Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
Brilliance Audio (2010), Edition: Abridged
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Back on the job after an involuntary leave of absence, LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch is ready for a challenge �?? but a murderous Las Vegas crime ring might prove to be more than he bargained for. It starts with the body of a Hollywood producer in the trunk of a Rolls-Royce, shot twice in the head at close range - what looks like "trunk music," a Mafia hit. But the LAPD's organized crime unit is curiously uninterested, and when Harry follows a trail of gambling debts to Las Vegas, the case suddenly becomes more complex - and much more personal. A rekindled romance with an old girlfriend opens new perspectives on the murder, and he begins to glimpse a shocking triangle of corruption and collusion. Yanked off the case, Harry himself is soon the one being investigated. But only a bullet can stop Harry when he's searching for the truth .… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member markatread
In the previous book, The Last Coyote, Harry Bosch was at war with the whole world. He was at war with his boss; he even gets suspended from the force and has to go for a psychiatric evaluation where he ends up at war with his therapist. He is at war with the housing inspector that is trying to
Trunk Music is almost a polar opposite of The Last Coyote. Harry is back on the job; has even been given the position of Team Leader on the new murder he has been assigned; has a new boss that he respects; and meets an old girlfriend that he knows was the one he missed out on before. Early in the book, Harry even admits to himself that he is happy. He is still Harry and still does things the way Harry does things, but he is no longer miserable and at war with himself and everyone around him. Harry still uses violence in most situations and it usually ends up being destructive and counterproductive for what he is trying to accomplish. But in Trunk Music, Harry begins to be part of a team, work with his boss instead of against his boss, and his relationships with women go from feeling forced much of the time to being integrated into the overall story in a way that adds to the story instead of detracting from it. In fact, two of the most telling moments in the book happen in relationships with the two main female characters in the book.
At one point Harry is having a Harry-like moment when an FBI agent comes to pick up a box of evidence. Words are exchanged and Harry has the FBI agent's tie jerked up around his throat when the new boss, Lt. Grace Billets intervenes and tells Harry to sit down and she will handle the agent. Harry has trouble doing it, but does. After the agent leaves she turns to Harry and says,
"You don't know how to help yourself do you? Why don't you grow up and stop these pissing wars?" She didn't wait for his reply, because he didn't have one.
There are multiple times when the reader has thought the same thing as Harry has reacted in ways that ultimately may help to get the case solved but are excessive and even thuggish as he reacts to what is in front of him with abrasiveness and violence.
The second moment happens later in the book as Harry is talking on the phone with another FBI agent and when he hangs up his girlfriend asks him what the agent wanted.
“I guess to apologize.”
“That’s unusual; the bureau doesn’t usually apologize for anything.”
“It wasn’t an official call”.
“Oh. One of those macho male bonding calls.”
Bosch smiled because she was so right.
In almost every situation in previous books, Bosch was always leading with his chin. In this book there are moments like this when he slows down and what is happening has an opportunity to affect him. He actually feels something besides just anger, rage and guilt. But as is the case with so much of what Harry does, as he does begin to feel other feelings, he ends up being drawn to the woman who probably has as many problems as he does, who is as damaged as he is. Harry is better, but he is only a little better. He is happier but he is probably only happier for a short while.
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condemn his house following an earthquake and he is at war with women as his current girlfriend leaves him. He is drinking too much and ends up at war with his past as he tries to understand what happened to his mother and why she was murdered 30 years ago. Harry starts The Last Coyote miserable and he ends the book miserable. So much so that he even leaves his beloved LA and goes to Florida to be with his new girlfriend.Trunk Music is almost a polar opposite of The Last Coyote. Harry is back on the job; has even been given the position of Team Leader on the new murder he has been assigned; has a new boss that he respects; and meets an old girlfriend that he knows was the one he missed out on before. Early in the book, Harry even admits to himself that he is happy. He is still Harry and still does things the way Harry does things, but he is no longer miserable and at war with himself and everyone around him. Harry still uses violence in most situations and it usually ends up being destructive and counterproductive for what he is trying to accomplish. But in Trunk Music, Harry begins to be part of a team, work with his boss instead of against his boss, and his relationships with women go from feeling forced much of the time to being integrated into the overall story in a way that adds to the story instead of detracting from it. In fact, two of the most telling moments in the book happen in relationships with the two main female characters in the book.
At one point Harry is having a Harry-like moment when an FBI agent comes to pick up a box of evidence. Words are exchanged and Harry has the FBI agent's tie jerked up around his throat when the new boss, Lt. Grace Billets intervenes and tells Harry to sit down and she will handle the agent. Harry has trouble doing it, but does. After the agent leaves she turns to Harry and says,
"You don't know how to help yourself do you? Why don't you grow up and stop these pissing wars?" She didn't wait for his reply, because he didn't have one.
There are multiple times when the reader has thought the same thing as Harry has reacted in ways that ultimately may help to get the case solved but are excessive and even thuggish as he reacts to what is in front of him with abrasiveness and violence.
The second moment happens later in the book as Harry is talking on the phone with another FBI agent and when he hangs up his girlfriend asks him what the agent wanted.
“I guess to apologize.”
“That’s unusual; the bureau doesn’t usually apologize for anything.”
“It wasn’t an official call”.
“Oh. One of those macho male bonding calls.”
Bosch smiled because she was so right.
In almost every situation in previous books, Bosch was always leading with his chin. In this book there are moments like this when he slows down and what is happening has an opportunity to affect him. He actually feels something besides just anger, rage and guilt. But as is the case with so much of what Harry does, as he does begin to feel other feelings, he ends up being drawn to the woman who probably has as many problems as he does, who is as damaged as he is. Harry is better, but he is only a little better. He is happier but he is probably only happier for a short while.
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LibraryThing member infjsarah
As usual an enjoyable Connelly crime / thriller. Read while on holiday - suitable for light no thought required reading. I usually just read thrillers as they come and don't try to guess the end.
LibraryThing member Darrol
Went a little way towards healing the cliche of the first book. Plot a little too complicated for my tastes, but the ending was satisfying. The vignette with the mentally ill, homeless man was very good.
LibraryThing member Joycepa
5th in the Harry Bosch series.
The death of a B-grade movie producer looks like a mob hit—in the parlance of the LAPD, “trunk music” because that’s where the bodies wind up. Harry’s investigation leads him to Las Vegas and what seems like the killer. But the lead blows up in his face,
In addition, during his Vegas trip, he meets Eleanor Wish, the ex-FBI agent Bosch helped to convict for fraud, and who is the love of Harry’s life.
Together, these two circumstances provide the matrix for another of Connelly’s installments in the hard-boiled police procedural genre. Like most Bosch books, this one wanders around before getting down to the excitement, but this one more than the first four—if not really 40 years in the wilderness, then 39.6 or what seemed close to it. I had a hard time maintaining interest until about the last 20% of the book. However, Connelly wrapped up the story so well that that last 20% more than made up for the first 80%, and even made all that came before seem just as exciting as well, as all falls into place.
It’s a good book, if you’re prepared to stick it out to the end.
The death of a B-grade movie producer looks like a mob hit—in the parlance of the LAPD, “trunk music” because that’s where the bodies wind up. Harry’s investigation leads him to Las Vegas and what seems like the killer. But the lead blows up in his face,
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getting him into serious departmental trouble as well.In addition, during his Vegas trip, he meets Eleanor Wish, the ex-FBI agent Bosch helped to convict for fraud, and who is the love of Harry’s life.
Together, these two circumstances provide the matrix for another of Connelly’s installments in the hard-boiled police procedural genre. Like most Bosch books, this one wanders around before getting down to the excitement, but this one more than the first four—if not really 40 years in the wilderness, then 39.6 or what seemed close to it. I had a hard time maintaining interest until about the last 20% of the book. However, Connelly wrapped up the story so well that that last 20% more than made up for the first 80%, and even made all that came before seem just as exciting as well, as all falls into place.
It’s a good book, if you’re prepared to stick it out to the end.
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LibraryThing member skulli99
Detailed, but rivetting....looks like a realisitc portrayal of US police bureaucratic procedures, ......
LibraryThing member debavp
While this has quite the surprise ending, I think that Connelly left the devolpment of Harry a bit off in this installment. I do wish he would also develop Rider's personality a bit quicker as well.
LibraryThing member raizel
Murder, violence, mystery (some of which I guessed rather quickly), the woman Bosch loved from an earlier book.
LibraryThing member wiccked
Another Harry Bosch book. I'm enjoying them. Much more now that I'm actually reading them in order, and getting a sense of continuity in the background of Harry's personal life.
This particular story was really good! There were quite a few twists that I didn't get at all. One of them I was quite
This particular story was really good! There were quite a few twists that I didn't get at all. One of them I was quite
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close on though. And one of the characters looked just like Fin Tutuola, from Law & Order, SVU (Ice-T) - in my mind, at least! Show Less
LibraryThing member PIER50
Excellent Bosch story, full of twists and turns
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
I wonder whether I may have read a few too many of Michael Connelly's books within too short a space of time. It is an easy error to slip into. They do, after all, tend to be well written with tightly-constructed plots, empathetic characters and an intriguing setting in the seedier reaches of
So far this year I have read six of his novels, and I have started to recognise some degree of formulaic approach. For instance, in Trunk Music, a minor film producer is found dead in the boot of his car (a white Rolls Royce), and it appears that he may have been the victim of organised crime - a 'hit'. Heironymus 'Harry' Bosch is on the scene fairly early after the discovery of the corpse and takes over the investigation. Things initially progress fairly well, and Bosch is soon following up potentially fruitful clues that lead him to Las Vegas where, among other encounters, he meets up with a former partner. Predictably, however, Bosch is soon hauled in by his senior officers and investigated by Internal Affairs Division for alleged inappropriate behaviour. Sooner or later this happens in every Bosch novel - all that varies is the distance one has top penetrate into the book before it happens.
Trunk Music was certainly a decent novel, but I found it very quickly merged into a morass of all the other Connelly novels I had read earlier in the year. I will definitely return to Connelly's books - I have become a sort of addict of 'Boschland' - bit I think I will leave it a lot longer before my next return.
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Hollywood where vicious murders abound.So far this year I have read six of his novels, and I have started to recognise some degree of formulaic approach. For instance, in Trunk Music, a minor film producer is found dead in the boot of his car (a white Rolls Royce), and it appears that he may have been the victim of organised crime - a 'hit'. Heironymus 'Harry' Bosch is on the scene fairly early after the discovery of the corpse and takes over the investigation. Things initially progress fairly well, and Bosch is soon following up potentially fruitful clues that lead him to Las Vegas where, among other encounters, he meets up with a former partner. Predictably, however, Bosch is soon hauled in by his senior officers and investigated by Internal Affairs Division for alleged inappropriate behaviour. Sooner or later this happens in every Bosch novel - all that varies is the distance one has top penetrate into the book before it happens.
Trunk Music was certainly a decent novel, but I found it very quickly merged into a morass of all the other Connelly novels I had read earlier in the year. I will definitely return to Connelly's books - I have become a sort of addict of 'Boschland' - bit I think I will leave it a lot longer before my next return.
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LibraryThing member jmcclain19
It seems each Harry Bosch novel takes a look at another seedy underbelly of the LA Crime scene, and in Trunk Music the song being played is performed by a Chicago mob family with ties to Las Vegas & LA. It's everything you've come to expect from Connelly's Bosch - scuffles with the IAD, familiar
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characters popping up when you least expect them, a gritty storyline complete with a graphic look at life in LA, a 'damn the torpedoes' get it done at all costs attitude from the main protagonist and a twist at the end you can't predict. Show Less
LibraryThing member pidgeon92
So far my least favorite book in the series. I really dislike any books/TV with a mob connection, and the plot lines in this book were just unappealing. I think I'll wait a while before starting the next book in the series.
LibraryThing member Laura400
Not one of the best Harry Bosch books, in my opinion. Burdened by the wooden romance.
LibraryThing member Amusedbythis
I have been borrowing the Kindle versions of Michael Connelly's Bosch series from my local library. This book was a quick read and not as dark as some. I enjoyed it and have requested the next in the series.
LibraryThing member page.fault
After his utterly catastrophic meltdown in the last book, Bosch is somehow back on Hollywood homicide and about to get into his first case--a man executed and shoved in his trunk. It has all the earmarks of a hit by the outfit--a little "trunk music," as they would say. But Bosch, suspicious as
Although it wasn't deep or particularly thought-provoking, in terms of pure easy-going enjoyment, this one might rank top of my list in the series so far. Very little of the book is spent agonizing over Bosch's personal tragedies. It's back to business as usual in this one, Bosch actually has reasonable control over his temper, and the mystery takes center stage. Our 'walk-on-to-prove-a-point' female characters from the last book are gone, but this time, three new ones have been introduced--and two aren't even love interests! What a thought! I'm curious if they'll stick around. The mystery is solid, the plot is fun, and Bosch, rather than antagonizing everyone he meets, actually has some great and heartwarming moments of camaraderie and (for him) friendship. Overall it adds up to a very enjoyable read.
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always, grabs hold of the case and refuses to let go, even though it leads him into a tangled mess of gambling, revenge, and the mob in a city even more corrupt than his own: Las Vegas.Although it wasn't deep or particularly thought-provoking, in terms of pure easy-going enjoyment, this one might rank top of my list in the series so far. Very little of the book is spent agonizing over Bosch's personal tragedies. It's back to business as usual in this one, Bosch actually has reasonable control over his temper, and the mystery takes center stage. Our 'walk-on-to-prove-a-point' female characters from the last book are gone, but this time, three new ones have been introduced--and two aren't even love interests! What a thought! I'm curious if they'll stick around. The mystery is solid, the plot is fun, and Bosch, rather than antagonizing everyone he meets, actually has some great and heartwarming moments of camaraderie and (for him) friendship. Overall it adds up to a very enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member skinglist
An interesting title filled with more twists and turns then I expected. And logical ones at that! I'm glad to see the return of Eleanor Wish, but I'm ambivalent about how I feel since I know from later books she isn't permanently in the picture. I really like Lt. Bullets, a strong but soft feminine
I wonder how / if they'll keep the FBI as part of LAPD's life.
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side. I wonder how / if they'll keep the FBI as part of LAPD's life.
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LibraryThing member JudithDCollins
Did not enjoy this Harry Bosch series read quite as much as some of the others. When B-grade L.A. movie producer is found stuffed into the trunk of his Rolls Royce, all signs point to "trunk music" --a mob hit. Detective Harry Bosch, returning from his "involuntary stress leave," is not so sure.
Seems this Tony had his share of enemies, and in no time, so does Harry: Vegas thugs, LAPD's organized crime unit, a smarmy internal affairs investigator and, of course, Tony's killers. Everyone wants a piece of Harry. And somehow, they've found just the way to get it. . . Eleanor (ex lover of Harry's gets involved and some romance rekindled as he faces the trunk music.
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And when he finds the money trail, he follows it…all the way to Vegas.Seems this Tony had his share of enemies, and in no time, so does Harry: Vegas thugs, LAPD's organized crime unit, a smarmy internal affairs investigator and, of course, Tony's killers. Everyone wants a piece of Harry. And somehow, they've found just the way to get it. . . Eleanor (ex lover of Harry's gets involved and some romance rekindled as he faces the trunk music.
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LibraryThing member kenzen
At least one of the surprises I saw coming.
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
I wonder whether I may have read a few too many of Michael Connelly's books within too short a space of time. It is an easy error to slip into. They do, after all, tend to be well written with tightly-constructed plots, empathetic characters and an intriguing setting in the seedier reaches of
So far this year I have read six of his novels, and I have started to recognise some degree of formulaic approach. For instance, in Trunk Music, a minor film producer is found dead in the boot of his car (a white Rolls Royce), and it appears that he may have been the victim of organised crime - a 'hit'. Heironymus 'Harry' Bosch is on the scene fairly early after the discovery of the corpse and takes over the investigation. Things initially progress fairly well, and Bosch is soon following up potentially fruitful clues that lead him to Las Vegas where, among other encounters, he meets up with a former partner. Predictably, however, Bosch is soon hauled in by his senior officers and investigated by Internal Affairs Division for alleged inappropriate behaviour. Sooner or later this happens in every Bosch novel - all that varies is the distance one has top penetrate into the book before it happens.
Trunk Music was certainly a decent novel, but I found it very quickly merged into a morass of all the other Connelly novels I had read earlier in the year. I will definitely return to Connelly's books - I have become a sort of addict of 'Boschland' - bit I think I will leave it a lot longer before my next return.
Show More
Hollywood where vicious murders abound.So far this year I have read six of his novels, and I have started to recognise some degree of formulaic approach. For instance, in Trunk Music, a minor film producer is found dead in the boot of his car (a white Rolls Royce), and it appears that he may have been the victim of organised crime - a 'hit'. Heironymus 'Harry' Bosch is on the scene fairly early after the discovery of the corpse and takes over the investigation. Things initially progress fairly well, and Bosch is soon following up potentially fruitful clues that lead him to Las Vegas where, among other encounters, he meets up with a former partner. Predictably, however, Bosch is soon hauled in by his senior officers and investigated by Internal Affairs Division for alleged inappropriate behaviour. Sooner or later this happens in every Bosch novel - all that varies is the distance one has top penetrate into the book before it happens.
Trunk Music was certainly a decent novel, but I found it very quickly merged into a morass of all the other Connelly novels I had read earlier in the year. I will definitely return to Connelly's books - I have become a sort of addict of 'Boschland' - bit I think I will leave it a lot longer before my next return.
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LibraryThing member gypsysmom
This book was published in 1997 and is the fifth in the Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch series by Connelly. I've read some of the earlier ones and some of the later ones in this series and they always intrigue me.
Trunk music is the term used when Mafia kill someone in the trunk of their car and when Tony
Bosch is a great cop but, something like one of my personal favourite fictional investigators, John Rebus, he always gets into trouble with the higher echelons. This book is no exception. It is against departmental rules to associate with a person who has been convicted of criminal charges. Bosch can't help himself when it comes to Eleanor and I'm glad. It makes him a bit more human.
I figured out the perpetrator (or should I say one of them) long before it was revealed in the book but perhaps Connelly meant it that way. It did spoil a bit of the suspense for me but since I didn't figure out the co-conspirator or the method I had to keep reading.
Trunk music is the term used when Mafia kill someone in the trunk of their car and when Tony
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Aliso is found in the trunk of his car with two shots to his head most people thought it was a Mafia hit. Harry and his new team from the Hollywood Homicide department, Jerry Edgar and Kizmin Rider, catch this homicide on the Labor Day long weekend. So much for any time off! They soon discover that Aliso had just come back from Las Vegas where he goes frequently to play poker and visit his stripper girlfriend. This information comes courtesy of Aliso's wife, Veronica. As per usual the wife is a suspect but it seems she didn't leave the gated community they live in and Bosch and his team are soon following the Mafia connection. Bosch heads to Las Vegas to follow up on that end of things and soon he has a suspect in jail. He also sees his former love, Eleanor Wish, who is now playing cards in Vegas to earn a living after having spent some time in jail.Bosch is a great cop but, something like one of my personal favourite fictional investigators, John Rebus, he always gets into trouble with the higher echelons. This book is no exception. It is against departmental rules to associate with a person who has been convicted of criminal charges. Bosch can't help himself when it comes to Eleanor and I'm glad. It makes him a bit more human.
I figured out the perpetrator (or should I say one of them) long before it was revealed in the book but perhaps Connelly meant it that way. It did spoil a bit of the suspense for me but since I didn't figure out the co-conspirator or the method I had to keep reading.
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LibraryThing member sblock
Tight mystery, but writing was pedestrian. Much as I like Connelly, I think I prefer the Lincoln Lawyer series.
LibraryThing member mrtall
Trunk Music is classic, hard-driving, down-and-dirty Michael Connelly. Harry Bosch investigates a stiff found in a car trunk; it's a film studio executive who's been up to plenty of shady dealing. Not the best of Bosch, but a solid read.
LibraryThing member Verge0007
If you want masterful set ups, delicious twist and turns; you can’t go wrong with Trunk Music which also packs a lot of procedural details, great characterization and the introduction of a new lieutenant in the excellently named Grace Billets (or Bullets, as per her nickname) plus, a new partner
5 out of 5
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named Kizman Rider (or Kiz, who may or may not stay in the unit) we’re also re-introduce to Bosch’s old flame Eleanor Wish. The only cats missing here are Crate and Barrel (I really like those guys, this being book #5 of the ongoing series, I might’ve miss the why of their absentia in this story) In Trunk Music we are treated to a fun case with the killing of a movie producer found in the trunk of his car, hence the ‘mob-term’ trunk music. Corrupt cops, back stabbings and blackmail set in the City of Angels where homicide detective Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch and his partner Detective Jerry Edgar are the heroes every police department should have.5 out of 5
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LibraryThing member RonWelton
Michael Connelly's fifth book in the Harry Bosch series, "Trunk Music," begins with his first homicide assignment since he was placed on involuntary stress leave eighteen months prior. After eight months assigned to the purgatorial Hollywood Burglary division by Lieutenant Grace Billets, he has
Connelly excels in detailing procedurals and forensics. He can be relied upon to provide current technology. Here, where a body is found in a trunk, the SI tech used laser rays to fully establish positioning of the corpse and to illuminate otherwise missed pieces of potential evidence and to identify hidden patterns and prints.
Bosch always finds himself entangled in disharmony with members of the force and with the bureaucracy of the system. "Trunk Music" is no exception. The entanglements here are complex: a long time "interdepartmental skirmish between Deputy Chief Leon Fitzgerald, commander of OCID ... and his boss, the chief of police;" the struggle for control of the investigation between OCID (Organized Crime Investigation Division) and Hollywood division; Hollywood division and the Los Vegas PD. Bosch's personal involvement is also entangled when he re-kindles his relationship with ex-felon Eleanor Wish, which would be seen as consorting with a criminal, a serious breach of departmental rules. Of all the entanglements, the last ends most amicably.
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been elevated to leader of a three person homicide squad with his former partner Jerry Edgar and gifted top-notch investigator, Kismin Rider.Connelly excels in detailing procedurals and forensics. He can be relied upon to provide current technology. Here, where a body is found in a trunk, the SI tech used laser rays to fully establish positioning of the corpse and to illuminate otherwise missed pieces of potential evidence and to identify hidden patterns and prints.
Bosch always finds himself entangled in disharmony with members of the force and with the bureaucracy of the system. "Trunk Music" is no exception. The entanglements here are complex: a long time "interdepartmental skirmish between Deputy Chief Leon Fitzgerald, commander of OCID ... and his boss, the chief of police;" the struggle for control of the investigation between OCID (Organized Crime Investigation Division) and Hollywood division; Hollywood division and the Los Vegas PD. Bosch's personal involvement is also entangled when he re-kindles his relationship with ex-felon Eleanor Wish, which would be seen as consorting with a criminal, a serious breach of departmental rules. Of all the entanglements, the last ends most amicably.
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LibraryThing member DrApple
A good Bosch mystery that leaves you guessing about some things until the end. This fills in some gaps I had between early Bosch novels, and the TV series which is based on later ones.
Subjects
Awards
Macavity Award (Nominee — Novel — 1998)
Barry Award (Winner — Novel — 1998)
Hammett Prize (Nominee — 1997)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1997
ISBN
1441856447 / 9781441856449