The Black Echo: Harry Bosch Series, Book 1 Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B001BACYFM | Format: PDF
The Black Echo: Harry Bosch Series, Book 1 Description
For LAPD homicide cop Harry Bosch - hero, maverick, nighthawk - the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal.
The dead man, Billy Meadows, was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who fought side by side with him in a nightmare underground war that brought them to the depths of hell. Now, Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city to the torturous link that must be uncovered, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit.
Joining with an enigmatic and seductive female FBI agent, pitted against enemies inside his own department, Bosch must make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, as he tracks down a killer whose true face will shock him.
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 13 hours and 49 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Brilliance Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: June 17, 2008
- Whispersync for Voice: Ready
- Language: English
- ASIN: B001BACYFM
After reading about a half dozen books in Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series, I decided I better start at the beginning and read them in order. The Black Echo is the first Bosch mystery and it's an amazing effort for a first time novelist. In fact, it won the prestigious Edgar Award for mystery writing.
The Black Echo opens when LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch is called out on the discovery of a dead man in a drainage pipe. It appears that the victim died of an overdose, but enough red flags are raised to make Bosch suspect foul play. Not only that, but the detective actually knew the man: they were tunnel rats in Viet Nam. As Bosch starts investigating, he discovers that the victim, Bill Meadows, has been identified as a key suspect in a year old bank robbery. The robbers went through underground tunnels, and then dug their way into a bank safety deposit box vault. At first, the FBI rebuffs Bosch's attempts to pool information. But they finally relent and he is assigned to FBI agent, Eleanor Wish.
As the case progresses, Bosch and Wish discover that the bank caper has its roots in Viet Nam and things get very complicated and dangerous. Bosch also suspects that someone is working from the inside and compromising their case. Even when he thinks he's got everything figured out, there is still an important piece of the puzzle still missing.
I really liked The Black Echo for a number of reasons. First, the plot has numerous twists and turns, and shows Bosch's genius as a detective and Connelly's talent as a writer. In this book, we get a look at Bosch's background, which helps explain his motivations in later books. Also, The Black Echo takes place during a Memorial Day weekend. Since I read it over the same weekend, it made it more relevant.
My reaction to this novel was a bit of a surprise to me. Normally for me, it's a given that if I don't really like the main character, I won't like the novel itself. This book sort of turned that on its head as I did like the novel itself but didn't care for the main character all that much.
The novel is an interesting and well-plotted police procedural. The discovery of a body that seems to be that of a drug addict who overdosed turns up a very elaborate and involved mystery. I found the mystery to be rather inventive and fascinating in and of itself. It's difficult to discuss the mystery without giving too much away but suffice it to say that Harry Bosch knew the victim in Vietnam and that this past comes very much into play.
As for Harry Bosch, I just could never see him as more than a cliched character. He's what I tend to think of as the typical go-it-alone cop with a tortured past. I didn't actively dislike him, but I didn't find him interesting either. It seemed to me that for as original as the mystery was, Bosch himself was one of the most unoriginal characters I've ever encountered in a mystery novel.
I also felt that the portrayal of the internal affairs officers was cliched as well. I understand that the men and women who work in internal affairs are generally disliked by other police officers, but what I would really be interested in seeing is a novel that gives a more balanced view of the men and women who do what must be an exceedingly difficult job. Connelly's IAD cops are so ridiculous as to be little more than caricatures and the author even goes so far as to give the two of them the ludicrous names of Lewis and Clarke. Of course, this results in excessive poking of fun at their names.
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