Customer Reviews

Angels Flight: A Harry Bosch Novel

5 star:		(111)
4 star:		(68)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ever since I read Connelly's *The Black Echo*, the first of the Harry Bosch mysteries, I've been hooked on these wonderfully complex, fabulously written novels. Bosch is (predictably) "hard-boiled and melancholy, but with a heart of gold," as befits this venerable fictional genre. Yes, there are many, MANY cop/P.I. detective series out there, but in my estimation, Connelly's Bosch series is the best, and *Angels Flight* shows why.

The theme in this novel is the atmosphere of racial distrust and recriminations against the Los Angeles police that has emerged in the wake of the Rodney King cases and the O.J. Simpson trial. Connelly succeeds for the most part in capturing the tragic essence of what has been wrought by the legacy of police misconduct and the African American reaction to it in the city of angels.

Not surprisingly, he is most effective in presenting the police perspective here: the outrage and frustration at the deterioration of police credibilty in the community overall; the combination of anger and grudging admiration that a get-the-police black attorney might elicit from conscientious police professionals; the increasing disillusionment as the politicization of police affairs becomes ever more complete.

If there is a weakness in Connelly's adventuresome foray into political territory, it's related to the delicate and difficult race-related theme he has addressed here. To succeed totally in this endeavor, Connelly must navigate through some extremely tricky sociological issues, and it becomes apparent that he might be in a bit over his head in this regard. When attempting to provide the African American perspective on police presence and conduct in LA, for example, Connelly does a decent but not outstanding job. Clearly, here he is an "outsider."

This flaw is forgiveable, of course, in light of the fact that his principal task is to provide an engrossing police mystery. Here, he succeeds brilliantly, as always. Along the way, he presents a picture of contemporary society that is dark, frightening, almost hopeless. To say that this novel is "noir" is an understatement. Connelly's portrayal of human nature, contemporary police and civil politics, and the ongoing deterioration of "the California dream" in the city of angels is stunningly powerful. This is not a book that will appeal to the faint of heart.

As always, there is a thread in this novel that continues "the story" where it left off in his previous mystery in which Bosch was the protagonist. Consequently, whereas this book certainly can provide a can't-put-it-down read for those who have never read any of the previous Bosch mysteries, these books are best appreciated if they are read in chronological order, beginning with *The Black Echo*.

Currently, I've been reading Dennis Lehane and Robert Crais mysteries. These are terrific, but as I turn the pages I can't wait for the next Bosch novel to be released.

Angels Flight is not as good as Void Moon, but it is still a great crime novel. Connelly is your better-than-average crime/suspense novelist and he doesn't disappoint with Angels Flight.

Harry Bosch is great & the story basically is about the murder of 2 people, one being a high-profile lawyer. It is better than just your average 'whodunit' as it is still political enough to be interesting and still clever enough to keep you guessing throughout the book, with enough twists to make it believable.

After a few crappy crime/suspense novels that I have read in the last couple of days, Connelly was just the ticket to get me back into great ones again & I have just ordered all his books!

I am an avid reader of this genre of books, and Michael Connelly has never disappointed me with any of his efforts that I've read (The Poet, Trunk Music, and now this) I am 30 chapters into this book and could barely put it down long enough to get on the internet and check my e-mail.

Connelly continues his first rate series concerning Harry Boesch and the L.A.P.D. As usual with Connelly, the plotting is tight and the story moves at a fast pace. This Boesch story is especially compelling with its focus on the Los Angeles racial tensions between Blacks and the Police. A prominent Black attorney is murdered on the eve of an important civil rights case which may seriously tarnish the reputation of the L.A.P.D. Connelly masterfully mines this fertile material for maximum impact and relevance to the current racial climate in Los Angeles. As usual, Harry Boesch is an excellent character who brings some compassion and humanity into another ugly situation. This is one of Connelly's best books.

Reading a Harry Bosch novel you're surely in for delicate cases, interwoven plots and strange outcomes. Here, Connelly tries it too hard, wich makes a fine meta-reading, but can't really succeed on the story-telling level.

The Plot:

L.A. most celebrated black lawyer is dead. Killed. Obviously by a police officer. L.A. is on the brink of another week of looting and crime. Bosch has to investigate together with his arch-enemy chastain. FBI takes charge, too and so three teams set out to clear the case within a few hours before L.A. becomes inferno. Bosch's lead is a good one, leading him to child abuse, blackmail, police crimes and so on. Three Head pop up when one is cut off.

The execution:

This has got to be the book with most sub-plots, surprise, table-turnings that Connelly has written so far. And, be sure, these things are his trademark. Somewhere in the book you find yourself sweating to keep track what's going on. And so is the hero: Harry Bosch nearly stumbles through this book, but then, there's nothing much left for him to do.

The Verdict:

A critic or wanna-be writer will surely admire this book for its complexity and skill, the normal reader will be somewhat bewildered at what's going on all the time. But then, at least there is no sign of stretching the story too far, as Connelly usually does to get his pages full. This time, with all its contens, the book could, should have been longer since characterization is lead to a cardboard minimum. Nevertheless the strongest Harry Bosch Novel.

I've never read a Michael Connely book before so I didn't know what to expect, but I have to say that I was very impressed with this very entertaining book. It had me guessing down to the very end,and it was filled with twists and turns you will not expect. I agree with one of the other reviewers who said the author should get rid of Eleanor (Bosch's wife) as she is the most depressing, miserable character in a work of fiction I've read this year. But, if you are looking for a very entertaining, police procedural mystery I would strongly recommend this book

FROM THE BACK/CASE: "An activist attorney is killed in a cute little L.A. Trolley called Angels Flight, far from Harry Bosch's Hollywood turf. But the case is so explosive - and the dead man's enemies inside the L.A.P.D. are so numerous - that it all falls to Harry to solve it. Now the streets are superheating. Harry's year-old Vegas marriage is unraveling. And the hunt for a killer is leading Harry to another high-profile L.A. murder case, one where every cop had a motive. The question is, did any have the guts?"

It's post Rodney King and every thing that the L.A.P.D. does is constantly being scrutinized. Now, a Civil Rights attorney who is preparing to sue the L.A.P.D. and several of its officers is murdered. This leads to Detective Harry Bosch and his team being called out in the middle of the night. It doesn't take them long after they arrive on the scene to determine that they are being put in charge of a political keg of TNT that could blow up right in their faces if they aren't careful. During the investigation Harry discovers that the attorney had enough evidence to win the case. Did a cop kill the attorney? Did a civilian commit the murder? These are the questions that Harry, his team and you need to find.

Mr. Connelly wrote this in such a manner that picking the killer early was easy; however, he left enough doubt to keep you guessing. With the plot twists, he does a great job at making you wonder if your choice is correct.

This is the first book my Michael Connelly that I have had the pleasure to experience. Being one who commutes in a high traffic area and gets very tired of morning DJ's, I chose the abridged audio version of this book. This version was narrated by Burt Reynolds who did a good job with most of the male characters. Unfortunately, when he would do the voices of the female characters I would get this vision of him in drag which distracted some from the book but not enough to make you lose interest. Another thing I didn't like is the back of the case stated that Harry's Vegas marriage is unraveling but his wife is never mentioned in the book nor is she ever at home regardless of the time of day or night. I understand that this is just one of the Harry Bosch novels, but if this isn't part of this particular story line, it shouldn't have been included in the description of the book.

One of the things I liked about this novel is the way that Mr. Connelly painted the character of Harry and Mr. Reynolds brought him to life. He was painted as a hard core detective who really detested the L.A.P.D. bureaucratic stuff (if you know what I mean).

When I was determining if I wanted to give this book a try, I noticed that it has been listed as everything from mystery to suspense to thriller. Personally if you are a fan of the hard core detective genre, then you're going to like Angels Flight.

Published in 1999 this book has never been nominated for any awards. Though I liked this book and rated it four stars, I agree that it isn't award nomination material.

Though Angels Flight has never been nominated for an award, I am including a list of some of Mr. Connelly's accomplishments for your information.

AWARDS:

NOMINATED:

(3) Anthony Award 1993, 1994, 1996
(2) Edgar Allan Poe Award 1999, 2003

WON:

(3) Anthony Award 1997, 1999, 2003
(1) Edgar Allan Poe Award 1993

Angels Flight is an above average novel that takes place in L.A. with everything the cops do being scrutinized. This leads to some very delicate situations when Harry is assigned to investigate the death of a black Civil Rights attorney. Like I stated earlier, if you like Mystery/Suspense or Hard Core Detective novels, then read or listen to Angels Flight. It is a smooth flowing novel with some twists and turns to keep you guessing if your assumptions are right.

Being the first novel by Michael Connelly that I have experienced I can't recommend any specific titles that I have read. I can recommend his award winning titles which include, The Black Echo, Bloodwork, City of Bones and The Poet.

If you enjoy the works of authors such as James Lee Burke and Lawrence Block, then you will enjoy the works of Michael Connelly, or at least, Angels Flight.

In the post-Rodney King and OJ era, race is a huge factor in the affairs of the LAPD. When a vociferous police critic, black lawyer Howard Elias, is gunned down on an LA trolley, the Angel's Flight, racial tensions come to the fore. Detective Harry Bosch knows that damage control is a top priority when he is assigned to the case with his two black partners, Rider and Edgar. But his actions are constrained by the IAD and the FBI being assigned to the case, with Asst Chief Irving being apprised of every move.

Since Elias' current case involved police brutality, it is widely assumed that a cop gunned down the attorney. Bosch has to walk a tightrope in avoiding a rush to judgment and following the trail left by Elias. From a series of anonymous letters, the situation in which Bosch finds himself veers in the direction of pedophilia as the cause of a young girl's death, with ramifications for Elias.

The book moves slowly at first, with much time devoted to getting warrants and searching offices, apartments, etc. In the midst of all of this, Bosch's new wife (see Trunk Music), Eleanor, decides that she prefers a world of gambling to that of a policeman's wife. Justice is finally served, with deserved high costs to a leading LA family and not-deserved costs to a cop's family.

Bosch is his usual skeptical self, daring to question assumptions and superficialities. He is able to obtain a measure of justice for the community, while his personal affairs unravel. Another good Connelly book, but not the best.

Another Harry Bosch novel involves us in this unusual detective who manages to perserve his essential goodness despite everything the author, Michael Connelly, can throw at him. In this novel it includes a bored wife, bad cops, horrible crimes and even greater temptations. Bosch rises above all and we rush to finsh, turning pages with frantic energy. Dialogue is sharp and the pace is great. Very satisfying.

I have generally regarded The Concrete Blonde as the best of the Connelly catalogue, but that view has changed. Angels Flight is an exceptionally good novel. The mystery element is good but it's not what makes this a great novel. Connelly has always been good at exposing the reader to the politics of the LAPD, but never more so than in Angels Flight. There is a racially charged element to the murder in this novel that results in political maneuvering and gamesmanship that I found fascinating. The novel effectively explores issues of racism in the context of a city rocked by Rodney King and OJ Simpson.

Bosch is a character with real depth and he's given a lot to deal with in this novel. His relationship with his wife is unraveling and he doesn't understand why, a former partner is being used as a scapegoat, and his team is being used as pawns in a high stakes political game. Harry is a flawed and real human being who occasionally missteps, who questions his own judgment at times, who occasionally lets his temper get the better of him but who can also be pragmatic enough to know when he has to `go along to get along' - even when it doesn't sit well with him.

This is a well plotted novel. Admittedly, some of the plot twists are a little predictable, but this is a very entertaining police procedural elevated by Connelly's insight into the LAPD and the fully realized character of Harry Bosch. This is an intelligent, compelling page turner that is easily one of the best crime novels I have ever read.

Highly recommended.