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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Ummmm... this was okay. Compared to the masterpiece that was The Poet, this was simply okay. Maybe it absolutely lost me when Rachel and Harry had sex with absolutely no chemistry whatsoever or personality leading up to it, but everything about this book read "I have to write a sequel" rather than anything bred out of joy or artistic expression. This was almost as if you took every mid/medicore aspect of The Poet, stretched it like Taffy, and put it into a new book. Overall, not a bad read, but I would recommend reading The Poet again if you want to read something good.
One thing I like about the Bosch books is the way he drives all over the place where I came from. I had not heard about the LA River being called the Narrows but it is plausible if not likely. I recall storms where people were swept away in it also.
The plot here is pretty thick and then there's a twist at the end that is entirely gratuitous as well as meaningless in terms of consequence to the story itself. Not sure why he left that in actually.
Once again Bosch connects with a woman briefly, intensely, and lets her go early on. His story continues on from book to book in a satisfying way and I'll keep reading and vicariously driving around LA with the maverick policeman with the itch for justice.
The plot here is pretty thick and then there's a twist at the end that is entirely gratuitous as well as meaningless in terms of consequence to the story itself. Not sure why he left that in actually.
Once again Bosch connects with a woman briefly, intensely, and lets her go early on. His story continues on from book to book in a satisfying way and I'll keep reading and vicariously driving around LA with the maverick policeman with the itch for justice.
Good read - interesting character interactions - somewhat predictable ending.
I read this for "Murder Most Foul": The Narrows by Michael Connelly which is part of a murder mystery series (Harry Bosch).
A FBI agent named Rachel Walling is trying to track down a serial killer called The Poet. She ends up joining forces with LAPD detective Harry Bosch.
I'm going to suggest that you just plug your nose and suffer through the first 35 percent of the book. Until Bosch and Rachel Walling meet the book reads as two different stories. It doesn't help matters that Connelly chose to write Bosch in first person and Rachel and The Poet in third person. Why do authors do this??? Just pick one style or the other, doing both in the same book is aggravating.
I have read about all of the Harry Bosch books, but purposely skipped over ones like this since I just didn't feel like reading about different characters. Based on others comments, I should probably have read Connelly's "The Poet" first, but eh, I don't think I'm missing much.
Harry is Harry in this one. A bit adrift since retiring from the LAPD. He is trying to get to know his daughter Maddie better and travels back and forth to Las Vegas to visit her, and his ex Eleanor Wish. When Harry is asked a special favor from an old friend's widow (we'll get to that below) he decides to investigate whether former FBI agent Terry McCaleb was murdered and if he was, why.
So Bosch looks into that why we go back and forth between his investigation and Rachel Walling being pulled from no man's land to see if she can give some insight into a series of murders that have been uncovered in the desert near Las Vegas.
I have to say that Connelly really missed a chance to show that he can write from a woman's POV. The third person POV for Rachel really doesn't give us a chance to get inside her head.
Also I wish that Connelly had given us a chance to get a POV or prologue from McCaleb. It seemed that Connelly was dissatisfied with the character and didn't know what to do with him. His life seemed sad and I recall not caring for his wife in the last one. All this book was provide a litany of complaints from fictional characters about how they were portrayed in the movie that was made about "Blood Work". Also did Connelly forget that Bosch and McCaleb had a falling out in the prior book with these two? Rightfully so I may add. Bosch acting like they were really good friends and getting angry about someone murdering McCaleb didn't even feel real. Hey remember when Bosch's partner was shot and killed and he acted like it was no big thing? Yeah. So this whole track down and avenge McCaleb was a bit of a reach for me.
I ready said how the changing POVs messed up the reading for me, so no need to go through that again. The book was slow and boring to start with too. It picks up when the cases converge. And by that point Connelly does away from shifting from Bosch too much and the book improves dramatically. I loved the twists of this case and getting into what causes The Poet to seek out a type of man and murder him.
The changing nature of the FBI post 9/11 was interesting to see too. And there's a curve thrown at us at the end that provides the answers to lingering questions about Terry. It would have been interesting to see what see Connelly could do with this character. Instead the characters from his series all seemed to suck so good riddance to them.
The ending leaves Bosch on a new path and alone again.
A FBI agent named Rachel Walling is trying to track down a serial killer called The Poet. She ends up joining forces with LAPD detective Harry Bosch.
I'm going to suggest that you just plug your nose and suffer through the first 35 percent of the book. Until Bosch and Rachel Walling meet the book reads as two different stories. It doesn't help matters that Connelly chose to write Bosch in first person and Rachel and The Poet in third person. Why do authors do this??? Just pick one style or the other, doing both in the same book is aggravating.
I have read about all of the Harry Bosch books, but purposely skipped over ones like this since I just didn't feel like reading about different characters. Based on others comments, I should probably have read Connelly's "The Poet" first, but eh, I don't think I'm missing much.
Harry is Harry in this one. A bit adrift since retiring from the LAPD. He is trying to get to know his daughter Maddie better and travels back and forth to Las Vegas to visit her, and his ex Eleanor Wish. When Harry is asked a special favor from an old friend's widow (we'll get to that below) he decides to investigate whether former FBI agent Terry McCaleb was murdered and if he was, why.
So Bosch looks into that why we go back and forth between his investigation and Rachel Walling being pulled from no man's land to see if she can give some insight into a series of murders that have been uncovered in the desert near Las Vegas.
I have to say that Connelly really missed a chance to show that he can write from a woman's POV. The third person POV for Rachel really doesn't give us a chance to get inside her head.
Also I wish that Connelly had given us a chance to get a POV or prologue from McCaleb. It seemed that Connelly was dissatisfied with the character and didn't know what to do with him. His life seemed sad and I recall not caring for his wife in the last one. All this book was provide a litany of complaints from fictional characters about how they were portrayed in the movie that was made about "Blood Work". Also did Connelly forget that Bosch and McCaleb had a falling out in the prior book with these two? Rightfully so I may add. Bosch acting like they were really good friends and getting angry about someone murdering McCaleb didn't even feel real. Hey remember when Bosch's partner was shot and killed and he acted like it was no big thing? Yeah. So this whole track down and avenge McCaleb was a bit of a reach for me.
I ready said how the changing POVs messed up the reading for me, so no need to go through that again. The book was slow and boring to start with too. It picks up when the cases converge. And by that point Connelly does away from shifting from Bosch too much and the book improves dramatically. I loved the twists of this case and getting into what causes The Poet to seek out a type of man and murder him.
The changing nature of the FBI post 9/11 was interesting to see too. And there's a curve thrown at us at the end that provides the answers to lingering questions about Terry. It would have been interesting to see what see Connelly could do with this character. Instead the characters from his series all seemed to suck so good riddance to them.
The ending leaves Bosch on a new path and alone again.
dark
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Having read multiple entries from Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, I approached The Narrows with high expectations, and for the most part, it didn’t disappoint. As one of the later books in the series, the tone is darker, more introspective, and delves into an older Bosch trying to adjust to life after the LAPD, all while being drawn into a chilling case involving a serial killer.
The plot kicks off with Bosch investigating the death of a friend’s husband, which also links FBI agent Rachel Walling to the resurgence of a notorious killer. Connelly’s deft plotting shines through, as the story unspools with a quiet, steady tension that kept me flipping pages. There's a masterful blend of investigation and emotional weight, particularly as we see Bosch juggle the demands of the case with his tangled personal life, especially his fractured relationship with his daughter.
What elevates The Narrows beyond a simple police procedural is its subtle exploration of Bosch’s internal struggles. “As a character, Bosch here feels weighed down by his years of service.” The walls are closing in on him in many ways, and at times, the book takes on a meditative tone as Bosch confronts his past choices and his identity outside the badge.
In comparison to some of Connelly’s other novels, such as The Lincoln Lawyer, which favours a more fast-paced, courtroom-drama style, The Narrows is slower, more methodical. While the story has its share of action, it’s not relentless, instead giving space for character reflection—and that’s where the novel truly shines.
Though predictable at moments, the book offers a layered story with tension, driven by Bosch's relentless pursuit of justice.
Four stars out of five.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Connelly knocks another one out of the park. There was a character in the book from Las Vegas I kept thinking would play a part. I wonder if she was in the original and got exited out. Kind of strange he spent so much effort and then that whole plot never developed.
Böckerna i Bosch-serien är visserligen bra men skulle bli ännu bättre om Connelly kunde slopa den obligatoriska sexscenen i varje bok.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes