Fri 19 May 2017
Reviewed by Barry Gardner: MICHAEL CONNELLY – The Concrete Blonde.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[20] Comments
MICHAEL CONNELLY – The Concrete Blonde. Harry Bosch #3. Little Brown, hardcover, 1994. St. martin’s, paperback, 1995. Reprinted many times.
Connelly won a Best First Novel Edgar for The Black Echo, the first book about LAPD detective and ex-tunnel rat Hieronymus (“Harry”) Bosch, and followed it with a second Bosch tale that I thought was even better. Third time charmed?
Harry is on trial. He’s being sued by the widow of a man he shot and killed four years ago while attempting to arrest him as a serial killer. Now the civil suit claims he acted imprudently, but there’s worse to come. An anonymous note is delivered to the police claiming that Bosch killed the wrong man, and that the serial killer is alive, well, and in operation — and it directs them to a body to prove it.
Harry is convinced that the man he killed was guilty, which would mean that there is a copycat killer. But is he right? And if he is, how does the copycat know what he knows about the original killings?
Meanwhile in the courtroom, the attorney for the plaintiff is making hash of Bosch;s incompetent City Attorney, and she, too, seems to know things she shouldn’t, particularly about the copycat.
To answer my opening question, yes, I think so. I’ve thought Connelly’s writing powerful from the start but had a few minor reservations about his plotting, particularly in the first book. I have no such problems here. He knows how to tell a story, and this is not a given among today’s crime novelists. Bosch is a strong character, and the supporting cast is drawn in enough depth to fill the roles creditably.
The Concrete Blonde moves Connelly into the top rank, if you hadn’t already placed him there.
May 19th, 2017 at 3:51 pm
By the time this series came along I was fed up with tough cynical rogue cops who break the rules for the greater good, and despite his reviews and the hit series I still have virtually zero tolerance for the form.
I’ve read and enjoyed a few non series Connelly books, and he can write, but unfortunately Barry’s synopsis of the plot sounds like every bad television cop show and movie about rogue loners who ride roughshod over the rules.
This isn’t something likely to change at this point. If you want your hero to behave like a private eye make him one.
The real Harry Bosch types long ago turned me off their fictional counterparts. Short of a James Ellroy this just isn’t a sub genre I want to wade through anymore.
May 19th, 2017 at 5:04 pm
David, I agree. I have many pet peeves when it comes to mysteries. Watching TV cops you wonder what their conviction rate was. Why didn’t anyone get a restraining order on Columbo? Who says PI’s can do things cops can’t? Due process applies to everyone and if you do the nonsense most TV PIs do the case would be tossed out and the PI would be without a license and the guilty would go free.
I tried to read Bosch and am bored quickly. The TV series has one of the best TV openings I have seen and makes me want to like the show but the characters and stories are too cliche and predictable for me.
May 19th, 2017 at 10:06 pm
My preference for P.I.’s is ethical rather than practical. The lone man against the system appeals more to me if he isn’t playing fast and loose with others Constitutional rights.
Working for Pinkerton’s I saw too often how far some police officers were willing to go knowing there was little or no chance of action being taken worse than a slap on the wrist.
In the real world eyes overstep too, but they are more likely to be punished if caught.
But, like you, Bosch was the same old same old I have seen a thousand times just a bit better written and acted and dressed up with adult themes. A more realistic Dirty Harry is still an old idea I grew tired of even before Eastwood and Siegel gave it a shot in the arm. I prefer my rogue cops to at least suffer the consequences of being rogues.
May 20th, 2017 at 6:28 am
Can not disagree more. Connelly is one of the best – if not the best – mystery writers out there, and if you are missing him because of someone else’s negative opinion, it’s your loss. “Rogue cop” has certain implications – framing innocent people, for one – and nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Bosch. Yes, he’s a loner, but he is an honest cop (now retired, if that makes you feel better).
May 20th, 2017 at 11:24 am
Totally agree with you, Jeff.
(And THE CONCRETE BLONDE and THE LAST COYOTE are among his very best Harry Bosch novels, imo.)
May 20th, 2017 at 1:30 pm
I was traveling cross country yesterday, so I haven’t had a chance to respond until now. Unfortunately I’ve still read only Book One in the series, reviewed here: https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=46712
but if you go back and read my comments, you can see that you can put me on the Yes side of the ledger. Some thoughts, based on reading only the one book, for what they’re worth!
My interpretation of Rogue Cop is the same as Jeff’s. Bosch is a loner, yes, but in the sense that (as any good Philip Marlowe-based PI is) he’s more interested in seeing justice done than in his own career. No faking evidence or anything of that sort. (That I know anything about.)
And he does pay the consequences for his actions. He’s transferred to less prestigious outposts in the LAPD, he’s investigated (hounded) by Internal Affairs, and (from Barry’s review) given inadequate legal representation in court.
I haven’t found an inexpensive copy of Book Two yet, but as soon as I do, it’ll go high on a teetering stack of books I intend to read next.
May 20th, 2017 at 1:36 pm
Totally in agreement with Jeff, as stated in previous posts, my favorite contemporary author. One of the very few authors that I have read all the fiction he has written, and devour each new book once it comes out.
May 22nd, 2017 at 1:20 am
As for the books, I found it so boring I didn’t finish the first and never went back. But the TV series he is a rogue cop. He disobeys orders from superiors. He is constantly in arguments with the bosses and those in power. He has been removed from cases and continued to bully his way through them. He does what he thinks is right and ignores anyone else’s opinion and orders from friends and foes.
May 22nd, 2017 at 2:28 am
I’ve read good things about the series, but you make it sound like nothing I’d want to see.
May 22nd, 2017 at 8:34 am
Steve, our tastes don’t match enough for you to depend on me. But the only way to see it is to subscribe to streaming Amazon Prime that I suspect is a bigger obstacle. From reading other reviews I found those who enjoy serious procedurals tend to rave about BOSCH. It is a serial story with each season a separate case. But since all the season episodes are downloaded at once you can watch it all at your speed (similar to reading a book).
Amazon Prime does offer the first episode to watch for free on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk3c6-y5yFU
May 22nd, 2017 at 11:20 am
Michael,
Interesting that you find the books boring, as his books tend to suck me in when reading and I always have to read just one more chapter. Plus, his writing style is easy to read, and tends to flow smoothly. I can’t comment on the tv show, as I haven’t seen it, but in the books he has a healthy disrespect for his bosses, but generally doesn’t go all “dirty harry”. His major disagreement with management is either everyone matters or no one matters, and he feels management bases all their decisions on politics.
May 22nd, 2017 at 6:23 pm
David P I require wit and humor in my fiction, something that many readers hate. My favorite writer is Ross Thomas who has his fans and those who find him “meh.”
I learned a long time ago that no matter what I think of anything it is someone’s favorite. It doesn’t bother me that others like things I don’t (they are often in the majority). What makes me happy is when they can tell me why they like it so I can see it through their eyes. You, Jeff, and others in this comment discussion have done well in explaining why you like it. Thanks for adding to my understanding the appeal of Connelly even if it doesn’t change my opinion.
I am interested in reading how the book fans like the TV series. Since Connelly is involved in the series (how much I don’t know), I suspect Bosch fans will enjoy both. See comment 10 for link to the first episode.
May 22nd, 2017 at 8:44 pm
Michael,
If you are looking for wit and humor, then Connelly isn’t your man. The Mickey Haller (Lincoln Lawyer) books have just a hint of humor, but the Bosch books are not depressing, just serious.
Ross Thomas does a great job of managing the wit without turning his stories into a farce, which can happen with a less talented author.
If you are looking for a not so well known author with some serious wit the Dr Siri Paiborn novels by Colin Cotterill are very good. 70is coroner set in 1970’s Laos.
May 22nd, 2017 at 11:37 pm
Thanks for the recommendation. I have Disco For the Departed near the front of the line waiting to be read I’ll move it forward and try it soon.
May 23rd, 2017 at 12:42 am
Connelly talks about Bosch on TV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVOJa4bTe3U
May 23rd, 2017 at 1:24 am
Thanks, Michael. As someone who’s read the books (well, one of them) but never the series, I enjoyed seeing this.
May 23rd, 2017 at 10:39 am
Michael, would be interested on your thoughts if and when you read Disco.
May 23rd, 2017 at 2:34 pm
I’ll try to find a way to share them with you when I am done reading Disco.
May 23rd, 2017 at 3:25 pm
I am fine if Steve passes my email address on to you. Hope you enjoy the book.
May 24th, 2017 at 2:45 am
Good. I can slow down reading.