Mon 26 Oct 2009
MICHAEL CONNELLY – The Overlook. Little Brown & Co, hardcover; first edition, May 2007. Paperback reprint: Vision, January 2008.
This was originally published as a serial in the New York Times Sunday Magazine with a final chapter added later which I guess accounts for the three years of copyright in the paperback edition (2006, 2007 and 2008). And perhaps for the book being under 300 pages, a rarity nowadays.
Harry Bosch has recently joined the Homicide Squad at LAPD, and his first case is the murder of Dr. Stanley Kent whose body is found at the Overlook in Hollywood hills. Soon Bosch’s old flame, FBI agent Rachel Walling turns up. She’s a member of the FBI’s Tactical Intelligence Unit and is there because Dr. Kent had access to dangerous radioactive substances which could be used by terrorists.
Sure enough, it turns out Dr. Kent had removed one hospital’s complete supply of Cesium after receiving a photo showing his nude wife hogtied and gagged in their bedroom with the threat of killing her unless he complied.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are more interested in recovering the stolen Cesium, but Bosch’s main concern is solving the murder and he won’t allow anyone to push him aside no matter how many capital letters are in their name.
As usual, with Connelly, the story was very well written and the characterization can’t be faulted. What can be faulted is the plotting. Pretty much from the get-go I knew which way the story was heading even if I didn’t know everything about the solution. Too bad his plotting isn’t the equal of his writing.
October 26th, 2009 at 1:46 am
While I’ve enjoyed one or two of the non series novels by Connelly I’ve never been able to get into the Bosch novels. For some reason I have a problem with so many modern cop novels about policemen who ride hard over the rules — I’m much more comfortable with the 87th Precincts and Maigrets of the world than these rebel cops.
But then I never cared much for Dirty Harry either (not that Bosch is a Dirty Harry type). Just a personal thing.
Then too Connelly and several other major sellers came along at a time I was reading a lot fewer contemporary mysteries, and I admit I just haven’t felt like going back and wading into the now deep waters. That doesn’t mean I haven’t missed some good books, but I just don’t feel like playing catch up at this point.
But from what I have read I have to agree with the conclusion that his plotting wasn’t equal to his writing skills, and that may have played a role unconsciously in my avoiding these.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I keep think that Michael Connelly is one of the new authors, one that I really ought to start reading — but I haven’t yet. I’m like you in that regard.
And I’ve just checked. The first Harry Bosch novel was The Black Echo, and it came out in 1992. That’s 17 years ago. Where does the time go?
October 26th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
I haven’t liked the last few Bosch novels very much. I suspect Michael Connolly is tired of writing them too: That’s undoubtedly why he keeps writing stand-alones.
But he has an annoying habit of revisiting what seemed to be stand-alone characters and working Harry Bosch into the sequels.
That being said I think “The Concrete Blonde” and “The Last Coyote” are masterpieces of neo-noir police procedural. And well plotted, I think.
October 27th, 2009 at 6:41 am
Connelly said to me in an interview that he doesn’t plot ahead, he makes it up as he goes.
Rick’s recommendation of those two novels is pretty acute.