Customer Reviews

Last Coyote

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It's time in Bosch's life to blow the leaves off his mother's grave, loosen the dirt around it and dig deep for the answers not only to his mother's murder, but to many of his problems resulting from his insecure childhood. This is helped by the fact that he is suspended for pushing a superior through a plate glass window and sent to a police shrink. While he is on forced leave, he decides to resolve these problems, of course, against all company policy. But his view is "Everybody counts or nobody counts." As he unravels the mystery, it seems to him that the murder of his mother didn't count because she was just a woman of the streets. Both this theme and the theme of a reappearing coyote (lost, hungry and bewildered) occur again and again in this gripping, forceful novel. The coyote and Bosch are drawn together - like to like - and it seems to Bosch that both he and the coyote are a vanishing breed. I defy you to put Connelly's book down for more than a few hours, if at all.

He is a master of twists, surprises and impeccable logic that carry you to the end in a whirlwind of pleasure and excitement.This one has a finish that is amazing and shocking.It's content will stay with you a lone time, perhaps forever,as you contemplate this world and those who live in it everyday. I maintain the best way to read Bosch is from the beginning with THE BLACK ICE - and follow in sequence. Michael Connelly has now won three awards for his novels. Everytime I think I have found my favorite another comes along to show me there cannnot be one favorite - only Michael Connelly himself, as a talented and intriguing artist. Angels Flight is the next in the series. His non-Bosch novels, The Poet and Blood Work are other extremely fine examples of his genius.

Michael Connelly has dusted off an increasingly rare gemstone in the crown jewels of American literature: the hard-boiled detective. Present in Connelly's pithy and believable prose is all of the wit and grit of Hammett, MacDonald, Stout, and Spillane. What he's brought us in Harry Bosch is a cop's cop. Bosch, an LAPD homicide detective, is a real-life hero for whom the principled drive to see justice done allows him to deal with the treacherous world of Los Angeles politics and some even more treacherous politicians (some of whom masquerade as police officials).

While _The Last Coyote_ is the fourth Bosch novel, the plot and characters are so artfully developed that this novel could stand alone as a complete novel. At the same time, the writing is so compelling and captivating that it is a real pleasure to know that Bosch is a recurring character in Connelly's work. Although this is my first Connelly story, I am officially an addict, and I cannot wait to devour the rest of the titles in the Bosch series.

_The Last Coyote_ opens with Bosch under suspension for assaulting his Commanding Officer, Harvey "98" Pounds. With his newfound freedom comes a mandatory psychiatric evaluation to determine his fitness as a police officer. The ensuing therapy sessions force Bosch to take a hard look at his options, should he later be kicked off the force for the assault on his CO.

Faced with his ever-present personal demons, his suspension, and time on his hands, Bosch begins to investigate perhaps his greatest mystery: the unsolved 1961 murder of his call-girl mother. Though cautioned by his therapist that solving this mystery may remove his motivation to be a detective, Bosch dives into a mystery (and his personal story) that exposes the seedy underside of Los Angeles political corruption. The ride is taut, human, and utterly engrossing, and we are at once deeply satisfied and virtually winded when the dust settles.

My introduction to Harry Bosch was one of those rare joys: a gifted writer spinning a fascinating tale with grace and skill. Perhaps equally enjoyable to me was the principled drive of the protagonist to get at the facts, despite the potential costs-to himself, his career, and his department. Bosch's belief that the truth shall set you free is more than a bromide. While freedom may not always bring redemption, it allows him to sleep at night.

Michael Connelly does not disappoint his faithful with this one. It was a great chance to learn a little bit more about a character that is close to my heart.

During a leave from duty Bosch delves deep into his past to make sense of his mother's murder (and hopefully find the killer).

While the action is quick and the writing is strong what really makes this Connelly book stand out is that we really learn what makes Bosch tick. The title is also great - it has a double meaning, it signifies how Harry sees himself as well as the earthquake ravaged LA neighborhood in which Bosch resides - he has a coyote that visits his hillside home from time to time.

A very enjoyable read.

I don't like Los Angeles much but when Michael Connelly writes about it through the eyes of Harry Bosch, I can't stop turning the pages.

In this, the fourth, Harry Bosch novel, readers are let into the heart and soul of a man who you don't think you could like (drinks too much, an in your face smoker and generally dark sort of guy) and you end up wanting to name your next cat after him. Actually, Harry probably would prefer a dog but the independent, ornery nature of a cat seems more true.

Harry's on suspension and finds himself digging into the unsolved murder of his prostitute mother. By the time he's done we've learned plenty about Los Angeles in the early 60's, politics and the angst of a policeman without a badge. My husband, a former cop, simply shakes his head at Connelly's ability to express the experience of a renegade cop.

We listen to these as books on tape and 13 hours go by in flash. Connelly's books are terrifically paced and this one has one heck of an ending.

It's only been in the past couple of weeks that veteran L.A. homicide detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch pushed his boss's face through the plate glass window of the latter's office. You see, Lt. Pounds - the consummate desk jockey - had interfered with one of Harry's interrogations, which resulted in the (probably guilty) suspect walking free. Now, Bosch is on involuntary stress leave with orders to see the department head doctor. To kill time between appointments, Harry unofficially re-opens an unsolved 30+ year-old murder case, that of his mother, a Hollywood hooker. Then there's his Hollywood Hills home, damaged by a recent earthquake and subsequently earmarked for demolition, to worry about. It makes for angst that would cause testiness even in the Pope. And, when Pounds is tortured and murdered and Lt. Brockman of Internal Affairs brings Bosch in for the third degree, our hero loses it:

"Bosch shoved the table toward Brockman ... and pinned Brockman against the wall ... as he went without air ... (Brockman's) eyes bugged."

The fictional road to this book's conclusion is the well-travelled one through police and political chicanery, either of which I can read about in the daily newspaper if I feel the unlikely compulsion. Rather, since each of us perhaps occasionally feels that mad urge for self destruction, the fun of THE LAST COYOTE is watching Bosch be a bull in his own china shop and then clean up the shards. Even that would earn it only four stars, in my opinion, except that the completely unexpected plot twist in the last ten pages merits it the ultimate fifth. If you're still bothering to fly the nation's unfriendly skies, or you're just stuck in a long post office que, THE LAST COYOTE is the perfect distraction to numb the experience.

"The Last Coyote" is the first of Connelly's Bosch novels that I have read. I enjoyed the story thoroughly.

LAPD Detective Harry Bosch is very much a flawed hero. Throughout this novel he is on adminsitrative leave from his job as a result of having assaulted and battered his lieutenant boss. He decides to use the idle time (when not in sessions with a charming female police psychologist whose recommendation will determine whether or not Bosch is restored to active service) looking into an unsolved murder from 1961. The victim of the murder was none other than Bosch's prostitute mother. Bosch's unauthorized investigation leads to some very powereful political figures and puts not only Bosch's job, but also his life and liberty in danger. There are villains galore, but even the villains may not be all bad. Part of the intrigue of this book is that it shows there can be a fine line between good and evil, and in the end Bosch has to come to grips with the evil of his own ways.

The story is fast-paced, and it is nice to read about a hero who is all too human. The plot is entertaining and involves enough surprises to keep the reader guessing up to the very last page.

My only criticism is that I found some parts of the book -- for example the descriptions of Bosch's exact street routes from one place to another in Los Angeles -- a bit tedious at times. Also he uses some awkward sentence constructions that bothered me. I find that when a writer's style attracts my attention negatively, it distracts me from my enjoyment of the story.

Still, "The Last Coyote" was an excellent, fast and compelling crime novel that kept me awake far to late a few nights just because I wanted to find out what would happen next.

"The Last Coyote" is Michael Connelly's fourth book, was first published in 1995 and features Harry Bosch as its central character. Something of Bosch's background has been covered in the previous three books. Bosch's mother was a prostitute who was murdered when he was twelve - he spent his teenage years in and out of youth halls. He enlisted in the army and served in Viet-Nam, before returning home and joining the police force. Once a member of the LAPD's elite Robbery-Homicide Division, Bosch currently works at the Hollywood Division's Homicide table. He's still a jazz-loving loner, seen by some as a maverick, with a taste for coffee, beer and cigarettes. There have been some changes in his life since the end of "The Concrete Blonde", though - his relationship with Sylvia Moore has finished and his house has been damaged in a recent earthquake. Despite the fact that it's been declared unfit for habitation, he's still unofficially living there.

As "The Last Coyote" opens, Bosch is in trouble with the department again. After his boss, the bureaucratic Harvey "98" Pounds, interfered with the questioning of a suspect, Bosch lost his temper and pushed Pounds head-first through an office window. As a result, he's been placed on involuntary stress leave and has to attend regular sessions with Dr Carmen Hinojos, a psychiatrist at Behaviorial Sciences Division. These sessions contribute to Bosch deciding to investigate the one case that really matters to him : his mother's murder. Although he's working on the case unofficially and has lost his badge - albeit temporarily - he still manages to pull the original case file. Opened in October 1961, it was investigated at the time by two detectives called Eno and McKittrick. Leaving aside the apparent lack of effort to solve the case, a few things seem odd to Harry. The mentions an interview with Johnny Fox - his mother's pimp, and therefore an obvious suspect. However, the file doesn't contain an interview summary. A passing reference to Arno Conklin also catches his eye. At the time, Conklin would have been one of the city's top prosecutors and subsequently became the city's DA. Although exactly what role he had is unclear, his involvement in the case seems curious. The only other person apparently interviewed was Meredith Roman - a 'colleague' and old friend of his mother's, who'd also worked for Johnny Fox. The starting point, Harry feels, is to track these people down - though cut off from the LAPD's resources, he has to be a little more creative than usual in how he achieves this. He starts by using a new contact at the LA Times, Keisha Russell, to gather some stories on Conklin and Fox. Based on what he's read, Harry adds Conklin's campaign manager, Gordon Mittel, to his list of suspects. For other police-related information, Harry isn't above 'borrowing' Harvey Pound's identity to acquire it. However, just because a case is over thirty years old doesn't mean the investigation will be safe - least of all when important people are involved.

As with Connelly's previous books, I found this to be a very enjoyable book - and it deals with the very case I had wondered about. It's probably better, though not strictly necessary, to read the books in order. The 'newcomer' won't feel left out, as this book covers enough of Bosch's past to tell the story without any gaps. However, reading the previous books and getting to know the 'full story' will add to the enjoyment of this instalment. The other books ("The Black Echo", "The Black Ice" and "The Concrete Blonde") are very enjoyable also - reading them will be anything other than a burden !

I enjoyed this Harry Bosch mystery alot. I did not enjoy it as much as the previous two Bosch books but that is hardly a major criticism. Connelly has fleshed out the Harry Bosch character quite well in this cop/psychological thriller. After Harry loses his cool and attacks his boss he gets suspended and sent to the department shrink. During this suspension Harry decides to investigate the thirty year old unsolved homocide of his mother. Connelly succeeds on several levels with this book. First this is an excellent police procedural. Second, Connelly has Harry wrestling with his demons while investigating his mother's homocide. This really broadens the character of Harry Bosch. I also like the character of Jazz who is Harry's love interest. My major complaint about the novel is that there is one to many plot twists for my liking. Not a major detractor though. Overall a good book. I look forward to "Trunk Music".

Another wonderful book by Connelly. This one goes straight for Harry's heart. Everything in his life broken (yes, even more broken than usual) and he goes straight into what he calls in Concrete Blonde the "dark heart." Harry finally begins to solve the murder of his mother (again, I could not help but think of James Ellroy's real life struggles) and his own guilt. Some of the twists here are indeed shocking--Pounds for example, but again Irving surpises and we meet some new stars--Russell, Jazz, and even a decent IAD cop. When the story threatens to go off the tracks, connelly brings it back and adds a final surprise just at the end. This guy is SO good.

I just discovered Michael Connelly and am excited about the books I have left in this seris to read. I've read in a week, Blood Work, The Black Echo, The Concrete Blonde and finished The Last Coyote. I decided to post my review and my feelings for his work up to this point. Connelly is a refreshing writer and an author I waited too long to read. What I enjoy about the series so far is his protagonist, Harry Bosh, a flawed, lonely cop who has a standard for his job that he sticks by: everybody counts or nobody counts. Another strength of the series is the focus on solving the case, the politics within the police department and the level of violence in his novels are not as bad as some of the writers I've come across.

In THE LAST COYOTE, Connelly starts off with slowly, with the decision by Harry to investigate a case that is personal to him. As he slowly goes over the case and starts asking questions, he stirs up a hornet's nest of trouble. I love Harry Bosch. He only wants to do what is right. This book started off slow and picked up speed after the first three or four chapters. The ending was a complete surprise. Bosch was warned that the case would do more harm that good and it does cost Bosch emotionally. If I had to describe this installment in the series, it would be haunting.

If you haven't tried Connelly yet, this is not where you want to start. I usually don't read books in order but with the Harry Bosch series, I highly recommend that you do read them in order. My grade, A. Thank You Mr. Connelly. You are an excellent author. So far, THE LAST COYOTE is the best of the series thus far.