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kgliskey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
missyjohnson's review against another edition
4.0
Road trip audiobook. Always like being able to steal away for some time with Harry Bosch. Harry has been asked to join the newly restarted open/unsolved case unit with LAPD. Renee Ballard is in charge and specifically wanted Harry in board. A city counsel member pushed for the re-establishment of the unit as his 16 y/o sister had been murdered years prior with being solved. This is to be the focus of the unit initially. Harry is still haunted by the unsolved murder of a family of four that he was unable to solve before he retired and he is also focused on that. I wondered why Connelly made it seem as if it were easy to see who the killer was of the teenager girl but of course there was a bit of a twist to eliminate the foreshadowing from being correct. Harry satisfies the closing of the Gallagher family while in Key West. Sounds as if we are getting to the end of the Harry Bosch series. I like that Titus Welliver voiced Harry and there was a female to voice Renee. Good little escape.
jkb99's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
rembrandt1881's review against another edition
3.0
The Harry Bosch doing what he wants act gets kind of old. The book starts as they have done recently, with the old detective being dragged back in by a person who respects him for more cold cases. As usual Harry over runs everyone, doesn't share information and just does his hero thing, but this time it bothered me.
Renee Ballard is supposed to be an option as an heir apparent but she seems to get run over this entire time and be a step behind Harry and unsure of herself. Harry should be a more secondary character at this point and if he is going to be one to go to for sage advice, he should probably have more respect and show some sort of growth in his new role. He doesn't and if you're like me and start wondering about his real age, have to wonder when and if he actually will.
The story here wasn't the most gripping and maybe it's because there is so much about yet another new situation for these detectives. It could have been a stronger mystery but instead it serves as this vehicle for Bosch and his personal life but it seems to be a half hearted effort. I would have preferred if this story really leaned in on Harry and his personal issues and old age more, or the mystery itself. It just feels like it was rushed.
Renee Ballard is supposed to be an option as an heir apparent but she seems to get run over this entire time and be a step behind Harry and unsure of herself. Harry should be a more secondary character at this point and if he is going to be one to go to for sage advice, he should probably have more respect and show some sort of growth in his new role. He doesn't and if you're like me and start wondering about his real age, have to wonder when and if he actually will.
The story here wasn't the most gripping and maybe it's because there is so much about yet another new situation for these detectives. It could have been a stronger mystery but instead it serves as this vehicle for Bosch and his personal life but it seems to be a half hearted effort. I would have preferred if this story really leaned in on Harry and his personal issues and old age more, or the mystery itself. It just feels like it was rushed.
scrivvy's review against another edition
5.0
Bosch at his best, along with Ballard.What more could you ask?.Always brilliantly written by Michael Connelly
jmyepes's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
momentum262's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
cat_book_lady's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty standard murder Harry Bosch murder mystery with the villain, DNA, grudges and gunshots, twists and turns, a Humphrey Bogart-ish main character with a host of sidekicks and a featured female detective running the cold case department. Fun to see what the Desert Star actually points to (no spoilers here). For those of you who like to listen to the audiobooks, the narrator of Bosch also happens plays the character in the Netflix series. What I like about this series is that you can choose a book in the series out of order and still feel like you don’t get lost in the shuffle. Still, the formula is pretty predictable, and right now I needed a book that gave me just that.