police procedurals
| » loyalty in death |
| « last car to elysian... |
| SERCountTM Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Popularity | 2,600 |
Lost Light
The following report compares books using the SERCount Rating (base on the result count from the search engine).
Rating: 4.38/5 from 109 reviews Go deeper with Bosch thoughsHarry Bosch tackles an old case that still haunts him.Harry Bosch is fifty-two years old. He is a world-weary ex-cop, divorced and at loose ends since his retirement. Throughout his career with the Los Angeles Police Department, Harry has seen the best and worst of people. He has tangled with both bureaucrats and criminals and has lost part of his soul in the process. However, Harry has never lost his compassion for the victims. One case still bothers Harry. Four years earlier, a young production assistant named Angella Benton was brutally murdered on her twenty-fourth birthday. Her death may be related to the theft of two million dollars on the movie set where Angella worked. Benton's killer was never found and Harry has decided to reopen the investigation on his own. Since Harry has no official standing as a detective, he has to use guile to ferret out information. Harry angers some important people, including agents of the FBI who warn him to stop digging. Harry continues his inquiries anyway and he soon finds out that this surprising case is much more complicated than he could have imagined. Connelly has created some wonderfully memorable characters in "Lost Light". There is Lawton Cross, an ex-cop who was shot and paralyzed during an apparent stickup. Cross has some key information for Harry that may break the Benton case wide open. Another character of note is Eleanor Wish, Harry's ex-wife and a professional gambler. Harry still has feelings for Eleanor and when he visits her in Vegas, he realizes that he is still in love with her. "Lost Light" is a richly textured, well-crafted mystery in which all of the elements come together beautifully. Harry is a sharp, tough, and courageous individual who is determined to find the truth, even if it means risking his life. Harry works a case like a great artist. He misses nothing, and his intuition is unerring. If you enjoy a hard-edged detective story that is both fast-paced and complex, read "Lost Light". It is one of Michael Connelly's best novels. Realistic, up to a pointHarry Bosch goes from the beginning of this book to the end with what seems like maybe four hours of sleep, no cigarettes, several cups of coffee, and a churro (maybe). This guy has the constitution of a bulldog. He never quits, never says "die," and knows when to give in to the powers that be. You'll speed through the book like he does through the murder case, jumping from one episode to the next. This is a great book for insomniacs or those who "only stand and wait," a thing I do a lot. Only one thing to note, how at the final climax, Harry gets lost in South Central and runs into a mob of rioters, who bodily unload the "shooter," a cop, from the backseat of Harry's car (where the man's been handcuffed). Chastain, the personage in question, deserves what he gets, of course. He started the riot by shooting a popular black lawyer. But why can't Harry find his way around South Central? All of the main streets are perpendicular. This book's riot is close to where the 1992 "flashpoint" was, Florence and Normandie. This riot is just a little further south, being near Florence and Manchester (86th). Anyway, living in South Central, as I do, I enjoyed his little jaunt there, but reading about how they did Chastain reminded me a little of what happened recently in Iraq. Diximus. | ||||||||||||||||||||
I'm not a long-time fan of Harry Bosch. In fact, I just discovered this series 4 months ago when I bought the omnibus version. But, I've been catching up and I found myself drawn into this lonely complex determined man.
In "Lost Light", Michael Connely wrote from the first person point of view. The result was it took me deeper into Harry Bosch's thought, as he tried to unravel an unsolved case. He was retired from LAPD but he hadn't lost his beliefs and spirits of finding answers. And along the way, he crossed path with some old friends ... former partner Kiz Rider, the reporter Keisha Russell, the FBI guy Roy Lindell, and his ex-wife Eleanor Wish.
I agree that this must be the "lightest" Bosh story, compared to the previous eight. However, it was absolutely great still. The ending did brought a light gasp to me but the again Harry was now 52 and somehow I was relieved knowing that he found his way home at last.
Like with "City of Bones", I don't know which direction Michael Connelly will bring Harry Bosh in the next book ... but I surely hope I'll be there to see it.