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A review by jbriaz
Trunk Music by Michael Connelly
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 stars.
This is the fifth book in the Harry Bosch series that I have read. There isn't much to say that hundreds of other readers haven't already said. I will point out that the first three-quarters of the book holds in terms of what you expect from a Bosch novel with an interesting investigation, noir aspects, and Bosch being his own worst enemy. The story kept me interested. Connelly has his style. It works. It's not Tolstoy, but it delivers in the quality you'd expect for the genre being read.
But it went off the rails near the end. It seems like the publisher demanded that a ridiculous action scene get thrown in for no apparent reason, ruining the Double Indemnity (James Cain) comparison, and turning this into a C-quality action movie farce. The main interrogation also defied all logic given who was involved. And who ended up at the scene of the climax made no sense. And bringing back the love interest was misguided. To say more will mean spoilers.
In short, I'll give it three stars because 75% of the book was good. And I mark it down because the last quarter flopped. I'll keep going with the series because Connelly is entertaining at what he does. I just hope he righted the ship after this one.
This is the fifth book in the Harry Bosch series that I have read. There isn't much to say that hundreds of other readers haven't already said. I will point out that the first three-quarters of the book holds in terms of what you expect from a Bosch novel with an interesting investigation, noir aspects, and Bosch being his own worst enemy. The story kept me interested. Connelly has his style. It works. It's not Tolstoy, but it delivers in the quality you'd expect for the genre being read.
But it went off the rails near the end. It seems like the publisher demanded that a ridiculous action scene get thrown in for no apparent reason, ruining the Double Indemnity (James Cain) comparison, and turning this into a C-quality action movie farce. The main interrogation also defied all logic given who was involved. And who ended up at the scene of the climax made no sense. And bringing back the love interest was misguided. To say more will mean spoilers.
In short, I'll give it three stars because 75% of the book was good. And I mark it down because the last quarter flopped. I'll keep going with the series because Connelly is entertaining at what he does. I just hope he righted the ship after this one.