9 Dragons, a Harry Bosch Novel by Michael Connelly.
The Book:
This is book is the fourteenth in Michael Connelly's Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch series. It finds Detective Bosch at odds with his partner Ignacio "Iggy" Ferras. When Harry and Iggy catch a routine case from South LA, the murder of a Chinese immigrant who owns and runs a liquor store, things really start to simmer. Iggy has three small children at home, and is desperately needed there. But to Bosh, for whom each case is a mission, Iggy's inability to be on the job 24/7 really rankles. And since Iggy was shot on the job during the last book, he only wants to do paperwork, not field work. For Iggy this makes sense, because this particular murder has shades of Chinese organize crime in it. Those leads must be tracked down. So while Iggy is busy applying for warrants and overseeing searches, Bosch winds up with a new partner, Detective Henry Chu.
Chu takes one look at Bosch and nails him as a Vietnam Vet now carrying racist attitudes towards Asians. Bosch is greatly annoyed, but mostly because he is honest enough with himself to know it's true. Over and over again, Chu and Bosch clash. When Bosch needs Chu to translate some Chinese symbols tattooed on the victim's ankles, Chu is forced to admit he only speaks and cannot read Chinese. Not one to be left in the lurch, Bosch turns Maddie to his now thirteen-year-old daughter who has been living the last several years in Hong Kong with her mother, Eleanor Wish.
Maddie translates the symbols for him and at the same time whines to Bosch about wanting to come live with him. This fateful decision to ask Maddie for help unleashes a world of consequences, which in true Harry Bosch fashion see lives derailed, even wasted. Maddie, being thirteen and at odds with her mother sets in motion a plot of her own to come live with her father, but that has deadly consequences. Iggy, who tries to prove to Bosch he really is a good cop, and fatally fails.
My Thoughts
All in all, Connelly's mastery of scene work is on display. He provides enough details to immerse a reader in the story, without making the either the scene or the plot slog. The plotting is face paced, almost thriller like, so that you are tempted to read his book a police procedural. In reality, if you read this book closely, it is a puzzle mystery. The puzzles in this book are solvable, and artfully laid out. Connelly skips the part where the detective gathers the suspects in the living room and lays out his evidence, but he does deliver a series of denouements that answer all of the questions. It's hard to say these conclusions are satisfying, but they have the request finality.
Connelly is exploring in the character of Bosch, the flaws of cops on the beat. This has been true since Bosch's introduction in 1992, and continues in 9 Dragons.
Here we see Connelly wrestling with Bosch's take charge attitude. This is a well defined character trait, and he does a great job highlighting the consequences of the character trait. As a writer, I try to remember that character traits are those attitudes engrained upon a character early in life. These are the things that are the hardest for a person to change. They are one part made up of our DNA, and one part our willful actions or inactions. All good writers make sure to have characters who treat situations similarly, which means sometimes it works out really well for the character and sometimes it won't. However, regardless of the consequences, the character will do the same thing over and over again, failing to learn his or her lesson.
Bosch believes to his core the a murder case is like a shark, keep moving or the case dies. If a case dies, there goes the hope of the family to get justice for their loved one. Bosch's more core belief is everyone matters. This belief pushes him to go further and further down a line of reasoning, to keep moving forward. Bosch's impatience here has consequences.
But it is not just Bosch who must come to terms with his actions, every other main series regular character is working along this theme. Each of them makes fatal mistakes in this book, which left me sad at the end.
I read Connelly's work because he is a master of his craft, but as I said earlier, I don't like Bosch. I think he's the kind of cop who should be put out to pasture. His drive and dedication are admirable, but he cuts corners, and although he has a gritty intelligence, he leaps to conclusions and cares little for havoc he wreaks in other people's lives. He's not a hero. And yet, Connelly takes us along for the ride time and time again.
If you haven't picked up one of his books, do so today.
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