Customer Reviews

The Harry Bosch Novels: The Black Echo, The Black Ice, The Concrete Blonde

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

The Bosch series is for anyone who likes a good police detective thriller. The story isn't as fast paced as James Pattersons - Alex Cross series, but the pace will keep you reading. The Black Echo, Black Ice, and Concrete Blonde (4 stars, 4 stars, and 5 stars, respectively) are a great compilation for starting with the Bosch Series. The first book may be a slightly predictable, but it gives good detail on the lead character. The second book builds on the first, with a lot of twists, and the third is the best of them all, a must read.

This volume collects the first three Harry Bosch novels into one hardbound edition. Bosch is a detective with the LAPD - a bit of a maverick, a bit of a loose cannon, a whole lot of an outsider within the force. His ideals and devotion to justice repeatedly put him at odds with the bureacrats, political movers and crooked officers within the force.

Each of these three books is a great read on its own. The stories are well-paced, the crimes and subsequent investigations are intriguing, and Connelly's gift with words (especially dialogue) is apparent. But reading these three books one right the other really hooks the reader on the Bosch character. There's a great balance here between the individual crime plots and the developments in Bosch's life that made him who he is today and continue to guide him toward his future. Connelly also does a great job of credibly moving characters in and out of Bosch's life in the books further down the road, so these three provide a necessary foundation.

The best of the three is final book, "The Concrete Blonde". Throughout the earlier books there are references to a very important case in Bosch's past. In "The Concrete Blonde", Connelly uses an excellent tactic to flesh out this case without resorting to a prequel: the case is reopened and retried when new evidence is brought to light that may exonerate the man whom Bosch originally collared. The current day trial retells the original events while Bosch must reinvestigate his own methods and conclusions, all leading up to a super surprise ending. Very good whodunit reading.

Since the original printings are long gone, this volume represents your only shot to get them in a new hardcover edition. The fact that this attractive package costs less than would the three paperbacks combined makes it a must-have for any fan of mystery or police procedural fiction.

Now available for the first time in a single volume edition, "The Harry Bosch Novels" brings together the first three mysteries by Michael Connelly, one of the finest writers in the detective genre. If you haven't yet read this terrific series, this book presents the perfect place to begin.

These three stories can easily be read one-by-one, or all three in a row. Such is Connelly's skill that readers are unlikely to tire soon of the unfolding story of Detective Harry Bosch. This omnibus volume is a great way to start this series and will help prepare readers for the release of the 7th Bosch novel (coming in early 2002), which promises to be one of the best yet.

If you're not reading Michael Connelly, you're missing one of the best authors fiction has to offer. What are you waiting for?

Connelly writes some of the best police procedurals if one also likes the hard boiled detective genre. The Harry Bosch novels move well, are genuinely moving at times, and contain very strong suspense elements. At the same time, the novels ring with the authenticity that procedurals require.

Michael is one of my faves and I enjoyed all the books but I won't buy 3 books in 1 again. It was very thick and heavy. However the novels were great. I love the Harry Bosch character but wish he would get a little backbone when it comes to women. His stories are always plotted out very well and difficult to put down (unless it weighs a ton) and you get the feeling the characters are so real you could actually be neighbors with them. I often wonder about Police Chiefs such as his (Irving)> I have known a few in my vast years and I would say most of them are the same. What a shame. However; kudos to Connelly and may he keep writing such interesting books. I highly recommend all three books, just one at a time.

I had been meaning to dig into Michael Connelly for some time and when I discovered this 3 book download for Kindle, I pulled the trigger. I have read the first 2 books in the book and I really enjoyed them.

Harry Bosch is an extremely intriguing character. Connelly devotes good amounts of time giving his primary character depth...foster homes, Vietnam, failed loves, Hollywood book deals, etc. His comparison in The Black Ice of Bosch to the lonely Coyote that visits his house on the hill is outstanding. This depth of development makes the books far more interesting than they would be otherwise. It gives the series "legs."

I dont particularly care for reviews that break down every plot twist in a book so I will spare you the details of these books. Suffice to say that Bosch is a begrudging Hollywood Homicide Detective. Hollywood is the perfect backdrop for a detective series. There are neverending plot opportunities in a city that crazy.

I dont share the 5 star opinion of many reviewers here for a couple of reasons. First, I think 5 stars should be reserved for really classic books. These books are not classics...really good, just not classics. Lastly, they are really simple books. There arent many mind blowing twists or brilliant prose to be found here. Nothing wrong with straight forward action and adventure with a dash of thriller but it doesnt get 5 stars from me.

Again, I would reiterate that this is a cant miss value proposition. Buy this book and get 3 great stories...no brainer really.

As a Connelly addict I have to say this is the place to begin...the beginning. One read and you too will be hooked.

Connelly develops a great main character, Harry Bosch, around whom these mysteries all revolve. Harry is a Vietnam Vet who is an "underdog" detective in the Hollywood division due to his preference to work cases alone, leaving his bosses to believe that he's not really to be trusted. I was pleasantly surprised that each book in succession held my attention very well, unlike other books with characters or plotlines repeated in successive novels that become boring after the second book. These stories are for anyone who likes crime and cop suspense mysteries.

I've been reading Harry Bosch from day one and to this day he is one of my favorite authors (#2 on a list of 10). Here and there I had loaned a lot of my books to others, and for one reason or another didn't get most of them back. Seeing this made me want to read Michael Connelly all over again so I'm buying them again (and nobody borrows them this time!). I promise you will love reading Harry Bosch!

For years, my preferred reading included epic historical fiction by writers such as James Michener, Leon Uris, Edward Rutherfurd, and Colleen McCullough's massive Masters of Rome series. And every year I re-read a literary classics by writers such as Leo Tolstoy. And, I also enjoyed acclaimed non-fiction titles such as NIGHT, by Eli Wiesel, and MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING, by Victor Frankl. This was great, but I found myself yearning for 'lite' popular fiction; books that were both easy reads and enjoyable.

However, when I began reading popular fiction there were many authors, whose work was unknown to me, especially authors who wrote about detective/crime stories. After reading books by Sidney Sheldon, James Patterson, John Grisham, and Jeffrey Archer, I purchased a book titled, THE ALIENIST, by Caleb Carr. The setting of the story took place in late 19th Century New York, and had all the elements of suspense, thriller, murder, and detective investigation by famous individuals. I was immediately drawn to the storyline.

From the beginning, THE ALIENIST is a vivid and and perplexing thriller about a serial murderer who became an elusive subject, whom detectives and psychiatrists had difficulty apprehending. It was an exciting book, and I knew I wanted to read more stories about detective and law enforcement personnel, and the crimes that try to solve. Someone suggested I try books by Michael Connelly.

If you are new to the detective/crime genre, I would suggest you begin with Michael Connelly's, THE HARRY BOSCH NOVELS. This book introduces you to likable Detective Harry Bosch. You will get to know his personality, and learn what drives him to solve crimes as he set out to investigate a murder, after being demoted. The novel is a trilogy of the first three books about Bosch, including, THE BLACK ECHO, THE BLACK ICE, and THE CONCRETE BLONDE. Each book is packed with detailed detective work, of Bosch leaving no clues undone as he goes about solving crimes in the some of the worse areas in LA. The host of characters that Connelly creates in the Harry Bosch novels are unforgettable, and will expose you to a world of intrigue and corruption that you will long remember.

I am sure you will better enjoy Michael Connelly's other novels featuring Harry Bosch, if you read them in succession.

Maizie Lucille James
July 13, 2010