Angels Flight (Harry Bosch) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "THE word sounded alien in his mouth, as if spoken by someone else..." (more)
Key Phrases: car czar, Howard Elias, Detective Bosch, Michael Harris (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Michael Connelly, whose novel The Poet won the 1997 Anthony Award for Best Mystery, is already recognized as one of the smartest and most vivid scribes of the hard-boiled police procedural. Now, with his much-anticipated sixth Harry Bosch novel, Angels Flight, Connelly offers one of the finest pieces of mystery writing to appear in 1998. Bosch is awakened in the middle of the night and, out of rotation, he is assigned to the murder investigation of the high-profile African American attorney Howard Elias. When Bosch arrives at the scene, it seems that almost the entire LAPD is present, including the IAD (the Internal Affairs Division). Elias, who made a career out of suing the police, was sadistically gunned down on the Angels Flight tram just as he was beginning a case that would have struck the core of the department; not surprisingly, L.A.'s men and women in blue become the center of the investigation. Haunted by the ghost of the L.A. riots, plagued by incessant media attention, and facing turmoil at home, Bosch suddenly finds himself questioning friends and associates while working side by side with some longtime enemies.

Angels Flight is a detective's nightmare scenario and is disturbingly relevant to the racially tense last decade of the 20th century. Amidst the twists and turns of his complex narrative, Connelly affirms his rightful place among the masters of contemporary mystery fiction. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Hollywood homicide detective Hieronymous (Harry) Bosch (Trunk Music, 1996, etc.) is up to his very stiff neck in politics, police corruption and racial tension. The echo of the Rodney King case is almost deafening when Howard Elias, an African American lawyer famous for suing the LAPD for racially motivated brutality, is shot dead on the short train run up a steep hill in downtown L.A. known as Angels Flight. Bosch and his team?a black woman named Kizmin Rider and a black man named Jerry Edgar?are assigned the highly sensitive case. Although Bosch sniffs racial and departmental political hokum among the brass, he doggedly focuses on finding the killer, knowing that cops will be among the suspects. It all smells even worse when Bosch discovers signs of evidence tampering by the first cops on the crime scene and learns that the civilian attorney assigned to oversee the investigation had personal ties to Elias. A bit of a cowboy anyway, Bosch is even more ornery than usual, since his wife has gone AWOL and returned to gambling. Further hampered by a secretive and even obstructive departmental leadership and by his former partner's apparent links to the crime, Bosch moves well outside the rules to discover the ugly motivation for the killing. Connelly has all the hard-boiled procedural moves down and gives Bosch a reckless crusader's moral code. The finale, set against riots, delivers a brutal, anti-establishment sort of justice. This isn't Connelly's best; the plot is sufficiently ornate to diffuse tension, and Bosch seems to be evolving from the true character of early books into a sort of icon, a Dirty Harry for our times. Simultaneous Time Warner audio; author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446607274
• ISBN-13: 978-0446607278
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (168 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,468 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 6 in The Harry Bosch Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They don't get much more "noir" than this one, December 22, 2000

By	Douglas A. Greenberg (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Ever since I read Connelly's *The Black Echo*, the first of the Harry Bosch mysteries, I've been hooked on these wonderfully complex, fabulously written novels. Bosch is (predictably) "hard-boiled and melancholy, but with a heart of gold," as befits this venerable fictional genre. Yes, there are many, MANY cop/P.I. detective series out there, but in my estimation, Connelly's Bosch series is the best, and *Angels Flight* shows why.

The theme in this novel is the atmosphere of racial distrust and recriminations against the Los Angeles police that has emerged in the wake of the Rodney King cases and the O.J. Simpson trial. Connelly succeeds for the most part in capturing the tragic essence of what has been wrought by the legacy of police misconduct and the African American reaction to it in the city of angels.

Not surprisingly, he is most effective in presenting the police perspective here: the outrage and frustration at the deterioration of police credibilty in the community overall; the combination of anger and grudging admiration that a get-the-police black attorney might elicit from conscientious police professionals; the increasing disillusionment as the politicization of police affairs becomes ever more complete.

If there is a weakness in Connelly's adventuresome foray into political territory, it's related to the delicate and difficult race-related theme he has addressed here. To succeed totally in this endeavor, Connelly must navigate through some extremely tricky sociological issues, and it becomes apparent that he might be in a bit over his head in this regard. When attempting to provide the African American perspective on police presence and conduct in LA, for example, Connelly does a decent but not outstanding job. Clearly, here he is an "outsider."

This flaw is forgiveable, of course, in light of the fact that his principal task is to provide an engrossing police mystery. Here, he succeeds brilliantly, as always. Along the way, he presents a picture of contemporary society that is dark, frightening, almost hopeless. To say that this novel is "noir" is an understatement. Connelly's portrayal of human nature, contemporary police and civil politics, and the ongoing deterioration of "the California dream" in the city of angels is stunningly powerful. This is not a book that will appeal to the faint of heart.

As always, there is a thread in this novel that continues "the story" where it left off in his previous mystery in which Bosch was the protagonist. Consequently, whereas this book certainly can provide a can't-put-it-down read for those who have never read any of the previous Bosch mysteries, these books are best appreciated if they are read in chronological order, beginning with *The Black Echo*.

Currently, I've been reading Dennis Lehane and Robert Crais mysteries. These are terrific, but as I turn the pages I can't wait for the next Bosch novel to be released.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow Start, Good Finish, August 30, 2004

By	DJS "djs" (Waldorf, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angels Flight (Harry Bosch) (Audio Cassette)

FROM THE BACK/CASE: "An activist attorney is killed in a cute little L.A. Trolley called Angels Flight, far from Harry Bosch's Hollywood turf. But the case is so explosive - and the dead man's enemies inside the L.A.P.D. are so numerous - that it all falls to Harry to solve it. Now the streets are superheating. Harry's year-old Vegas marriage is unraveling. And the hunt for a killer is leading Harry to another high-profile L.A. murder case, one where every cop had a motive. The question is, did any have the guts?"

It's post Rodney King and every thing that the L.A.P.D. does is constantly being scrutinized. Now, a Civil Rights attorney who is preparing to sue the L.A.P.D. and several of its officers is murdered. This leads to Detective Harry Bosch and his team being called out in the middle of the night. It doesn't take them long after they arrive on the scene to determine that they are being put in charge of a political keg of TNT that could blow up right in their faces if they aren't careful. During the investigation Harry discovers that the attorney had enough evidence to win the case. Did a cop kill the attorney? Did a civilian commit the murder? These are the questions that Harry, his team and you need to find.

Mr. Connelly wrote this in such a manner that picking the killer early was easy; however, he left enough doubt to keep you guessing. With the plot twists, he does a great job at making you wonder if your choice is correct.

This is the first book my Michael Connelly that I have had the pleasure to experience. Being one who commutes in a high traffic area and gets very tired of morning DJ's, I chose the abridged audio version of this book. This version was narrated by Burt Reynolds who did a good job with most of the male characters. Unfortunately, when he would do the voices of the female characters I would get this vision of him in drag which distracted some from the book but not enough to make you lose interest. Another thing I didn't like is the back of the case stated that Harry's Vegas marriage is unraveling but his wife is never mentioned in the book nor is she ever at home regardless of the time of day or night. I understand that this is just one of the Harry Bosch novels, but if this isn't part of this particular story line, it shouldn't have been included in the description of the book.

One of the things I liked about this novel is the way that Mr. Connelly painted the character of Harry and Mr. Reynolds brought him to life. He was painted as a hard core detective who really detested the L.A.P.D. bureaucratic stuff (if you know what I mean).

When I was determining if I wanted to give this book a try, I noticed that it has been listed as everything from mystery to suspense to thriller. Personally if you are a fan of the hard core detective genre, then you're going to like Angels Flight.

Published in 1999 this book has never been nominated for any awards. Though I liked this book and rated it four stars, I agree that it isn't award nomination material.

Though Angels Flight has never been nominated for an award, I am including a list of some of Mr. Connelly's accomplishments for your information.

AWARDS:

NOMINATED:

(3) Anthony Award 1993, 1994, 1996
(2) Edgar Allan Poe Award 1999, 2003

WON:

(3) Anthony Award 1997, 1999, 2003
(1) Edgar Allan Poe Award 1993

Angels Flight is an above average novel that takes place in L.A. with everything the cops do being scrutinized. This leads to some very delicate situations when Harry is assigned to investigate the death of a black Civil Rights attorney. Like I stated earlier, if you like Mystery/Suspense or Hard Core Detective novels, then read or listen to Angels Flight. It is a smooth flowing novel with some twists and turns to keep you guessing if your assumptions are right.

Being the first novel by Michael Connelly that I have experienced I can't recommend any specific titles that I have read. I can recommend his award winning titles which include, The Black Echo, Bloodwork, City of Bones and The Poet.

If you enjoy the works of authors such as James Lee Burke and Lawrence Block, then you will enjoy the works of Michael Connelly, or at least, Angels Flight.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Michael Connelly, December 22, 1999

By	Peter W. Lindsey (Coral Springs, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Connelly continues his first rate series concerning Harry Boesch and the L.A.P.D. As usual with Connelly, the plotting is tight and the story moves at a fast pace. This Boesch story is especially compelling with its focus on the Los Angeles racial tensions between Blacks and the Police. A prominent Black attorney is murdered on the eve of an important civil rights case which may seriously tarnish the reputation of the L.A.P.D. Connelly masterfully mines this fertile material for maximum impact and relevance to the current racial climate in Los Angeles. As usual, Harry Boesch is an excellent character who brings some compassion and humanity into another ugly situation. This is one of Connelly's best books.