Customer Reviews

The Black Ice

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Michael Connelly's books are definitively within the "hard-boiled urban detective" genre that historically has been highlighted by the work of Raymond Chandler and other great mystery writers. *The Black Ice* is the second in a series of novels with LAPD detective Hieronymous Bosch as the protagonist (the first was *The Black Echo*), and it's definitely a winner. There's murder, intrigue, twists and turns in the plot, and plenty of action, as well.

One thing that Connelly does particularly well is to include geographical/place descriptions in his work. When one reads his descriptions of life in Los Angeles or travels to a bordertown like Mexicali, these places really do seem real and are accurately depicted.

The book is not perfect; as in so many police mysteries, sometimes the clues come just a bit too neatly packaged, and at times this doesn't seem realistic. But then, real police work is probably pretty dull 90% of the time (false leads, endless drudgery, etc.), so streamlining the process for the sake of fast-moving fiction is certainly forgiveable. The other thing that had me rolling my eyes a bit is the obligatory "romantic angle" that seems always to be a subplot in these books. Again, it's kind of a sacred part of the genre, but wouldn't it be interesting if for once Bosch noted the "gorgeous but sad woman" and then went about his business without becoming involved with her?

All in all, this is a terrific book and an absorbing, "can't put it down" read. One last thing: I would recommend that people who wish to read the Bosch novels start with the first (*The Black Echo*) and read them in chronological order, as Connelly is very careful in his novels about maintaining accurate references to what has happened to his protagonist previously.

Michael Connelly consistently delivers exciting hard-boiled police procedurals with Harry Bosch in control. In Black Ice Bosch is cut out of an investigation of an apparent suicide of narcotics officer Calexico Moore by the bigwigs of the department. They want to do what is pc and Bosch is definitely not that. At the same time Bosch's supervisor Pound feels compelled to increase the percentages of his homicides solved so Bosch is elected to solve some cases of an out on stress leave detective, Porter. Harry realizes that Porter's case, his own and Moore's "suicide" are all tied together. As usual Bosch cuts corners and goes out on his own to make the pieces fit.

An excellent read for any fan of mystery and suspense. Connelly is always exciting and hard to put down. I am ready for a new one. For anyone unfamiliar with Connelly and Harry Bosch, read them in order and not spread out over years as I have done.

Let me preface this review by saying that I'm a big Connelly fan. I've read virtually all of his books but never got around to reading his sophomore effort "The Black Ice" until now. And I have to say that I was a bit disappointed.

In his Edgar Award winning first novel, "The Black Echo", Connelly delved deep into the demons of main character Harry Bosch's past and relates it to the case before him. In "The Black Ice", Connelly focuses less on the development and insight into Bosch's character and more on Bosch's hard-nosed determination to find the link between two cases, one involving the murder of a "Juan" Doe and the other involving the apparent suicide of a cop in the narcotics unit.

First the positives: There are flashes of vintage Connelly in this book, such as attention to detail when involving the reader in the different locales Bosch visits in pursuit of his investigation. And without revealing too much, the investigation takes us to both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, and Bosch's struggle to keep the case moving forward while still trying to maintain the appearance of compliance with Mexican law enforcement officials is particularly interesting.

Now the reason for 3 stars: To be honest, it's a bit slow. Connelly focuses too many pages of the book on the investigation of the narcotics cop's suicide, then once the results of that is revealed, the book then goes into a whirlwind of activity that makes the story seem disjointed, as if one author wrote the first half and another author wrote the second half.

You also sympathize less with Bosch's character in this book. Again, without revealing too much, Bosch "intimate" encounters in this book make you almost hate him. Then Bosch will later reflect upon the muck of being a cop and the lack of morality he sees in the city, and how he tries to rise above that. I understand that Bosch is imperfect and scarred, but the aforementioned activities Bosch indulges in make him look like a (for lack of a better term) complete jerk.

The ending is also a bit cliched, and it seems Connelly really tried to pattern the cookie cutter outline of this book to some of Raymond Chandler's works, namely the Long Goodbye. Unfortunately, I think The Black Ice falls short.

For Connelly fans, let me give you an idea of how I rank this book to his other works: I would give The Black Echo and Bloodwork 5 stars, Trunk Music (which got lukewarm reception from reviewers but which I enjoyed) I would give 4 stars, and The Poet, which I thought was Connelly's most disappointing and weakest work, I would give 2 stars. The Black Ice gets 3 stars from me... it's not a horrible read, but if you happened to have skipped this book during your journey through the Harry Bosch series, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to not go back.

After reading the black echo, I found the black ice a more consistent story, far more interesting and credible. This time Harry is driven down to the US- Mexican border in his quest to solve a drug related crime of an anti-narcotics unit cop who apparently crossed to the bad side of the line. Harry, stubborn, bright and cunning makes his own decisions, shows a little quota of contempt and rebels himself against his bosses making him an example of self determination and a character of his own.

In my opinion, this work would have been a little bit better if in some chapters action were slowed down in exchange for more suspense, adding bogus elements, scary episodes and false clues to confuse and frighten the reader moving him down to the edge of his chair, Nevertheless, the book is compelling, original, very graphic, entertaining and though keeping on a main line of investigation all the way along, ends with a master twist (the best) that almost knocked me off my own chair showing the top quality of Mr. Connelly as a crime writer

The Black Ice, Michael Connelly's second crime novel in the Harry Bosch series is great. Engrossing and well-plotted, the novel concerns the apparent suicide of one of Bosch's fellow LA police officers. Bosch is drawn into the tangled web of the officer's life which brings him to Mexico and deep into the heart of black ice--a potent drug invading LA's streets. The conclusion is surprising, yet still believable. This is an excellent crime novel, very enjoyable.

A cop is found in a motel, apparently the victim of suicide. Harry Bosch isn't so sure. He finds a connection between the dead cop and the importation of a new designer drug called black ice which is coming from Mexico. His investigation, which for the most part is unauthorised, takes him from his home turf in LA, down to the US - Mexico border.

This is the second Harry Bosch book, following on from The Black Echo, and Harry Bosch is proving to be a real rebel in the LAPD. The action comes thick and fast when Harry's on the trail, and no stone is left unturned, either legally or otherwise. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the hard-boiled police procedural genre.

Since I only recently started reading the Michael Connelly series featuring Harry Bosch, I made sure to start reading them in order. This 2nd book is just as great as the first book(Black Echo)and the story delves a bit more into Harry's character-something that you will likely find in all of Connelly's books featuring Harry Bosch. This time around Harry gets involved(without the approval of police brass-surprise)in the murder of fellow detective Calexico Moore, found dead in a rundown hotel room. As expected, there's more than one plot that intertwines as the story develops. Harry takes over the cases of a detective he works with in the RHD, a man with a drinking problem who suddenly calls in saying he's taking early retirement. The first case Harry looks into involves a dead laborer found just outside of a diner frequented by cops. It so happens that particular case was worked on by none other than the late Det. Cal Moore and bingo! Harry, with a little extra research starts to put two and two together and you're well on your way to a fast moving, mesmerizing story with a really surprise ending. Very highly recommended, especially for those that enjoy good mystery/suspense stories with unlike detective heroes.

I can't get enough of Michael Connelley. I was introduced to him in 'Void Moon' and I haven't been disappointed yet! 'The Black Ice' introduces the reader back to Harry Bosch who is investigating the apparent suicide of an anti-narcotics cop. But, as usual, things are not always as they seem in Boschs' world and soon is in Mexico, looking for answers that involves drugs and a body count.

Bosch is a superb character and Connelly is sensational at developing him and making a brilliant story to go along with it. The reason that I love picking up anything that Connelly has written is that everything he writes is different and extremely entertaining and that is what keeps me coming back for more!

If you are sick of the usual 'whodunit's and want thrillers with a twist or few, then pick up The Black Ice or Void Moon, you won't be disappointed!

This is the third Connelly that I have read, and the first featuring Harry Bosch. I was really impressed, and this makes me want to pick up all the Bosch novels. It is moody and dark, with and well-drawn and well-developed characters. While Connelly's non-Bosch works were quite good, this genuinely approaches great.

The story features drugs and corruption between Mexico and the LAPD. Bosch is a character who is a tough maverick in a believable kind of way. He is hard-boiled but still has some soft points-- standard requirements for the classic noir detective. The way that he makes the character interact with the plot is less standard. Too often, writers who are working in the noir side of the genre create nothing but faithful imitations of Chandler or Hammett. Connelly is brave enough to update the form, and it succeeds fantastically.

If the rest of the Bosch books are as good as this one, then I do not think it will take me very long to work my way through the collection. Recommended.

In "The Black Ice," Michael Connelly delivers another spellbinding mystery initially set in the underbelly of Los Angeles. Connelly owns this turf as no mystery writer has since Raymond Chandler: the Hollywood Hills, hugged by houses perched precariously on stilts; the once-respectable, now seedy motels; the dirty streets; the hierarchy of bars, from bleak to bleaker to bleakest; and the empty, soul-less creatures who need one more shot to get through another day. This is the Los Angeles where Hieronymous (Harry) Bosch tries to piece together a puzzling series of murders, which start as separate crimes but are soon seen to be interrelated.

No "Joe Friday" LAPD booster, Bosch works his cases alone, often contending with the infighting within the LAPD and the rivalry between the LAPD and other agencies. The bureaucracy itself can be mindboggling. Bosch is initially assigned to one of these cases simply to improve his division's "cleared" statistics. As Bosch walks through Parker Center (LAPD headquarters), he is acutely aware of the jealously-guarded fiefdoms invisibly dividing each floor. And his initial meeting with a DEA agent, where each man is holding back information, sadly rings true.

The cases themselves, starting with the suicide of a fellow officer and spreading to the deaths of drug dealers and more, take Bosch from Los Angeles to the sister cities of Calexico and Mexicali. Connelly has clearly done his research, and the descriptions of those cities and the bull-fighting spectacles south of the border are first rate. Despite being both helped and hampered by the Mexican police, Bosch painstakingly solves the cases. The last plot twist was a complete surprise to me.

This is the second Harry Bosch mystery I've read (I'm reading them in order) and I believe it is even better than Michael Connelly's first, Edgar-winning effort, "The Black Echo." I look forward to reading more works by this engaging author.