Customer Reviews

City of Bones

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(74)
3 star:		(42)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have heard lots of good comments about the Harry Bosch novels and I was not disappointed with this seventh book of the series. Bosch is a hard boiled homocide detective in the Hollywood division of the LAPD who gets a call that a dog has discovered a human bone. The investigation uncovers a 20 year old murder of a 12 year-old boy who was the victim of child abuse. As the case proceeds, Bosch meets and becomes involved with a rookie cop named Julia Brasher, who has an idealistic view of police work.
Some information leaks and false clues initially sidetrack the investigation but slowly the victim is identified and his short and tortured life revealed. Connelly draws his characters with fine strokes and his development of the details of the police procedures which are key to solving cases was really fascinating to me. Understanding the murder book, how warrants were drawn up and served, and details behind the forensic investigation added to my enjoyment of the story.

False directions provide intrigue but I was a little disappointed with the unsatisfying way the murderer was revealed and dealt with.

All in all though, a fast paced (I read it in one 24 hour period), and very enjoyable read.

I bought 'City of Bones' when it first came out, but put off reading it for a bit. The last couple of Connelly's novels about Detective Harry Bosch seemed a bit off pace, so I was waiting for a tolerant moment. Once I started reading I discovered that my premonitions were wrong, and that this was going to be a high water mark in the eight volume series.

Michael Connelly has a trick of creating an introspective mood without actually making his characters become solipsistic, and 'City of Bones' at its deepest level is about Harry Bosch coming to grips with his own beliefs and needs. This subtext threads its way through a case involving the 20-year-old corpse of a young boy found buried in a small plot of woods. Cases this old are rarely soluble, but somehow just enough information keeps coming to the surface to keep Bosch and his partner, Jerry Edgar, working away at the case. Gradually Bosch becomes fixated on the case as its ramifications begin to have echoes in his own life.

One of the key factors in Bosch's character development is a new relationship with rookie police officer Julia Brasher. She is the officer on duty at the murder site, and is drawn into the investigation. This relationship becomes the model for all the other relationships in the book; especially those Bosch has with his partner and his work. In the end it triggers something unexpected in the older detective, and will eventually cause him to make some surprising decisions.

Beyond the character level, the plot is tightly drawn and well paced. Generally, a story that turns on forensic police procedure is interesting rather than exciting, but Connelly has goes to great lengths to prove that this does not have to be the case. There is a surfeit of plot twists and the high emotional pitch will keep the reader on tenterhooks - a delightful form of torture, too rarely experienced in the present.

Obviously, I enjoyed the book. I found myself intentionally slowing down my reading speed in order to extend my pleasure with a writer whose minimalist style always seems to have more to say than the efforts of wordier contemporaries. This is a milestone in the Harry Bosch series, but hopefully not its last, shining moment.

"City of Bones" was a happy reunion for me. I met again the Michael Connelly to whom I was introduced in "Black Echo" and "Concrete Blonde" and "Black Ice" that electrified me with his broody LA, sharp characterizations and twisting suspense. No one in "City of Bones" is 100 percent nice or straight arrow, though all are very recognizable. I had my usual problems with Harry, always wanting to tell him to lighten up a bit. By this time, I should be resigned. Harry Bosch is to gloom like Goldie Hawn is to giggles.

Harry walks into a cold case when a dog digs up an old bone in Laurel Canyon that turns out to be human. Harry's superiors are unenthusiastic because the chances of closing a 20-year old case are slim to none. Harry is grimly determined because when more of skeleton is found, it is ascertained the victim was an abused child. Harry first runs afoul of a former girl friend Medical Examiner (suspiciously close to Cornwell's Kay Scapetta) who has risen so far in the world; she cares more about photo ops than the integrity of the case. Along with hard working cops, there are plethoras of politician/cops who are willing to set up and convict the first likely guy that comes up on the radar. As if Harry doesn't have enough troubles, an ill-fated romance with a police rookie streaks across his horizon. He antagonizes his own partner with his lone wolf tactics, and seemingly neglects an obvious suspect for far too long.

The denouement has twist after twist, surprise after surprise leaving us breathless and far behind Harry all the way. Then Harry gets another idea, leaving us hollering, "wait a minute!" but Harry just keeps walking right off the last page.

With "Blood Work" (1998 ) set to become a major motion picture and "A Darkness More Than Night" (2001) receiving plaudits one might think ace crime writer Michael Connelly would be resting on his laurels, film rights, and royalties. Not so. The energetic author now presents "City Of Bones," another in his bestselling Harry Bosch series.

This time detective Harry Bosch faces off with a child murderer, a killer who has remained on the loose for nearly two decades. Once a dog uncovers what appears to be a human bone in the woods of Hollywood Hills, Bosch is called. It takes the savvy sleuth only a glance to realize this is a child's arm bone.

Once the media spreads the word Laurel Canyon is crawling with police, amateur crime solvers, the curious, reporters, and (true to Connelly form) a gorgeous young police officer whom Harry takes under his wing in more ways than one.

As additional remains are unearthed Bosch determines the bones are those of a long dead abused boy. Obviously, there's a killer out there who believes he's home free, and Bosch is haunted by black images of his own childhood. The pressure is mounting and it's all on Bosch.

Few can bring to life the components of a police investigation as capably and thoroughly as former crime reporter Connelly. Authenticity and rapid fire action make "City Of Bones" another can't-put-it-down read.

- Gail Cooke

Lets start off with telling you how much i love Michael Connelly's books, but then this one just left me not satisfied at all.

first off, the book got me really hooked, i really liked it alot!

when a simple walk out with the dog turns up a bone from the woods, and investigation goes out to search for where the bone comes from. very good with some details and such, but then the only negative of this book is that it left too many questions unanswerd. I didn't like it the way it ended, when they find or think this person is the kids killer, then bam...what the?? i really wanted to know what went on! if i give any more information about it, then i would basically be giving away the book.

its a good read, but if your the type that doesn't like to dwell on why this wasn't answered or what happened to cause this killing...then this book isn't for you.

This is a must buy and read Harry Bosch book!

Harry is at his peak in this one, and I took only one break while reading it. It is non-stop reading and riveting! The plot is an excellent one and as Connelly usual, a very twisty ending (unexpected).

This is for any mystery fan really - honestly. The title signifies a horror found in the hills, and Harry must work to solve this one. Despite the usual struggles, Harry works out the obstacles his own way, in his own fashion, and some of it hurts. But true to the Bosch vernacular, Harry tracks down the bones and his own ghosts. Buy it! Read it! Then buy the whole series and read them from the beginning to the newest!

Connelly's detective (Harry Bosch) is as insightful, anti-authoritarian, and occasionally glum as always. The plot is twisting. And the action unfolds at a good but unexaggerated pace. It's great mystery/police-procedural reading. And yet it doesn't have the same spark and wit and personal quirks that the earlier ones (which are 5 stars plus) do. But start with earlier Bosch and come to this willing to cut some slack and it's well worth it. (The reader on the audio version (unabridged) has good voice characterizations that keep all conversations clear and add some emotion.)

It was a dog that found the first bone in the Hollywood Hills, and brought it home. His owner, a retired doctor, identified it immediately as a human arm bone, probably from a ten or twelve year old child, and called the police. After finding about sixty percent of the remaining skeleton in a shallow grave, forensic experts figured the boy had died about twenty years ago from a blow to the back of the head. But it was his short life that tormented Los Angeles Homicide Detective, Harry Bosch. The bones showed that this kid had been horribly abused almost since he was born and had lived his life in constant agony and suffering. It was January 1, the first day of the new year, and Harry had caught a cold case, the kind of crime that gave him nightmares, and stayed with him forever. And as Harry digs deeper and deeper into the tragic events that led to this boy's death, and the bones on the hill, he sets off another unexpected chain reaction of misery and death that pushes him to his limits and a shocking conclusion..... Michael Connelly has written a dark, compelling, and unforgettable thriller, full of intriguing twists and turns, and intense riveting scenes. His writing is vivid, crisp, and intelligent, with a real ear for dialogue, and his intricate story line is tight and suspenseful. But it's Mr Connelly's brilliant characterizations that make City Of Bones and all his novels stand out. These are real people, full of complexities and nuances, sometimes heroic and well-meaning, often flawed and chasing their own internal demons, and Michael Connelly breathes life into even the most minor character. City Of Bones is the eighth book in a marvelous series that just gets better with each new installment. To understand the troubled and introspective Harry Bosch, start at the beginning with The Black Echo, and read them all. For those of you who are already fans, Michael Connelly's latest is a "must read" and shouldn't be missed.

First I have to say I'm a fan of Michael Connelly's work. His writing to me is beyond words. It opens up so much inside. His stories reach far beyond most others in the genre. Because of his characters and the situation he creates with his extremely well written and masterly plotted storylines I am often forced to rethink my own opinion on things.

City of Bones ranks as one of my favorites because the end is so beautiful and real. Sometimes life just takes it own turns and there's nothing you could have done about it.

If there is a better police procedural crime novel, I've missed it. I approached this book with some misgivings, having been disappointed by "Chasing the Dime." But Henry (Hieronymous--I liked that little touch) Bosch is a first-class, believable detective, all the way. He's jaded to some degree but tries to maintain some touch with the populace. The us-them relationship police have with the press and the "looky loos," as civilians are called, is there, certainly, but outwardly subdued.

The plot feels right, enhanced by the fact that the writer didn't try to tie up all the loose ends, such as, the surprising matter of Julia Brasher and, not to give too much away, the fact that the killer is not at all a sure thing when we reach the final page. Not all killers confess into a tape recorder and psychoanalyze their own motives.

Bosch makes mistakes. He goes down dead-end trails after false clues. He is imperfect. In short, he is realistic. So are the other characters, including his partner, the technicians, Bosch's superiors in the department, the suspects, the incidental personae--the entire cast. They don't always do what we expect, but people in real life don't either. Too many books have characters who appear to be "on rails." We know exactly where they are going and how the plot is going to follow them.

I realize I haven't outlined the plot, but others have, and sometimes they give away too much. Suffice it to say that I'll read more of the Harry Bosch series and hope for books that are in this same class.