviously face and how this can lead to corruption. The setup and mystery is definitely not one of the better or more complex ones in the series but it's easily one of the fastest-paced. Centered in here is a love story, which has been a rarity in this series.
It's a breath of fresh air overall, and the plot takes its shocking turns. What stops this from reaching the 5-stars of Harry Bosch novels such as Lost Light are a number of factors...first of all, a very traumatic event happens in around the middle of the book and it's a stunning development...yet Harry Bosch seems to forget this over time. There was a very sad moment involving a note at the end of the story but aside from that, it sort of went the rest of the story without playing a central role, which was a little disappointing. The mystery itself, also, ended with surprising loose ends for a Connelly novel. I'm used to detailed explanations at the end of my Harry Bosch novels but this time it never occurs, leaving the villain's motives totally unexplained (aside from an assumption) and same went for a much-needed explanation of why a cop acted the way they did in the middle of the story....never happens.
Still, though, this is a recommended Harry Bosch novel. Good stuff.
Rated by buyers 
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I won't rehash the plot summary since most reviews do that...I'll just jump right into what I thought of the book. To start, I have to mention that this is the very first Harry Bosch novel I have read. I was given the book as a gift, and decided to read it before going out and buying the very first in the series. I love that the story involves an investigation that feels "real." There are no over the top clues, and the detectives don't just go out, find things, and wrap up the case in 48 hours which seems to happen in so many stories to keep the action flowing. Harry Bosch is a real detective and his investigation takes some time. Also, Connelly does a superb job in demonstrating to the reader the inner workings of a real cop. He seems to know how they tick. I enjoyed the behind the scenes stuff and inner workings of Bosch more than the plot of the murder.
That being said, the novel left me feeling a little empty inside. For a fascinating setup to a story with a dog digging up a human bone in the woods, I felt let down by the rest of the plot. The ending was totally anti-climactic as other detectives brought down the "bad guy" while we were stuck in Bosch's point of view a distance away from the action, wondering what was going on. Too many strings were left untied, as we never find out what really happened in one of the biggest plot twists and certainly the best action sequence. In addition, there seemed to be some continuity issues in play. Harry cracks a few ribs at the beginning of the book, and it is mentioned a few times as being very painful for him over the subsequent few days. Then, all of a sudden, it is never mentioned again, and he is able to do some incredibly strenuous activities that nobody would be able to do a few days after breaking their ribs. I know it sounds like I'm nit-picking a bit, but a great book should not have those issues.
I finished reading the book about a week ago and I still can't decide if I liked it or not. It kept me engaged throughout, but still left me wanting more from the experience when I was done. Overall, I would probably give the book more like a 3.5 rating. I recommend it for an entertaining read, but don't expect to be blown away. I am going to try to read some of the earlier Bosch novels now, and I suggest other readers do the same first. From what I hear, those are much more engaging.
Rated by buyers 
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I enjoyed reading this book very much, from the very start to the very end. Once I began reading I could not put it down. This happens to me with all of Michael Connelly's books. I highly recommend them ALL.
Rated by buyers -
Another Connelly book written to justify a publishers advance (my guess). It fares better than A Darkness More Than Light and The Overlook both of which are extremely weak.
But not much better. I figured out the killer right after Bosch interviews the dead boys father and he says he did it.
Bosch resigns at the end of the book and it is totally unconvincing.
Nothing spectacular here. It's readable, sometimes predictable, but also forgettable.
And, my pet peeve about Connelly's writing is back in full swing. His use of the word "nodded". I counted it six times in two pages at one point. His editor really needs to get with it.
Rated by buyers 
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This reflects the highest rating for Connelly's brilliant plotting, deft characterizations, and fine writing, and unfortunately, the lowest rating for the reader, Len Cariou. I have read and listened to many Connelly books featuring Harry Bosch. Up til now, I have heard Dick Hill as the narrator, and he is matchless in his interpretation of Harry Bosch and all other characters on Connelly's books. I'm sure Cariou is a fine actor, but with the voice of Harry Bosch so firmly entrenched with Dick Hill, I was distracted while listening to this audio. Cariou doesn't even seem to realize that both of Harry's partners (Kiz and Edgar) are African American and instead made Edgar sound like a nasal voiced whiner. I see that most of the rest of the series (I'm following them in order) feature Cariou's voice - so I will have to think hard about continuing to listen. Very, very disappointing!
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