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Michael Connelly	Bibliography
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At the top of the page she had written "City of Bones."

Bosch reached down and tapped the chart where she had written the caption. "Why do you call it that?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Because we're setting out the streets and the blocks of what will become a city to us," she said, running her fingers over some of the lines on the chart in illustration...

Bosch nodded. "In every murder is the tale of the city," he said.

Hollywood Detective Harry Bosch is called out to investigate a bone turned up by a dog. Not an occurrence to worry about usually, but the dog's owner is a doctor, and he is certain that the bone is a human child's. The bones are unearthed and the findings are even more tragic - the bones show years of trauma from physical abuse. Bosch, himself an orphan, swears that he will find the killer. He's working against time, for the evidence has been buried in the ground for twenty years, making a cold case like this nearly impossible to solve. He's also facing pressures from the media, who are entranced by the case, digging for every possible lead, and the deputy chief who wants the case cleaned up quickly. Even when they get a fortunate tip that leads to the identity of the victim, the case has only just begun. Bosch and his partner Jerry Edgar must follow the clues, entering into a world of terrible abuse, where two tragic deaths force Bosch to question himself and his methods.

Harry, in this latest addition to the series seems to be more than adequate at handling the problems. He's very charming...intelligent, quiet, and without any major flaws. He handles the situations thrown at him with bravery as well as brains. Jerry Edgar can be a little impulsive and judgmental, but they work very well together, and Edgar's personality is a good foil for Bosch. I particularly enjoyed some of the banter between the two. Some of his other characters --- Bosch's boss Grace Billits, rookie Julia Brasher and Kiz Ridder are very likable. Often, I find that a male writer tends to make police women tetchy and offensive. Bosch's police women are mostly capable and smart.

Connelly's true gift lies in plotting. He kept me turning the pages, guessing at who the murderer was. Between the action scenes we spend time with Harry and his budding relationship with Julia Brasher. Some of their conversations are wistful, creating a pretty believable budding romance.

The police procedural aspects are very well done. You feel as if the people working with Bosch have a firm understanding of what they're doing. Connelly also shows us a real understanding of office politics - and the dangers of displeasing one's superiors.

City of Bones is my first foray into Harry Bosch's world. I am looking forward to catching up with him in some of his past books, as well as reading any new ones coming up.

(Reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer 05-22-02)

• Amazon readers rating: from 94 reviews

Read a chapter excerpt from City of Bones at MostlyFiction.com

Bibliography (with links to Amazon.com):

LAPD Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch Series

• The Black Echo (1992)
• The Black Ice (1993)
• The Concrete Blonde (1994)
• The Last Coyote (1995)
• Trunk Music (1997)
• Angels Flight (1999)
• A Darkness More than Night (2001) *
• City of Bones (April 2002)
• Lost Light (April 2003)
  

Other:

• The Poet (1996)
• Blood Work (1998) *
• Void Moon (2000)
• Chasing the Dime (October 2002)

* Terry McCaleb is in these novels

Movies from Books:

• Blood Work (2002)

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• Visit the official Michael Connelly Web site
• Go to MostlyFiction.com's other page on Michael Connelly
• Malice Books on the Harry Bosch series
• TheBookHaven.net review of the Harry Bosch novels
• MysteryGuide.com review of The Last Coyote
• January Magazine interview with Michael Connelly on Angels Flight
• Greenwoods.com review of Angels Flight
• CrimeTime review of A Darkness More than Night
• FictionAddiction interview on A Darkness More than Night
• An interview with Michael Connelly on A Darkness More than Night
• Cinescope review of City of Bones
• The Best Reviews of City of Bones

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About the Author:

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing—a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews. After graduating in 1980, he work at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida primarily on the crime beat. While in Fort Lauderale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence of the "cocaine years." In 1986 he spent several months interviewing survivors of a plane crash and wrote a magazine article that short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing. It also landed him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times. After three years he begin his series featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The Black Echo published in 1992 won the Edgar Award for best first novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly's books have won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Nero, Maltese Falcon (Japan), .38 Caliber (France) and Grand Prix (France) awards. Michael was also one of the creators, writers, and consulting producers of Level 9, a TV show about a task force fighting cyber crime that ran on UPN in the Fall of 2000. He lives with his wife and daughter.

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