A review by pflichtfeld20
The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly

5.0

This just elevated the Bosch series from “Good” to “Phenomenal” for me. I couldn’t help but inhale the last 250 pages in one day. This crime thriller and third installment of the Bosch series by Michael Connelly moves at an enormously high pace, while juggling a plot line about a trial and another one about an ongoing murder investigation effortlessly at the same time, each plot line intertwining more and more as the story progresses. As a reader, you think you have the resolution figured out pretty early but boy oh boy have I been fooled. Towards the end you’re just slapped in the face with (in hindsight) totally obvious twists! And they’re not far fetched either. Once they happen you totally go “Ahh of course how haven’t I seen this earlier”, because they’re so well set up.
But not only is this book a masterpiece plot and twist wise. This entry was the first entry that completely sold the character Bosch for me and also his complete direct environment including Silvia and his work associates like Irving and Edgar. It’s incredible how a book this dense manages to balance formidable plot work while also seriously molding its main characters into even better characters. And the way Connelly captures the atmosphere of Los Angeles and all its shining and sinister corners is just the icing on the cake.
Needless to say I’m now absolutely hooked, much more than before, and the fourth entry is already on the way. 5/5