Harry Bosch #22
By: Michael Connelly
ISBN: 0316225908
Publisher: Little Brown & Co.
Publication Date: 10/31/2017
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars ++ Top Books of 2017 Harry Bosch searches for the truth in the new thriller from #1 NYT bestselling author Michael Connelly. Harry Bosch is back as a volunteer working cold cases for the San Fernando Police Department and is called out to a local drug store where a young pharmacist has been murdered. Bosch and the town's 3-person detective squad sift through the clues, which lead into the dangerous, big business world of pill mills and prescription drug abuse. Meanwhile, an old case from Bosch's LAPD days comes back to haunt him when a long-imprisoned killer claims Harry framed him, and seems to have new evidence to prove it. Bosch left the LAPD on bad terms, so his former colleagues aren't keen to protect his reputation. He must fend for himself in clearing his name and keeping a clever killer in prison.
The two unrelated cases wind around each other like strands of barbed wire. Along the way Bosch discovers that there are two kinds of truth: the kind that sets you free and the kind that leaves you buried in darkness.
My Review
5 Stars ++ Michael Connelly returns following The Late Show and the introduction of his new Renee Ballard series with the highly anticipated gripping crime thriller — TWO KINDS OF TRUTH featuring Detective Harry Bosch #22. Picking up from The Wrong Side of Goodbye landing on my Top Books of 2016 , Bosch finds himself between two kinds of truth and two different cases. For all Connelly fans, readers will get their Bosch and Haller fix in one action-filled suspense (cop procedural) thriller with courtroom drama. Add in Titus Welliver to the mix, as audio narrator – "Solid Gold!" From corruption, opioids, and murder— Bosch has seen it all and once again the stakes are high. Retired from the LAPD, Bosch works cold cases with the San Fernando Police Department, while still balancing his personal life with his daughter Mattie, now in college. One is an older case with a guy sent to death row at San Quentin over thirty years ago. Harry and his partner (now deceased) help put away Preston Borders. Now new DNA testing reveals he was not the killer. Could someone have planted evidence? The present case involves the murder of father and son pharmacists, José Esquivel Sr. and Jr. Bosch goes undercover as homeless regarding fraudulent oxycodone prescriptions. An opioid pill mill conspiracy. (ripped from today’s headlines). From the misuse of Opioids, a class of drugs that include heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, morphine, and many others. While some are safe when taken for a short time, prescribed by a doctor, but they can be misused when those offer them illegally for resale, which can lead to overdose and deaths. From intense courtroom scenes with (Lincoln Lawyer) Mickey Haller (Bosch’s half-brother) regarding the old case- defending Bosch. Bosch is accused of planting evidence. In the meantime, Bosch is in the middle of a crime ring regarding Opioids and the homeless. Bosch refuses to sit back and watch Preston Borders walk free, but he has just nine days to prove Borders was the real killer. Bosch cannot allow this guy to go free. Poor Bosch, working out of a small office in the former drunk tank of the county jail, and then his reputation is on the line. Then an active present-day case with the pharmacy which is far-reaching, enslaving homeless addicts. Loved the uncover scene, though dangerous. Of course, everything Bosch touches is dangerous. "[Bosch] knew there were two kinds of truth in this world. The truth that was the unalterable bedrock of one’s life and mission. And the other, malleable truth of politicians, charlatans, corrupt lawyers, and their clients, bent and molded to serve whatever purpose is at hand.” A top crime thriller of the year, Connelly is dynamite!. Titus Welliver is a perfect narrator (after all, he is Bosch)! You cannot get any better. Connelly and Welliver. Bosch and Haller. Plus we pick up a few other characters from previous books Bosch is deep and emotional. Connelly has created a complex character which sees life and his cases from many angles. Connelly makes him come alive on the pages as well as the Prime series. Both haunted by his past, and a devoted father nothing seems simple for Bosch. As sharp as ever, he is still going strong in his sixties. My hero! Looking forward to #23. "He is highly impatient and often skirts the rules to get faster results. On the other hand, he sometimes shows surprising compassion for other people, especially crime victims and young people. He believes that all murder cases deserve the best effort by himself and the department, whether the victim is a prostitute or a wealthy, powerful person." . . . His greatest strength is his relentless pursuit of the truth. Avid fans will devour —with a powerful takeaway message. Highly Recommend!
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Praise
"Expertly juggling both plots, Connelly mines the double murder for fascinating and frightening details...Connelly remains atop a heap of contemporary crime writers thanks to his rare ability to combine master plotting and procedural detail with a literary novelist's feel for the inner lives of his or her characters. Both talents are in abundant display this time."―Booklist "One of Connelly's darkest and most powerful stories yet about Bosch."―Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times "It's become an annual refrain - but Connelly truly is one of the finest mystery writers. And that's the truth."―Oline Cogdill, Sun-Sentinel
About the Author
Michael Connelly is the author of thirty previous novels, including #1 New York Times bestsellers The Wrong Side of Goodbye and The Crossing. Connelly is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels and is the executive producer of Bosch, starring Titus Welliver. He spends his time in California and Florida. Read more
