This is the third in Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, and starts by giving us a flashback to the Dollmaker case that’s been referenced a few times in the first two books. The narrative then jumps forward to the present, and leads us into a court case where Bosch (and the LAPD) is being sued by the Dollmaker’s widow. As the trial gets under way, Bosch receives a letter from someone claiming to be the real Dollmaker, suggesting that Bosch killed the wrong man four years earlier. What follows is an interesting mix of legal drama meets crime thriller.
I picked this one up out of curiosity, and on reflection I have to say it wasn’t too bad. It’s a bit by-the-numbers in places (washed-up cop with a drink problem and a broken marriage), but manages to keep itself fresh with a storyline that includes more than a few twists along the way.
This is the second book by John le Carré, and the second to focus on the character of George Smiley. It is also the only book to feature Smiley that isn’t a tale of cold war espionage.
The Black Ice is the second Harry Bosch book and in my opinion shows a marked improvement over the first in terms of style and substance. Starting with the apparent suicide of a cop the narrative quickly becomes convoluted and engrossing, eventually leading to a twist that isn’t exactly telegraphed but which I have to admit I did see coming quite early.
I picked up a copy of this book for free through a Kindle promotion over the Christmas period, and as I’m a bit of a fan of hardboiled detective stories I finally decided to give it a read. To be honest, I’m having a mixed reaction to this one.
Deadly Heat is the fifth book in the Nikki Heat series by the totally fictitious author Richard Castle (played by the ruggedly handsome Nathan Fillion on the TV show Castle), and as with the previous four it’s a damn fine read.
The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly
