Status
Checked out
Due 29 May 2023
Genres
Description
In a case that spans 20 years, Harry Bosch links the bullet from a recent crime to a file from 1992, the killing of a young female photographer during the L.A. riots. Harry originally investigated the murder, but it was then handed off to the Riot Crimes Task Force and never solved. Now Bosch's ballistics match indicates that her death was not random violence, but something more personal, and connected to a deeper intrigue. Like an investigator combing through the wreckage after a plane crash, Bosch searches for the 'black box,' the one piece of evidence that will pull the case together.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Twink
Oh, Harry Bosch is back! I started Michael Connelly's latest book in the series (#18) - The Black Box - and I tried really, really hard to make it last.....but it was no use.....I finished it in a day. I literally couldn't put it down.
Harry is still with the Open-Unsolved Unit of the LAPD. It's the
"In the chaos of the moment, the mission was simple; preserve the evidence, document the scene as well and as fast as possible, and collect the dead. Get in and get out. And do it safely. The real investigation would come later. Maybe."
Well, that time is now. With today's capabilities in forensic science, Harry makes a discovery - bullets at the Jespersen scene match other crime scenes - committed after her murder. And Harry is on the trail. "Twenty years later, he got another shot at it. And it was a very long shot at that." What he also has is a new lieutenant - one determined to put Harry in his place.
This is Harry at his best, under the gun from superiors, eschewing the politicos, running solo, making connections others don't see and pursuing his cases full out. Justice for the victim is his focus. I have such a vivid mental image of Harry as I read - he is one of my favourite detectives.
As always, the plotting was intricate. I enjoyed solving the crime along with Harry as he pieced together his case from tenuous leads, intuition and dogged determination.
Connelly has given us the softer side of Harry in the last few books with the addition of his daughter Maddie. While I enjoy Harry having a personal life and storyline, I'm still on the fence about Maddie. But not about the new love interest Hannah - she's got to go. I'm curious as to whether a new female cop introduced in this book will return in future stories. Initially I thought she was just a supporting character, but played a bigger role than I imagined.
As always, another great read from Connelly. The downside - we'll have to wait another year for his next book - The Gods of Guilt.
"The saying is that law enforcement work is ninety-nine per-cent boredom and one percent adrenaline - screaming high intensity moments of life -and- death consequence." The Black Box? One hundred percent recommended.
Harry is still with the Open-Unsolved Unit of the LAPD. It's the
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20th anniversary of the L.A. riots and the Unit has been asked to try and clear some cases from that time period. Harry knows the case he wants to re examine. He worked the streets during that turmoil and was there when Anneke Jespersen's body was found in an alley. The murder of the young journalist was never solved. "In the chaos of the moment, the mission was simple; preserve the evidence, document the scene as well and as fast as possible, and collect the dead. Get in and get out. And do it safely. The real investigation would come later. Maybe."
Well, that time is now. With today's capabilities in forensic science, Harry makes a discovery - bullets at the Jespersen scene match other crime scenes - committed after her murder. And Harry is on the trail. "Twenty years later, he got another shot at it. And it was a very long shot at that." What he also has is a new lieutenant - one determined to put Harry in his place.
This is Harry at his best, under the gun from superiors, eschewing the politicos, running solo, making connections others don't see and pursuing his cases full out. Justice for the victim is his focus. I have such a vivid mental image of Harry as I read - he is one of my favourite detectives.
As always, the plotting was intricate. I enjoyed solving the crime along with Harry as he pieced together his case from tenuous leads, intuition and dogged determination.
Connelly has given us the softer side of Harry in the last few books with the addition of his daughter Maddie. While I enjoy Harry having a personal life and storyline, I'm still on the fence about Maddie. But not about the new love interest Hannah - she's got to go. I'm curious as to whether a new female cop introduced in this book will return in future stories. Initially I thought she was just a supporting character, but played a bigger role than I imagined.
As always, another great read from Connelly. The downside - we'll have to wait another year for his next book - The Gods of Guilt.
"The saying is that law enforcement work is ninety-nine per-cent boredom and one percent adrenaline - screaming high intensity moments of life -and- death consequence." The Black Box? One hundred percent recommended.
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LibraryThing member Patbilly
This Harry Bosch novel went down smooth. The development of his relationship with his 16 year old daughter showed a tender side of Harry, and continued displaying his bungling attempts at relationship building. The crime story is nasty and brings us to the 1992 rioting, burning streets of L.A., and
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to other very different settings. Bravo to Mr. Connelly for another terrific novel..... please let us know why Mendenhall followed Harry. Show Less
LibraryThing member pepe68
Typical Connelly: unputdownable. Bosch is at his usual self, cranky, soft-hearted, a nuisance to the top brass. Closure is what it's all about for him. And he gets it, as usual. The plot gets rather conventional in the end and never really grips you thriller-like. But Bosch keeps you with him every
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step of the way, from steakhouse to Jazz CDs. Show Less
LibraryThing member PIER50
A good solid book in the Harry Bosch series. Not quite got the excitement factor of some previous books, but a bit like putting on some old slippers, a nice comfortable way of putting your feet up and enjoying the well fleshed out characters.
LibraryThing member SimonLarsen
It's not the worst book from Connelly but it's certainly not the best.
As a native Dane the Danish aspects of the book really bothered me.
First of, the name of the victim Anneke is an extremely unusual name. Of a population of about 6 million people only about 50 living people in total are named
Secondly, Connelly keeps refering to the Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende as BT, but BT is an entirely separate newspaper in Denmark.
That is just bad research on Connelly's part. Both things could have been fact checked in 5 minutes on Google.
As a native Dane the Danish aspects of the book really bothered me.
First of, the name of the victim Anneke is an extremely unusual name. Of a population of about 6 million people only about 50 living people in total are named
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that. Secondly, Connelly keeps refering to the Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende as BT, but BT is an entirely separate newspaper in Denmark.
That is just bad research on Connelly's part. Both things could have been fact checked in 5 minutes on Google.
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LibraryThing member seasidereader
Originally I gave Black Box 4.5 stars -- it is typical of the well-plotted Bosch series and refreshing because the trail does not center on L.A. police corruption. The observations of other reviewers caused me to revise my opinion. Spoiler alert -- while it's tantalizing to set up unclear motives
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of a character, it's a bit deus ex machina to send her to Harry's rescue. Was she tailing him because she is really investigating someone else in the department? Why does she believe him so readily? It feels like a set-up for a future book. Show Less
LibraryThing member bibliofile55
Great book! I love that Michael Connelly has Harry Bosch age along with his readers! Also, love the fact the he has his characters grow and evolve throughout a series. No spoilers--but great storyline, as well.
LibraryThing member blush48
This is the 16th Michael Connelly book I've read, and I'm a big fan of Detective Harry Bosch.
While this book was good, I wasn't blown away. Of course, that probably happens after you read 16 books of ANY one author.
While this book was good, I wasn't blown away. Of course, that probably happens after you read 16 books of ANY one author.
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
This murder mystery is the 16th novel featuring Detective Harry Bosch. It is a straight forward, simply written novel. Bosch is somewhat of a loose cannon, a cop that does not follow rules in his pursuit of justice. Often in trouble because of his methods, he is successful in solving crimes that
This novel is about the murder of a Danish journalist. The crime occurred in 1992, during the LA riots, after the Rodney King verdict came down acquitting the cops involved. What was Annika Jesperson doing in LA? Was she murdered because she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? The case was never solved.
Fast forward, 20 years; it is now 2012. Harry Bosch is working on this unsolved, cold case. His superiors would like him to either drop it or slow down his investigation because if solved, the Jesperson case, (nicknamed Snow White), would cause political problems for those running for office. When he refuses, he is brought up on trumped up charges in an effort to have him dismissed from the force.
Most of the characters exist on the surface of the novel; they are not fully developed. Harry is the main feature and we really learn little about anything other than the details of his investigation and his behavior. Harry’s heart may be in the right place, but he disregards universal rules and protocol. He has his own standard of behavior and it is often less than aboveboard. It was hard to understand how he got away with all of the stunts he pulled.
Sometimes the plot wound around and was not always plausible. Although, at times, the story was a bit contrived and too obvious, the audio book did hold my interest. It was exciting and was a good easy diversion for a long drive.
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seem unsolvable.This novel is about the murder of a Danish journalist. The crime occurred in 1992, during the LA riots, after the Rodney King verdict came down acquitting the cops involved. What was Annika Jesperson doing in LA? Was she murdered because she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? The case was never solved.
Fast forward, 20 years; it is now 2012. Harry Bosch is working on this unsolved, cold case. His superiors would like him to either drop it or slow down his investigation because if solved, the Jesperson case, (nicknamed Snow White), would cause political problems for those running for office. When he refuses, he is brought up on trumped up charges in an effort to have him dismissed from the force.
Most of the characters exist on the surface of the novel; they are not fully developed. Harry is the main feature and we really learn little about anything other than the details of his investigation and his behavior. Harry’s heart may be in the right place, but he disregards universal rules and protocol. He has his own standard of behavior and it is often less than aboveboard. It was hard to understand how he got away with all of the stunts he pulled.
Sometimes the plot wound around and was not always plausible. Although, at times, the story was a bit contrived and too obvious, the audio book did hold my interest. It was exciting and was a good easy diversion for a long drive.
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LibraryThing member martinhughharvey
A great audio book. My first Bosch novel and won't be the last one.
LibraryThing member SigmundFraud
I rarely read thrillers but when I do I want MIchael Connolly. He is the best. He has great stories, wonderful tight sparse language. the story flows. About every two years I need such a read and I always return to MIchael.
LibraryThing member Laura400
It's the first Harry Bosch I've read, and I found it fast-paced and engrossing. The ending was a little far-fetched, as others say, but then I don't expect police procedurals to slog through only the dogged realism of the everyday. These are stories meant to entertain. I can't say whether it
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measures up to the early work, but as a new reader I enjoyed it. It's good enough to spur me to read more Connelly. Show Less
LibraryThing member rob80ert
While the mystery was well thought out and came together nicely, the way Bosch goes rogue to get his killer is disappointing. I choose which books to read (and shows to watch) based on how plausible they are since I'm in the law enforcement field. When it gets too stupid, I tend to go somewhere
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else. Depending on the next book, I may have to make a decision. Show Less
LibraryThing member mikedraper
With the approach of the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots, Harry Bosch is working in the unsolved crime unit.
He's investigating the murder of Anneke Jespersen who was murdered during the riots.
With the prevalence of gang activity in the area where Jespersen's body was found, Harry begins
He comes up with a major impediment as his new boss is a controlling, demanding administrator who wants to know what Harry is doing with every step.
Harry continues his investigation and the suspense mounts as he gets closer to answers while dealing with an internal investigation.
We have all seen egotistical supervisors and I admire the way Harry stood up to this man.
I felt that the story was realistically told with likable main characters.
Connelly is known for his powerful novel conclusions but I felt that this story fell a bit below his usual excellent standard.
He's investigating the murder of Anneke Jespersen who was murdered during the riots.
With the prevalence of gang activity in the area where Jespersen's body was found, Harry begins
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looking into the weapon since there has been huge developments in crime investigation in the last 20 years.He comes up with a major impediment as his new boss is a controlling, demanding administrator who wants to know what Harry is doing with every step.
Harry continues his investigation and the suspense mounts as he gets closer to answers while dealing with an internal investigation.
We have all seen egotistical supervisors and I admire the way Harry stood up to this man.
I felt that the story was realistically told with likable main characters.
Connelly is known for his powerful novel conclusions but I felt that this story fell a bit below his usual excellent standard.
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LibraryThing member everfresh1
The plot is good but the story flow is often very annoyingly slows down and that to me a killer of what otherwise would be another excellent Michael Connelly' work. I understand that author wants to keep narrative about both the investigation and Harry's personal life, but the latter is just
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plainly boring. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kathy89
Harry is investigating a cold case from the L.A. riots 20 years ago. It was a case that he worked on briefly but because of the riots it didn't get the attention it deserved. The victim was a female Swedish news reporter who was shot in an alley. It's interesting how someone life can be traced back
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through the years by talking with relatives and former work associates. What was she doing in L.A? How was the gun that killed her involved in other crimes? Harry is having a problem with his superiors on the force and I'll be interested to see what happens in the next book. Show Less
LibraryThing member herschelian
Started well, was very engaged with situation, characters, plot etc. But then it fizzled out for me and the ending was just
too convenient, too pat This is only my 2nd Michael Connelly novel (the 1st being 'The Lincoln Lawyer') so I will try one or two other books by him before I decide what I think
too convenient, too pat This is only my 2nd Michael Connelly novel (the 1st being 'The Lincoln Lawyer') so I will try one or two other books by him before I decide what I think
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about him as a writer. Show Less
LibraryThing member delphimo
Harry Bosch is a likeable character, but at times he is too arrogant. Every time you feel that Harry will no longer work as a policeman, Lady Luck steps into the picture. The tension builds about a third of the way into the story, than a strange woman appears out of nowhere to assist Harry near the
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close of the story. The women in Harry's life step up and down throughout his career. Harry's daughter seems to rear herself, because Harry is too immersed in his work and finding the criminal. Harry goes to many extremes in solving the investigation, nothing stops him. Maybe the time has come to be weaned from Harry Bosch. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarian1204
Another good read from Michael Connelly. Not sure who I enjoy more Bosch or Haller. Thanks for the introduction to Art Pepper!
LibraryThing member Patbilly
This Harry Bosch novel went down smooth. The development of his relationship with his 16 year old daughter showed a tender side of Harry, and continued displaying his bungling attempts at relationship building. The crime story is nasty and brings us to the 1992 rioting, burning streets of L.A., and
Show More
to other very different settings. Bravo to Mr. Connelly for another terrific novel..... please let us know why Mendenhall followed Harry. Show Less
LibraryThing member CedsWife
Excellent. I love the Harry Bosch series!
LibraryThing member addunn3
Harry Bosch solves a 20 year old murder coming out of the riots in LA. A Danish journalist is killed in an alley during the riots and Harry is assigned to review the case. A series of breaks leads out of the LA area. Well written, good plot.
LibraryThing member crazy4reading
Wow this was a great book. Now I definitely need to read this whole series. I can't believe this story. Michael Connelly does a fantastic job on this book.
Harry Bosch has another case that he needs to solve. This one is 20 years old and one that he didn't solve originally. Plus the weapon used in
Finding out who did it and why is surprising. When Harry tells the brother of the murder victim that the case has been solved was truly touching. Now I will be going back to the beginning.
Harry Bosch has another case that he needs to solve. This one is 20 years old and one that he didn't solve originally. Plus the weapon used in
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the murder is linked to other murders and that is how he goes about figuring out who murdered this reporter during the riots of 1992.Finding out who did it and why is surprising. When Harry tells the brother of the murder victim that the case has been solved was truly touching. Now I will be going back to the beginning.
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LibraryThing member gypsysmom
I listened to this book which I downloaded from my library's electronic media site.
Harry Bosch is working in the Cold Case squad with a new supervisor who doesn't seem to know much about managing detectives. Harry is following up a twenty-year old mystery of a woman journalist from Sweden. Her body
Harry isn't one to let an ornery supervisor or a complaint investigation stop him following the leads. This was a good book to listen to although sometimes I didn't want to turn it off when I needed to do something else.
Harry Bosch is working in the Cold Case squad with a new supervisor who doesn't seem to know much about managing detectives. Harry is following up a twenty-year old mystery of a woman journalist from Sweden. Her body
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was found during the riots following the release of the police officers who beat Rodney King right in the middle of the riot area. Harry was actually one of the first police officers to examine the body and scene but he was only able to do a cursory job before he had to attend to another case. Her murder was never solved but now a piece of evidence has tied her murder to a more current case. Harry is determined to do a thorough job this time. His supervisor has other ideas and, of course, they clash.Harry isn't one to let an ornery supervisor or a complaint investigation stop him following the leads. This was a good book to listen to although sometimes I didn't want to turn it off when I needed to do something else.
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LibraryThing member infjsarah
Enjoyable if not the best of the Bosch books. I like the introduction of the daughter. Though the end did get a bit "Jack Reacher".
I have now read all the Bosch books so will have to wait for the next one :(
I have now read all the Bosch books so will have to wait for the next one :(
Awards
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Mystery/Thriller — 2012)