I'm in the middle of ECHO PARK and really enjoy it. This is
police procedural, and Harry Bosch is an interesting
character. Bosch takes being a detective very seriously and
this is a problem for other law enforcement personnell who
have to work with him. Most of his colleagues are doing a
job, Bosch sees detective work as almost an art. He considers
himself a "true" detective. Consequently he's a very loose
cannon and people who work closely with him can never be sure
exactly how he'll proceed or if he'll keep them in the loop
even if his process directly effects them.
Marie Gesto disappeared from a supermarket on her way to a
riding stable in 1993 and Harry and his partner Jerry Edgar
caught the case. They found her car in the garage of an
unrented LA apartment house with all her clothes in it, but
they've never been able to discover who put it there. Bosch
settled on a suspect, wealthy Anthony Garland, who's ex
girlfriend had lived in the vacent apartment and is a dead
ringer for missing Gesto. After numerous interviews Bosch is
still unable to actually arrest Garland for the crime.
The story begins when two LA patrole men stop a glass
cleaner's truck in Echo Park at 3 am because the license
plates are for a Mustang, and find Reynard Waits, a convicted
sex criminal, with platstic bags containing the remains of
two women. To avoid the death penalty, Waits wants to confess
to the murder of Gesto and six others. LA assistant district
attorney, Rick O'Shea, is running hard to be elected DA and
wants very much to make this deal and solve 9 cold homocides.
But Bosch's lover, an FBI profiler, points out some
discrepencies in the big picture of Reynard Waits.
This story is compelling. There's none of the linguistic
gymnastics you find in Ellroy, or the fantasy book absurdity
of Thomas Harris in Connelley's writing. The plot is honestly
complex and thought through. I'm finding it very
satisfying.
On the other hand, there is no humor of the type you find in
McBain/Hunter or Leonard to lighten the intensity and
heighten the engagement. Bosch is a depressed person who
keeps going because of his obsession with his job. He's very
intelligent but he gets stuck thinking in one direction and
this causes most of his problems. Also, Connelly seems
obsessed with tacky nick names. Garland's father is Thomas
Rex Garland, hence T. Rex. The ADA is Rick O'Shea, the killer
is Reynard Waits. And to top it off, Harry Bosch's given name
is Hieronymus! Come on! I'm reading this very realistic crime
novel and the characters all sound like comic book villians.
I must say that every time I run into one of these names it
pulls me out of the story and makes me think how silly these
names are. Still, Waits' police sobriquet, "The Bagman" is,
in my opinion, very good and believable.
So far I'm loving this book. I'll let you know how I feel
about the resolution when I hit it tomorrow or Monday.
Michael Connelley is an excellent choice for March.
Patrick King
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