BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
(Print: 11/3/2015; 978-0316225885; Little, Brown and Company; 400 pages.)
(eBook: Available)
Audio: 11/3/2015; Hachette Book Group; 9781478961390; Duration 10:11:38; 9 parts.
(Film/TV: Probably is or will be incorporated into the Bosch series.)

SERIES:
Harry Bosch, Book 18 (28th novel by the author)

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Harry Bosch – LAPD Open-Unsolved-Unit Detective
Mickey Haller – Defense attorney
Lucia Soto – Rookie Open-Unsolved-Unit Detective
Nancy Mendenhall – IAD Investigator

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
Now that Bosch has been forced into retirement and is suing the LAPD, he’s got some time on his hands and puts his efforts towards the zen art of motorcycle mechanics. Meanwhile, his half-brother, the defense attorney, Mickey Haller wants him to investigate a murder he's sure his client didn't commit. But that would mean, crossing over to “the dark side”, something he’s always disdained when other retired cops have done it, but if Haller is right, that means there’s a dangerous murderer still at large. What to do, what to do.
What’s fun about the ones with both of these characters, is that you get a little of both the defense lawyer and the police detective inside stories.

AUTHOR:
Michael Connelly (7/21/56). As mentioned in previous reviews, Amazon has all this to say about Michael: “Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of over thirty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly's 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include Fair Warning, The Night Fire, Dark Sacred Night, The Late Show, Two Kinds Of Truth, The Late Show, The Wrong Side Of Goodbye, The Crossing, The Burning Room, The Gods of Guilt, The Black Box, and The Drop. Michael is the executive producer of BOSCH, an Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, SOUND OF REDEMPTION: The Frank Morgan Story and Tales Of the American. He spends his time in California and Florida.”
This is Michael’s 27th novel and we are still behind in reading them all.

NARRATOR:
Titus Welliver (3/12/1962)
This is the 2nd Bosch Novel Titus has narrated. I had to return to my last review to mention that I’d been wrong about Titus not doing different voices for different characters. In this book it’s clear that he does. And it could be my imagination, but it seemed like Mickey Haller sounds like Matthew McConnaughey, which would be appropriate if I’m right that Titus was imitating him, since Matthew played the Haller character in the Lincoln Lawyer movie.
When I first started reading this series and told a friend of mine, she responded that Titus Welliver IS Heironymus Bosch, so I’ve been looking forward to his narrations in the series. I see now why she’s partial to Titus.

GENRE:
Mystery, fiction, suspense, thriller

LOCATIONS:
Los Angeles

SUBJECTS:
Murder, legal defense, private investigation, vice police.

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 1
"Ellis and Long were four car lengths behind the motorcycle on Ventura Boulevard. They were eastbound, coming up to the big curve where the road would turn south and head down through the pass into Hollywood.
Ellis was behind the wheel, where he preferred to be, even though he was the senior partner and could dictate to Long who drove and who rode shotgun. Long was looking down at the screen on his phone, staring at the video feed, watching over what they called their investments.
The car felt good. It felt strong. There was little play in the wheel. Ellis felt solidly in control. He saw an opening in the right lane and pushed his foot down. The car jumped forward.
Long looked up.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting rid of a problem."
"What?"
"Before it's a problem."
He had caught up and was now riding next to the motorcycle. He glanced over and saw the rider's black boots and the orange flames painted on the gas tank. The flames matched the color of the Camaro.
He pulled a few feet ahead and as the road curved right he allowed the car to drift into the left lane, following the laws of centrifugal force.
He heard the rider yell. He kicked at the side of the car and then gunned it to try to move ahead. That was his mistake. He should have braked and bailed but he tried to gun his way out of it. Ellis was ready for the move and pinned the accelerator. The Camaro surged into the left lane, completing the cutoff.
Ellis heard brakes squeal and a long sustained blast of a car horn as the motorcycle went into the oncoming traffic lanes. Then he heard the high-pitched scraping of steel and the inevitable impact of metal against metal.
Ellis smiled and kept going."

RATING:
I gave this book 5 stars. Another captivating episode ( )

Crime

A pairing of my favourite Connelly character, Harry Bosch and my least favourite, Micky Haller. Fortunately Haller does not feature extensively in this book and it is a good enjoyable read. As Bosch has left the force and this foray as an investigator for the defence is a "once off" it is hard to see where Connelly will take Bosch next.... ( )

The Crossing
4 Stars

Retired from the LAPD, Harry Bosch is asked by his half-brother, Mickey Haller, to help a client he believes has been set-up for murder. Crossing the aisle to aid the defense goes against all of Harry's instincts, but as he digs deeper, he exposes a hornet's nest of corruption and murder deep within the police department.

As the identity of the culprits is revealed at the start, the focus of the book revolves around Harry's following the clues to expose them and obtain justice for a man wrongly accused. The fact that the killers are police officers only heightens the tension and the suspense as they seem to hold all of the power.

The interactions between Harry and Mickey are fantastic. Coming to terms with their biological connection is awkward for them both, but they are developing a relationship based on mutual respect despite their disparate roles in the law enforcement community. There is a real sense of brotherly affection intertwined with their bickering.

One element that rubbed me the wrong way was Maddie's characterization. Yes, she is a teenager, but this doesn't explain her sudden animosity and distance toward Harry when they were obviously close in previous books. Definitely not a fan of nasty Maddie!

All in all, an entertaining read and I hope Harry and Mickey team up again. ( )

More of the same from Detective Bosch working with his half-brother The Lincoln Lawyer. A quick read. ( )