72 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Follow Harry Bosch into the deep abyss- - if you dare!!!, February 15, 1999
In this book, third in the series of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels, there are no holds barred. Detective Bosch is on trial - it is a wrongful death civil suit brought by the wife and family of a man killed by Bosch, known as the Dollmaker,so named because he paints the victim's faces after brutally murdering them. The first of many surprises is that during the trial Bosch receives a letter from the Dollmaker telling him of the location of a victim killed after Bosch supposedly eliminated him, a blonde entombed in a concrete mold.I particularly enjoyed the blonde whip of a DA - she is a marvelous character who is Bosch's nemesis, but also someone whom Bosch admires. Their short dialogues in front of the second concrete blonde: the statue of Justice outside the courthouse, are skillfully handled by Connelly. A tapestry of courtroom drama intertwined with Bosch's growing doubt as to whether he killed the right man and at the same time unraveling the mystery as to the newly discovered death is spellbinding. This time Connelly somehow manages to place the reader inside Bosch's head - the more easily to feel his pain, his joys, his doubts and his lonliness. Sylvia, his current love, adds a marvelous counterpoint to the mystery - she is referred to by him as his home, his warmth and his harbor in a mad and maddening world. My suggestion to all who take on Michael Connelly's novels is to start at the beginning - with his Edgar award winning first Bosch novel - The Black Echo, and read in sequence, The Black Ice, The Concrete Blonde,The Last Coyote, Trunk Music and his newest Angels Flight. Although they can stand alone; I feel it is best to read them in order as each one is the basis for the next.If you like mystery coupled with a truly human touch,than Michael Connelly is an author not to be passed up. Enjoy!
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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous, with a series of surprising twists, October 24, 2000
I've read a lot of mysteries: just about the entire "Travis McGee" series by John D. MacDonald; all of the "Fletch" novels (including the two "Son of" books) by Gregory McDonald; every Raymond Chandler piece of fiction; most of Dashiell Hammett; some Ed McBain; many Carl Hiassen books; a few Agatha Christies.
Michael Connelly ranks up there with all of those distinguished writers. He has a fluid, detailed writing style that conveys the scene without bogging down in such intricacies that the reader gets lost. The dialogue is snappy and hard-boiled but will probably age well (unlike, say, some of Chandler's).
"The Concrete Blonde" is the third novel starring LAPD detective Harry Bosch. (The order goes "The Black Echo," "The Black Ice," "The Concrete Blonde," "The Last Coyote," "Trunk Music," and "Angel's Flight." The new novel coming out in early 2001 involves Bosch as well, but it's not clear if Bosch is the main character or a secondary character.) I've read the first three and the last ("AF"), and, while they are all good, "The Concrete Blonde" is the best thus far.
Earlier in his career, an incident that is described or alluded to in virtually every novel, Bosch gained some notoriety and fame for taking down a serial killer known as "The Dollmaker." He was so called because he would use makeup and polish to paint up his victims. The killer sent bad poems to Bosch, taunting him with descriptions of the victims. Eventually, Bosch tracked down the killer and shot him to death when the man reached toward his pillow . . . for a hairpiece, as it turned out. Bosch was cleared of wrongfulness in the shooting, though he was disciplined for not calling for backup.
Fast forward four years. The dead man's widow is now suing the LAPD and Bosch for violating her husband's civil rights, and the case is going to trial. All of a sudden, a letter is dropped off for Bosch at the police department: it contains a poem, just like the ones the Dollmaker sent, and it leads the LAPD to another body . . . which is painted up just like the Dollmaker's victims. Could Bosch have killed the wrong man?
"The Concrete Blonde" alternates between the court scenes and the investigation of the new murder, and the transitions are deftly handled. While the court scenes are not perfectly accurate (I am, unfortunately, a lawyer by trade), they are much better than in most novels.
The mystery is tight and compelling. Having read lots of mysteries, I often am able to guess at the outcome simply because the set-up reminds me of another book I've read. In fact, that happened with "The Black Ice." Not so with "The Concrete Blonde." About 180 pages into it, I thought I had it figured out. With about 50 pages to go, I thought my instinct had been confirmed. Oops. I was wrong, and about as shocked as Bosch!
In addition to weaving a great mystery, Connelly paints a reasonably deep picture of his main character, Bosch, a Vietnam veteran (he cleared out enemy tunnels) who is simultaneously cultured but also emotionally damaged.
To sum it up, let me put it this way: I started with "Angel's Flight," and when I was finished, I ordered all of the Harry Bosch novels immediately.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best of both worlds: a murder mystery inside a courtroom drama..., April 27, 2006
The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly provides the best of both worlds: a murder mystery that takes place within a courtroom drama.
The Concrete Blonde opens with Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective Harry Bosch on trial for murder. When Bosch shot Norman Church, he believed he was killing the Dollmaker, a serial killer responsible for the rape and brutal murder of eleven prostitutes in Los Angeles. The Dollmaker's widow believes otherwise, and she sues Bosch in civil court for wrongful death. Just as the trial is underway, another victim is discovered and this one was murdered after the death of Church. This 12th victim was encased in concrete and is dubbed the Concrete Blonde.
The Concrete Blonde casts a shadow on the trial and gives ammunition to the aggressive and scheming prosecuting attorney, Honey "Money" Chandler. Is it possible that Bosch killed the wrong man? Maybe there's a copycat killer. Also, Chandler and the press have information that is being leaked from within the LAPD. Whatever the case, the investigation is ongoing and the judge won't delay the trial to give Bosch time to solve the new murder.
Connelly is one of the best mystery writers out there today, and his plots and characters reflect a realism that developed in his years of being a police reporter for the Los Angeles Times. The Concrete Blonde was written after the LA Riots and Rodney King, and shows the darker side of this city of contrasts. When Bosch tells his lawyer in the courtroom that he seeks the truth, he is lectured "And you're going to sit there and talk to me about truth? When was the last time you saw a truthful police report? When was the last time that you put down the unadulterated truth in a search warrant application? ... The truth has got nothing to do with what goes on in here. Neither does justice. Just words I read in a law book in a previous life." But for homicide detectives, "the homicide squad wasn't a job. It was a mission. As surely as murder was an art for some who committed it, homicide investigation was an art for those on the mission. And it chose you, you didn't choose it." So while Bosch may be cynical and jaded by his many years of wearing a badge, he can't give up his battle of good vs. evil. But for as brilliant as Bosch is at solving cases, he's a bit of a cowboy and doesn't always follow rules, which often gets him in trouble with his superiors.
Connelly is a talented writer, and The Concrete Blonde is one of his best books. I'm now going to have to fill in the gaps with his other Bosch books.
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