Search

Search only in certain items:

The Closers (Harry Bosch, #11; Harry Bosch Universe, #14)
The Closers (Harry Bosch, #11; Harry Bosch Universe, #14)
Michael Connelly | 2005 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
9
8.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Can Bosch Close a Cold Case?
Harry Bosch has returned to the LAPD, joining the Open/Unsolved Unit that has recently been established and partnering again with Kiz Rider. His first day back, they are given a new DNA hit on a cold case from 1988 to work. The case involved a sixteen-year-old girl that was murdered that summer, and the DNA was recovered from the gun that killed her. The match takes them to a petty criminal who has never been arrested for murder or come close to committing murder. Naturally, this make Bosch and Kiz question whether their suspect is guilty. If he isn’t, will he lead them to the killer?

This book started a bit slowly as we were introduced to all the players from the original investigation as Bosch and Kiz work on getting up to speed on the case and see if they can figure out how the DNA results fit. However, rest assured, there are still plenty of twists coming before the book is over, and fans of author Michael Connelly won’t be disappointed in how things unravel by the time the book ends. Bosch is still a fantastic lead character, and I enjoyed getting to spend time with Kiz again. Several other regular players pop in. Since this book takes place 17 years after the murder took place, it allows us to see how murder impacts those left behind, especially when they have no idea what happened. This adds a complexity to the book I enjoyed, and it left me wondering how these events impacted the new characters if it did at all. As always, Michael Connelly proves why he has so many fans.
  
I really like how this was presented: Each case was described, evidence was provided as to who Brown believed was the likely suspect, and the status of the case where it sits now was noted (basically, dormant). I just received my Master's in Forensic Psychology, so reading how Brown became a profiler and how she uses her knowledge to work on "cold" cases was both intriguing and helpful for me. I especially liked her idea of creating a suspect bank through ViCAP that could be accessed across the nation, in the event that a suspect in one crime crosses jurisdictions and is interviewed in relation to another crime. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the Forensic Psychology or Criminology fields, or for those who like such TV shows as the "Law and Order," "Criminal Minds," or "CSI" franchises.
  
City of Bones (Harry Bosch, #8; Harry Bosch Universe, #10)
City of Bones (Harry Bosch, #8; Harry Bosch Universe, #10)
Michael Connelly | 2002 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
6
8.2 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Can Bosch Solve a Cold Case?
Harry Bosch doesn’t take the call about a human bone serious at first, but this time it turns out that a bone from a human skeleton has been found in a Hollywood neighborhood. The skeleton is that of an abused pre-teen boy, and he’s been buried for 20 years. Can Bosch figure out who he was and bring the killer to justice?

I was looking forward to seeing Harry tackle a cold case, figuring we’d get some interesting twists along the way. Sadly, I was disappointed by the plot, which often gets overshadowed by the various sub-plots going on at the same time. The mystery’s still okay, but it’s not one of the better books by Michael Connelly. The characters are still strong, however, and much of what happens is working on Bosch, although I didn’t realize just how much character development we were getting until I reached the end of the book. The book has the usual levels of foul language, sex, and violence that fans of the series would expect, although it is more than my usual reading choices. Average Michael Connelly is still enjoyable, and I’m definitely anxious to find out what happens to Bosch next.