Customer Reviews

Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch)

5 star:		(130)
4 star:		(73)
3 star:		(71)
2 star:		(45)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

After disappointing Harry Bosch tales (The Overlook, The Brass Dragon) Connelly has brought back the Harry that hooked me in the earlier tales. Harry is still back in homicide (no closer duty for him) and during a slow night he is asked to investigate a shooting in a "rougher" section of LA. Harry and his partner (Ferras) grudgingly take the assignment and learn that a convenience store owner was murdered in his store. The case draws Harry's interest because he remembers the store and that the owner was once kind to him several years earlier. He assures the owner's son that he will catch the culprit.

As Harry starts to realize that this might not have been a routine robbery but a possible execution by a Triad hitman. Harry starts to zero in on a suspect and then receives a threatening call to tell him to back off. Harry shrugs it off and continues but then his investigation stalls when he receives a video showing that his daughter (Maddy) being kidnapped in Hong Kong. He rushes off to save her realizing that if he is not back by the end of the weekend a possible suspect in the shooting will be set free.

It is a tense plane ride to Hong Kong and Harry feels powerless because there is nothing he can do in the air. When he gets to Hong Kong he is aided by his ex-wife (Eleanor Wish) and her boyfriend. Harry has limited clues but through very good forensic science he was able to possibly know where to look for Maddy. It becomes a race to find Maddy because any delay could mean that she might already be dead.

The tension of the chase is so tense you can cut it with a knife and the "determined " Harry definitely shows through. There is one sequence at a boat where the action is pulse pounding and the tension rife.
The book also has a short but excellent appearance by Mickey Haller (the Lincoln Lawyer and Harry's half brother) and there are references to Jack McEvoy (Connelly's other main character). As long as Mr. Connelly can deliver Harry Bosch tales of this caliber, Harry will continue to be one of the most intriguing law enforcement figures in fiction today!

In his latest thriller featuring LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, author Michael Connelly branches out into international waters. The plot involves Bosch investigating a murder of the Asian owner of a liquor store in South-Central LA. For translating purposes, Bosch calls in an Asian Detective, Chu, to help with the case. What unfolds appears to be a Asian Triad gang related extortion/murder. Meanwhile, Bosch's teenaged daughter is living in Hong Kong with her mother, who works for a swanky Hong Kong casino. After arresting a suspect, Bosch is warned to back off the case or eles "there will be consequences". Well, he soon receives a video on his phone showing his daughter being held hostage in Hong Kong. Is there a leak in the department? Is Chu playing both sides of the fence? Bosch drops everything to rush to Hong Kong to try to find his daughter. Similarities with the movie "Taken" are obvious. This is where the story starts to become somewhat far-fetched. The way he is able to find his daughter is somewhat ridiculous and things are written with a by-the-numbers predictibility. I'm not going to get into details but the ending is rather lame and unsatisfying and I look forward to a better effort from Connelly next time.

I'm a fan of Michael Connelly and Harry Bosch.

This book was a major disappointment.

The writing was way below par, wooden dialogue, plot strained. The international aspects seemed like a cheap way to fill pages. And Bosch makes so many stupid mistakes that it is hard to take his character seriously in this role.

It read to me like a book that was written primarily to fulfill a contract.

I really don't understand how some reviewers can call this one of Connelly's best. I had to struggle to keep reading through to the end.

I would recommend fans save their money and wait for Connelly to write a proper book.

I've long been a Connelly fan, especially of the Harry Bosch series. But I have to tell you, Connelly's surpassed himself with this one. As I've thought about it, I think this may well be the best Bosch book ever.

I won't rehash the whole story line here, as you can see that in the two other member reviews already up, and on the product page. Instead, I'd like to focus on why I've made such a grandiose statement.

The Bosch series is long-running and deservedly very successful. Of course, it's had its ups and downs; all series do. But Bosch is an iconic character from the Clint Eastwood mold of Dirty Harry and the Sergio Leone spaghetti Westerns: the loner who battles through any obstacles to see right prevail and justice triumph, even if he has to break the rules. Eastwood's made a career of this, as has Connelly. That's a good thing. I like that kind of entertainment, as do a whole lot of other people, obviously.

However, in this book Connelly breaks new ground for the character, exploring an emotional vulnerability - his love for his daughter, and how it animates him - that we haven't seen before. It's the driving force of the story, and to continue the Eastwood analogy, it's the same variance on a "trademark" character we saw Eastwood explore in some of his amazing later works like "Unforgiven", "Million Dollar Baby", and "Gran Torino".

Connelly also takes Bosch into an exotic and fascinating new locale: Hong Kong. This is really a treat, and he does it very well. I'd have liked to have seen even more of his take on the area, as I know it well, having been there many times, but take it from me: what you do see is a really accurate portrayal of one of the world's truly unique locales.

The story moves forward in a very driving yet well-disciplined fashion; very exciting; intellectually stimulating, and well- and throroughly-plotted.

Six stars! But I guess I'll have to settle for five.

Nine Dragons starts with the murder of a Chinese shopkeeper in LA. Evidence connected to the murder makes LAPD Detective Harry Bosch suspect that triads were involved. Triads are vicious, Chinese gangs whose tentacles are everywhere, so Bosch turns to LAPD's Asian Gangs Unit for background information on triad activity in LA, and an ethnic-Chinese detective from the AGU is assigned to help out with the case. There is some immediate friction between the Chinese detective and Bosch, so when mysterious events threaten to derail the murder investigation, it's easy for Bosch to suspect that the apparent leak in the LAPD probably comes from the AGU itself.

But all that is put on the backburner when someone from Bosch's own family is kidnapped in Hong Kong, apparently by the same triad implicated in the shopkeeper's murder. The kidnappers' message is clear: BACK OFF! And that's when things really get interesting.

Connelly takes numerous threads and weaves them together to create a terrific story. The main thread, of course, is Bosch's desperate search for his kidnapped family-member; but interwoven with that is the murder investigation that preceded the kidnapping, with Connelly doing a fine job detailing the methodical, step-by-step investigative process, including some interesting developments in forensic science. And Bosch's attempt to discover the source of the leak that threatens to sabotage his murder investigation is interwoven with the personal friction developing between Bosch, his partner, and the Chinese detective from the AGU. Connelly weaves the various threads together to form an apparently satisfactory solution to all those puzzles, but an unexpected plot twist shows how misleading superficial appearances can be. The final clues change everything and lead Bosch to a conclusion that is simply stunning.

Nine Dragons is a terrific story, told by a real master.

I was totally disappointed by this book. I am amazed that it has a solid 4 star rating. If you had changed Harry Bosch's name, I would never have associated it with this *normally* fabulous series. The writing and plot seemed so pedestrian. I always used to describe the Bosch series as a top of the line suspense/thrillers- books with a real edge to both the writing and characters, but this book was like a airport paperback. I also found the plot unbelievable, especially once Bosch went to and returned from China. I don;t want to add spoilers, but I found his behavior totally unrealistic once he returned home. I also found the link to the Lincoln Lawyer to be so thin- give us some meat if you're going to include that great character, not some thin cameo. Instead of trying to churn out a book or two a year, Connelly needs to concentrate on quality, not quantity.

Whenever I read a book that seems so totally like the storyline from a previous novel, movie or front page headline, it tells me that the author has reached the end of his or her literary creativity. As other reviewers have stated, "9 Dragons" feels is a cheap remake of "Taken" and borders on the ridiculous. Bosch has lost his perspective and professionalism. Always a bit on the mistrustful side, Harry seems to be paranoid rather than cautions. Michael Connelly has demonstrated the ability to write smart, mentally and emotionally engaging books built around a plot that is based in a reasonable facsimile of reality. This is not one of them. Not sure if it is the author or the main character who needs to retire.

Let me say at the beginning, Michael Connelly is my favorite author. Having said that, I have difficulty believing Connelly actually wrote this book. It never seemed like a Bosch novel and I was wondering if there was something wrong with me, maybe I had the swine flu and didn't realize it. I can't really describe my feeling it was so surreal.
The entire book was a real disappointment and seemed ridiculous at times - totally unbelievable. I'm stunned.

I have read so many of Connelly's novels that I couldn't wait to read this one...and after 100 pages I was sorry I was so anxious. To me it seems as though Connelly has simply whipped up a new novel of the month. This story has probably been on television numerous times with different characters and different locations, but they are all the same. As much as I was anticipating a great read, I now am hesitant to pick up his next book for fear it may be another Patterson or Woods book for the month. Sorry Michael, I'd bet that even you know this book is not one of your favorites either.

Seems like Connelly is selling his writing out to the mainstream. His writing in past novels was descriptive with interesting dialogue. This book had more of the "See the cake. Eat it. It was good." variety. Transitions between chapters seemed to be very abrupt as well. And in the past Connelly was very good about closing out items. I finished this book wondering who killed Quick, his sister and his mother and why. I love the character Harry Bosch (mainly why I keep reading Connelly's novels) but agree with another viewer this time around he was very 2D. I didn't feel any emotions or sense of place as in other novels. Not his best. Did Connelly actually write this novel?!