I'm not sure if Connelly's storylines hold up well when distilled into vignettes like these. I think the short length of these stories accentuates the weaknesses in Connelly's novels and makes the things that are strengths in the novels, like the character development, feel trite and calculated. Still, they do fill in some blanks from the novels. ( )

Some good stories, even though I usually don't read short stories. These give a good overall impression of Bosch and might be good for someone who hasn't yet read the series to see what he's like. ( )

This short story collection was not as satisfying to me as the last one I read. I think that's because the first story dragged, the second one was pretty horrifying and very good and then the last story didn't make a lot of sense to me. The ending didn't work for me either.

"Christmas Even" (3.5 stars)-We have Harry investigating a burglary that ended up a homicide. A pawnbroker finds a dead body in his store when he opens it. This leads Harry and his partner, Jerry Edgar trying to figure out what happened. This all takes place the day on Christmas Eve which of course has everyone wanting to smack Harry since they just want to wrap the case up and head home. Throw in some jazz and the story was all over the place I thought. We also get some insight into why Harry likes jazz and look, I can't help it, I don't like jazz music. I have tried. I don't get it and Harry's love of it was always one of the most puzzling things about the character to me.

"Father's Day" (4.5 stars)-A young boy is found dead in his father's overheated car. Harry's partner Ignacio thinks that no matter what the father is liable for the death. However, once Harry starts digging her realizes that something else went on and we get a dark look at parenting in this one. There's a mention of a character from one of Connelly's other series so that was fun to read, but honestly this one wasn't that hard to figure out.

"Angle of Investigation (3.5 stars)-Harry is now working cold cases and goes back to one of his first cases where he finds a woman and her dog murdered in her bathtub. The case leads back a surprising person. I just have to call BS though on the resolution in this one. I really think that the story could have been set up a bit better. I also found myself getting annoyed with Harry in this one. He's paired with Kiz in this one and I find myself not missing this character. ( )

This collection of short stories spans the career of Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch with the Los Angeles Police Department. One of them offers an entertaining insight into his second day off the force, as a rookie in uniform, when he and his mentoring partner discovered the body of a middle aged woman who had been bound and then drowned in her own bath, along with her pet dog. That investigation was immediately turned over to the Homicide Division, and Bosch had no further involvement. However, more than thirty years later, after having retired and then been re-recruited to work on cold cases, that death (still unresolved) is still playing on his mind. A potential new lead is found and sets Bosch off on a completely new angle. The other two stories are equally engaging, and resonate with all the characteristics that we have come to savour when Bosch is involved.

I am not generally keen on short stories, feeling that all too often one has no sooner fully engaged with the emerging scenario and characters than it is all over. These stories, however, work excellently. Connelly's spare writing style is as well suited to the shorter format as it is to the novel, and the short stories offer Connelly the opportunity to fill in some of the gaps in Bosch's life. ( )

I love Harry Bosch. This is three short stories featuring featuring him. The first was a touching story taking place on Christmas Eve involviing the robbery of a pawn shop and a stolen saxophone. Harry recalled the sax player playing for the troops in Viet Nam and wanted to track down the musician and return his sax. The second story involved a baby left in a hot car in the summertime. The third story started back when Bosch was new on the force as a beat cop and being called to a scene and discovering a homicide. It then switches to the cold case unsolved unit and Harry wanting to bring justice to the victim. ( )