Review: The Concrete Blonde

Connelly's Harry Bosch is being sued in Federal Court for a violation of the civil rights of a suspected murderer he killed several years before the book begins. Bosch entered the man's apartment single handedly, with no other officer backing him up, and when the man made a move to grab an unseen item, Bosch fired once, and wounded him fatally. Evidence found in the apartment links the dead man to a series of unsolved murders, but the surviving family members refuse to accept his guilt and bring the suit.

The pot thickens as the court case gets underway - another body is discovered and the new case has startling resemblances to the murders attributed to the dead man. BUT - the newly discovered body is that of a woman who died AFTER the death for which Bosch is being called to account. So perhaps the man Bosch killed is not the murderer after all?

Walking the tightrope between the new investigation and the Federal trial, Bosch strives unsuccessfully to keep the evidence of the newly discovered body out of the court proceedings. And then begins a two fold mission - to prove that the man he shot was guilty, and to identify the perpetrator of the new series of deaths.

We gain new insight on how Bosch views and is viewed by his fellow officers. We follow a romance we suspect will not last, as Bosch cannot bring himself to be completely honest with the woman who loves him. We learn distressing aspects of life in the Los Angeles justice system - from lawyers with good reputations to lawyers who have thrown in the towel; the front page newspaper reporters and aggressive TV reporters who scramble for a juicy story; cops who have seen one two many gruesome situations; and cops who have mastered the art of pleasing the boss and climbing the beaurocratic totem pole.

A post Rodney King, pre OJ Los Angeles is a major character in this entry in Connelly's Bosch series.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Woodstock - RAM

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.

Book Review: The Concrete Blonde

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.