Harry Bosch is now a volunteer with the San Fernando Police Department, working full time as a detective (officially part time). He mostly works cold cases, and to do so works in what was once a jail cell, loaded with files.
One morning he is greeted by an Assistant DA and two detectives from LAPD, with news about a case he closed thirty years before. The convicted criminal has spent the intervening time on Death Row, and now his new attorney is saying he has evidence that the original evidence was tampered with by the detectives way back then. In other words, by Bosch.
Of course Bosch is livid. Over the years he has learned little about taking deep breaths and remaining calm. But he knows he never tampered with anything. It just isn't in him. While he is considering his next move, he is called to a brand new crime scene by the SFPD.
A pharmacist and his pharmacist-son lie dead in the pharmacy, murdered by two masked men. Bosch and his team quickly determine that this was no robbery-gone-wrong. These were hits. But why?
Bosch can't rest. I think he got maybe six hours of sleep in the time he spent on these two cases. He was either on the road, in his cell, or at his desk at home, trying to put the pieces together. He is respected by his SFPD colleagues but less so by the reps from the LAPD, from which he had departed under a cloud. So he is given a fair amount of freedom to run with what he needs, and take along who he needs.
In between runs on one case or the other, Bosch manages to have a phone call or two with his daughter, who is in college, and eventually to visit with her. He feels his aloneness perhaps more than he used to, before he knew he had a daughter.
He manages to separate the real truth from the political truth, but not without many setbacks.
I always enjoy the details in Connelly's books, as I like accuracy. I don't have to suspend disbelief. This book seemed a little lighter than some others of his I have read lately, in spite of the development of two separate cases. I read it more quickly than most.
One morning he is greeted by an Assistant DA and two detectives from LAPD, with news about a case he closed thirty years before. The convicted criminal has spent the intervening time on Death Row, and now his new attorney is saying he has evidence that the original evidence was tampered with by the detectives way back then. In other words, by Bosch.
Of course Bosch is livid. Over the years he has learned little about taking deep breaths and remaining calm. But he knows he never tampered with anything. It just isn't in him. While he is considering his next move, he is called to a brand new crime scene by the SFPD.
A pharmacist and his pharmacist-son lie dead in the pharmacy, murdered by two masked men. Bosch and his team quickly determine that this was no robbery-gone-wrong. These were hits. But why?
Bosch can't rest. I think he got maybe six hours of sleep in the time he spent on these two cases. He was either on the road, in his cell, or at his desk at home, trying to put the pieces together. He is respected by his SFPD colleagues but less so by the reps from the LAPD, from which he had departed under a cloud. So he is given a fair amount of freedom to run with what he needs, and take along who he needs.
In between runs on one case or the other, Bosch manages to have a phone call or two with his daughter, who is in college, and eventually to visit with her. He feels his aloneness perhaps more than he used to, before he knew he had a daughter.
He manages to separate the real truth from the political truth, but not without many setbacks.
I always enjoy the details in Connelly's books, as I like accuracy. I don't have to suspend disbelief. This book seemed a little lighter than some others of his I have read lately, in spite of the development of two separate cases. I read it more quickly than most.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Of all the mysteries I've read in my lifetime, I have to say that Harry Bosch is my favorite detective. His intelligence, his persistence, and his humanity have made him an icon, and his "Everybody counts or nobody counts" is a mantra I use when I find myself eyeing the fast lane on the judgmental vigilante road.
Two Kinds of Truth highlights Bosch's humanity in the way he reacts when he learns that his assumption is wrong in the pharmacy murders and how he reaches out to one of the addicts he meets while undercover. When his daughter learns about the allegations made by the serial killer on Death Row and she actually thinks Harry might have planted evidence, the blow is visceral-- not just for Harry but for the reader as well. Connelly is a master at drawing his readers into the warp and weft of his stories.
Connelly balances his two cases with the staggering scope of prescription drug abuse on one hand while dazzling readers with Mickey Haller's legal sleight of hand in proving his half-brother did not plant evidence to put a serial killer behind bars. This is another compelling addition to this long-running series, and-- the older Bosch gets-- the more I hope he will prove to be immortal.
[Note: As much as I love reading the books, I have to admit that I now prefer listening to the audiobooks narrated by Titus Welliver. I am a fan of the Bosch TV series, and Welliver has become Bosch in my mind.]
Two Kinds of Truth highlights Bosch's humanity in the way he reacts when he learns that his assumption is wrong in the pharmacy murders and how he reaches out to one of the addicts he meets while undercover. When his daughter learns about the allegations made by the serial killer on Death Row and she actually thinks Harry might have planted evidence, the blow is visceral-- not just for Harry but for the reader as well. Connelly is a master at drawing his readers into the warp and weft of his stories.
Connelly balances his two cases with the staggering scope of prescription drug abuse on one hand while dazzling readers with Mickey Haller's legal sleight of hand in proving his half-brother did not plant evidence to put a serial killer behind bars. This is another compelling addition to this long-running series, and-- the older Bosch gets-- the more I hope he will prove to be immortal.
[Note: As much as I love reading the books, I have to admit that I now prefer listening to the audiobooks narrated by Titus Welliver. I am a fan of the Bosch TV series, and Welliver has become Bosch in my mind.]
Another great Harry Bosch tale sure to please Michael Connelly fans.
