Tag Archives: Michael Connelly

I tend to read these Harry Bosch thrillers in a whatever order I come across them in charity/second-hand book shops, rather than the order in which the author wrote them. Sometimes, there are fun coincidences by doing that. This book is supposedly an anomaly in which Harry Bosch works as an investigator for his half-brother Micky Haller (he refers to this as the dark side, having recently retired from the LAPD): but in The Night Fire, the last book I read in this series, he did exactly the same thing!

The crossing referred to in the title is where the victim and the accused cross paths – and that’s the problem in this case. Despite efforts by the original investigators on the crime, no connection was made between Lexi Parks, a manager at the council, and Da’Quan Foster, a former gang member who now runs a reputable business. Whilst DNA evidence put DQ at the scene of the crime, Micky Haller is convinced that his client is innocent and enrols Bosch to take a look at the case. Bosch too is unsatisfied, especially given the frenzied nature of the attack.

In a parallel story line, Ellis and Long, two LA vice cops, are taking the law into their own hands – intimidating Micky Haller and his investigator as well as tailing Bosch. The challenge for Bosch is to find the real killer of Parks, starting by tracing her missing watch (a rare and expensive timepiece). He must also persuade the accused, DQ, to divulge his real alibi, which opens another line of enquiry into the recent murder of local prostitute James Allen.

This is another excellent thriller in Connelly’s Harry Bosch series – it also features his half-brother Micky Haller.

We follow two storylines. In the first, Bosch is haunted by a murder case that is under review. The convicted killer now claims that a vital piece of evidence, a necklace belonging to the deceased, was planted in his apartment by Bosch. In the second, Bosch is part of an investigation into a ‘live’ murder case of father and son pharmacists. A gang are organising wholesale distribution of prescription drugs, sending addicts to fraudulently obtain the drugs with the necessary paperwork provided by unscrupulous medics. Someone must infiltrate the gang by going undercover – but Bosch is torn because he also needs the time to clear his name for the case under review.

This book is from the Harry Bosch series by Connelly and comes at a critical time. Detective Bosch has left the cold crimes unit in the LAPD, so how can the author continue to provide him with a stream of crimes to investigate? Take on some private investigator work and volunteer for the San Fernando Police Department – that’s how. This gives an interesting mix and new dilemmas – Bosch is forbidden from using police resources (such as databases) for his private work, but will he abide by the rules?

In this thriller, Bosch investigates whether a billionaire industrialist has an heir to his fortune (a private assignment) and is hot on the tracks of a serial rapist he calls ‘The Screen Cutter’ (police work). Meanwhile, his daughter Maddie has started at university, giving a glimpse of Bosch ‘the man’ as well as the detective. I loved his attempts to improve her security by putting a dog bowl (full of water) outside the kitchen door. There’s also a cameo for Bosch’s half-brother, Micky Haller, on the inheritance case.