The Black Box, A Harry Bosch Novel by Michael Connelly

 This Book

Bosch and Chu are still working Open Unsolved Cases. Bosch recalls that he had a partner once who believed in every case there was one key piece of evidence that unlocked the whole mystery which he analogized as a "Black Box." With the 20th anniversary of the 1992 riots fast approaching, the current Chief of Police has all of the unsolved murders from the riots investigated. Most of the leads on most of the cases turn into dead ends. All that is, except for one, the one J Edgar called "Snow White". It never sat easy with Bosch that he and Edgar were only given 20 minutes to work the case when they caught in '92, now he has the chance to set it right. A match has come back on the bullet the killed that killed the pretty Danish war correspondent. But Bosch is blocked at every turn, first by his new LT, O'Toole, then by the chief himself. There are political sensibilites to be considered. The LAPD does not want to announce it has solved only one murder that occurred during the riots, and those of a blonde haired, white lady the least. But Bosch has never been one to do as he's told, so he goes ahead. Despite the enmity of O'Toole, and the new chief, and Professional Standards investigation. And as he chases a killer, he chases a man for whom murder is both easy and means to power. He's as ruthless a sociopath as Bosch has ever faced. Just one reckless step from Bosch could leave Maddie an orphan. The question for all of us, is will Bosch's luck HOLD FAST? 

My Thoughts

    This seems to be Michael Connelly's attempt to illustrate for the reader the difference between a good man who is a misguided cop and truly bad cop. Bosch has always been and will continue to be, a problematic character. I suspect this has been Connelly's point all along. He is exploring the character traits that we as a society have in regards to the professions he covered on his crime beat, cops and lawyers. I notice his protagonists are, cops, lawyers and the occasional journalist. His journalists are manipulative and brutally honest in their writing, if not their dealings with other characters. The lawyers fight the good fight, but are at heart liars. And the cops are so hard nosed and jaded they frequently lose all sense of right and wrong. I don't have an argument with Connelly's thesis. It's just heartbreaking to read it. 

How Much My Library Card Saved Me

    This book entered my library on Nov 26, 2012. The release date of the book was Nov 22, probably making this hard cover a first edition. It has some extremely light staining on the edges of the book, the pages are loose enough to read comfortably, but no in any danger of deteriorating, yet. This list price is $27.99. That number will bring us back to precisely $285 saved using my library card this summer. 

This Book                                       $27.99

This Summer                                $285.00

And if you've gotten this far, do me a quick favor and leave a comment down below as to who is your favorite mystery writer and why.