Lost Light

Eleanor Wish is one of my favorite recurring characters, so I was terribly happy to find her doing well, even if she's kept the birth of her daughter a secret from Bosch. Was it the danger of exposing Maddie to Bosch the reason for the secret? Or the danger of exposing herself to Bosch behind the choice? Either way, infusing Bosch's life with a child was a great choice for Connelly, as it forces the issue on Bosch's path to the light. And it sets Bosch up for some difficult decisions, not all he'll get right.

This is the first story for Bosch in his retirement work as a private dick. And he goes to an old, unsolved one from his early days in the LAPD - some of the best novels so far are ones that require Bosch to peer back into his past show more at mistakes and missed opportunities. But it also highlights his investigative acumen in resurrecting these cold cases. This one features the murder of a Hollywood production assistant, a armored car heist, and a harrowing shooting that leaves one detective dead and another permanently disabled.

Occasionally, Connelly forces us into Bosch's dark interior world with a first person narrative - it's not a place all the books could, or should, live. But the occasional visit gives us a better understanding of the demons that live there in his mind.

5 bones!!!!! show less

Lost Light, the ninth entry in Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series, carries the familiar grittiness and deep introspection that long-time readers have come to expect. Bosch, now retired, finds himself entangled in another case, this time a cold one that starts just as the reader expects: with a murder shrouded in mystery and Bosch's relentless determination pushing it forward. However, like in *Angels Flight*, what makes *Lost Light* stand out isn’t just the mystery itself, but Bosch's internal journey as he grapples with his own complex emotions.

»*I’m a believer in the single-bullet theory... What I do know is that Eleanor Wish had been my bullet. She had pierced me through and through... I was still bleeding and I knew I would show more always bleed for her. That was just the way it had to be. There is no end of things in the heart.*«

This passage encapsulates the essence of Bosch's emotional state in *Lost Light*. In some ways, it felt like meeting an old friend again, much in the way Connelly revisits familiar themes—justice, love, and loss—with renewed vigour. Yet, Bosch seems older here, more hardened by both his career and his personal relationships. Comparatively, *Lost Light* offers a more personal look at Bosch than other works like *The Black Echo*, where duty often took centre stage.

»*And that was the hardest part of the surveillance to watch. That was the part that made me feel the most like an intruder... "Turn it off now," I finally said.*«

It’s fascinating how Connelly blends high tension with moments of emotional rawness. The human side of the man beneath the gruff exterior is both riveting and haunting, making *Lost Light* stand out in the otherwise crowded genre of detective fiction.

Five stars out of five.

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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam show less

There is a number of changes in this ninth book from Connelly’s Harry Bosch series that mark a turning point from the past: the narrative surprisingly switches from the previously employed third person to first person, making the reader directly privy to Bosch’s inner thoughts; the former LAPD detective resigned from his job at the end of book 8 and now holds a P.I. license, but still has not taken any steps in that direction; for the first time since I began this series, the story was completely new to me, since it did not find its way into the TV show scripts, so I didn’t know what to expect; and at the end of this novel a major shift in Harry Bosch’s life comes to light - not a surprise for me, given my familiarity with the show more TV series, and one I was looking forward to, but certainly a huge one for the character. But I will get back to that in a while…

Harry is still adjusting to his new civilian status, taking life at a slower pace, free of the encumbrance of rules and regulations, but still - by his own admission - something is missing, and after a while he understands what it is:

I was living like a jazz musician waiting for a gig.

It does not take long for the former cop to know how to fill that void: if before his resignation his work as a detective felt like a mission, that has not changed now that he does not wear a badge anymore:

My mission remained intact. My job in this world, badge or no badge, was to stand for the dead.

And in this case the dead is Angella Benton, the victim of a crime Harry investigated a few years previously and which was never solved: the young woman was found murdered on her own doorstep, in what looked like a sex crime - Bosch is haunted by the image of the victim’s corpse, whose hands stretched away from the body as if in prayer, pleading for justice. Angella worked in movie production and a couple of days after her murder the set where she was employed was the theater of the robbery of a huge sum of money that was never recovered: Bosch was on the location that day, collecting clues about the young woman’s murder, and was able to shoot one of the robbers, although they all managed to escape with the 2 millions in cash from the set. Convinced that the two crimes are somehow connected, Bosch starts his own investigation and - unsurprisingly - ends up locking horns not just with the police department and their unhappiness at his meddling, but also with the FBI: the case does intersect with an investigation on terrorism (the book is set two years after 9/11, so the country is still on high alert after the attack) and the mysterious disappearance of an agent who was tangentially involved with the stolen money.

The main theme of Bosch’s new “mission” is indeed frustration: not just because of the now-cold trail of evidence, but mostly because his civilian status now bars many of the doors that once would have been wide open to him; this newfound freedom widens the range of his maneuverability, but also forces him to be more creative in situations where simply showing his badge would have granted unlimited access. This is particularly true in his dealings with the FBI: with the exception of his old acquaintance Roy Lindell (whom he met in Trunk Music), the other members of the Bureau view him with suspicion, or worse, offering to Michael Connelly the opportunity for thoughtful considerations on the “siege mentality” of those years and on the way some members of law enforcement stood on the thin line between their protective duty and a show of arrogant disregard for civilized rules. As usual, the author abstains from any form of commentary, leaving to his readers the freedom to draw their own conclusions, which is a choice I always appreciate.

Back to Bosch, the present shift in perspective (and freedom of movement) offers the readers new facets of his personality together with a way to keep the character fresh and interesting: where he felt something of an outsider before - keeping to himself, often moving on different tracks - now he is indeed forced to be the loose cannon, paying the price for it with the lack of protection once afforded by the badge, and the subtle sense of insecurity that comes from it. Which does not however deter him from the mission, like a modern errant knight determined to right the wrongs he encounters on his path. What’s interesting is that the counterpoint to this isolation is given by the number of faces from the past that come to the fore in the course of the story, almost a sort of reunion - or maybe a long goodbye to the past: besides the already mentioned Lindell there are the LA Times journalist Keisha Russel, former colleague and protegé Kizmin Rider and, last but certainly not least, Bosch’s ex wife Eleanor, for whom he still harbors deep feelings which enhance his core of loneliness.

There is an interesting thread concerning Rider here, because in more than one occasion Bosch is delighted to acknowledge he taught her well with something approaching paternal pride, a sentiment that on hindsight feels almost like foreshadowing because at the very end of the novel Harry discovers he is indeed a father when Eleanor introduces him to their four year old daughter Maddie. This was no surprise for me, given my familiarity with the televised story, and it was instead a development I was looking forward to because in the show the relationship between Bosch and his daughter - a teenager on screen - was one of my favorite features of the series.

This fateful meeting, placed at the very end of the book, is both extremely poignant - we see Harry kneeling in front of the child as he holds her hands in amazed wonder - and also the high point of what I’ve come to see as a transitional book, one where changes in his career and personal life meet to open a new path. Where that path will lead will be a discovery for both the characters and the readers: this particular reader cannot wait to see what’s in store in the next books, my only certainty being that I now fully trust Michael Connelly to always deliver an intriguing, engrossing and emotionally satisfying story with each new novel in this series. show less

Lost Light
4 Stars

Having left the LAPD, Harry Bosch turns his hand to private investigation and looks into a cold case involving the death of a young production assistant whose murder is linked to the theft of 2 million dollars from a movie set, and the subsequent disappearance of an FBI agent.

This series is really beginning to hit its stride for me and getting Harry's first person perspective added some much needed insight into his personality. Len Cariou's narration of the audiobook is very immersive and the hours just flew by.

The mystery is very compelling, especially due to the nature of the victims (an innocent young girl and a dedicated agent) and the diabolical motivations behind the crimes. Moreover, the pacing is much faster show more than in previous installments, which adds to the intensity and suspense of the story.

There is also some great character development as Harry reconnects with people from his past and several interesting revelations come to light. While Harry's relationship with Eleanor Wish has become rather tedious, the inclusion of Roy Lindell is much more enjoyable as his character has always been very appealing.

All in all, an intriguing mystery with an action packed and very satisfying resolution. show less

Harry Bosch has recently retired from the LAPD, but he is still haunted by a case of a young woman’s murder, which went unsolved, and which may or may not be connected to the robbery of $2 million dollars from the movie set where the young woman worked.

As Harry delves back into the case, he finds himself warned off investigating it, both by his former colleagues, and the FBI. But this only serves to heighten his interest, and make him more determined to find out the truth. However, Harry no longer has the protection and back-up of a Police badge, and this investigation is going to lead him to some dangerous places…

This is the first Harry Bosch book I have read, although it is the ninth in the Bosch series. The previous books show more feature him in his role as an LAPD detective, with this one apparently being the first one where the character is retired. Although I normally like to read a series in order, I did not feel that not having read the earlier books was any kind of disadvantage.

I liked the character of Bosch a lot – a problem I find with a lot of crime fiction is that there are often so many cliches applied to the main character (he’s usually a loner, who gets on the wrong side of his bosses, often with a drink problem and an attitude problem to match). However, Bosch is altogether more believable. He is stubborn and tenacious, but he’s basically a decent man, with morals. His has an ex-wife, with whom he is on good terms (and who clearly, he is still in love with), he likes a drink but isn’t a drunk. He does irk his ex bosses though!

The story itself was full of twists and turns, and I was never able to predict what the outcome would be until it happened. However, it didn’t rely on deliberately leading the reader up the wrong path; rather it just showed the investigation through Harry’s eyes, and we progressed through it with him. It was suitably complicated, but still easy to understand and read, and was exciting enough for me not to want to put it down.

The story is told in the first person, which (I believe) is not the case in the other Bosch novels. Why Connelly deviated from his usual third person narrative is not known, but it worked for me.

Los Angeles is shown as a glamorous and exciting place, but which has a sometimes murky truth lurking just beneath the surface – the perfect setting for the murder and robbery on a Hollywood movie set!

Definitely one to recommend for fans of crime fiction – I would like to go back to the beginning of the series and read the other Bosch books. This was an exciting, pacy and unpredictable read. show less

This book was grim. It looks at a post 9/11 world and how many will just make excuses in the name of keeping our country safe. It also shows how trying to do the right thing could leave you in a hole in the ground dead.

Now that Bosch is no longer with the LAPD (read "City of Bones") he is investigating a cold case that has haunted him for years. A young woman working on a film set was found dead and half naked on her front steps. It seems that her death may be linked to a possible robbery of $2 million dollars days later on the film-set that she worked. Though Harry is looking up this case for his own reasons, he is asked to also follow up by a former LAPD detective who is now looking a long life paralyzed from the neck down. show more Apparently he has a lot of regrets, and this case is one thing he wants tied up.

We get some reappearances of friends and foes alike in this one. We have Kiz warning Harry off and not being that friendly towards him after he leaves her high and dry to retire. J. Edgar still seems in Bosch's corner, but per usual is not going to be dragged down with him. FBI agent, Roy Lindell has a personal connection to the case, and I wish that Connelly would just spin that character off already. We get a FBI agent who I definitely think is going to hold a grudge against Bosch, so it will be interesting to see if he pops up again in other books.

We also get Harry connecting again with his ex-wife, Eleanor Wish. Can I also call BS on that whole sub-plot. Seriously though, I wanted to whack Eleanor on her nose with a paper. I hate this trope (no spoilers) in romance novels, and I loathed it here. I won't get into it, but I maybe booed out loud for a straight minute.

With the LAPD, the FBI, and a rogue U.S. government unit out to get him, you have to wonder how the heck Harry is getting out of this one with as anything intact. We really do have Harry on his own, with no badge or warrants. And can I say that the guy just kept making stupid choice after stupid choice. I definitely buckled up and went along for the ride in this one.

The writing in this one is typical Connelly. He has finessed Bosch's voice that this felt like drinking a nice crisp white wine to me after the last book. Can I say, I really don't think that all authors can juggle multiple POVs in one book. I think Connelly shines when he writes with just Bosch's POV so I plan on passing on anymore books in this series that he does this with in the future. It just worked my nerves too much.

The flow was pitch perfect. When we finally have Harry realizing how the two cases are linked and how a woman that Lindell is interested in finding is also connected your mouth may hang open. I couldn't believe it. This was done very well and I have to say, I love being surprised and not realizing who the bad guy(s) are until the very end.

The book shifts back and forth between LA and Las Vegas. However, most of Las Vegas occurs in fits and starts. Due to Harry trying to keep the FBI off his back, he just lays trails out for him to follow which has him involving Eleanor again.

You have to wonder at the end of this one, where does this leave Bosch. He obviously still has a drive to solve cases even though he has left the LAPD. But with the fallout from this case, you have to think to yourself that Bosch would be better off just straight up retiring. show less

Published in 2003, Lost Light by Michael Connelly is the 9th Harry Bosch novel in an outstanding series set in Los Angeles that shows no signs of diminishing returns at all. In fact they're getting better...

What's new about Lost Light is that Harry retired from the LAPD at the end of City of Bones, disillusioned with the hypocrisy in the department. Harry is a driven man and was a good but maverick cop always bucking against the pen-pushing system. He's single again but still shines a light for his ex who's now in Vegas, and at 52 retirement doesn't suit him.

But as you might expect, once a cop, always a cop, or rather detective in Harry's case, and he took a file with him when he left. A film production assistant was murdered four show more years earlier days before a daring $2 million robbery on set - Harry was there investigating her murder when the robbery happens, but neither case was solved. Now the LAPD thinks the money is financing terrorists based in Mexico. - Yep, you've guessed it, this is Connelly's post 9/11 novel. Harry walks into this tangled web involving the LAPD, FBI, and counter-terrorist units, but despite being warned off he can't rest until he finds the killer.

Connelly's novels are immaculately plotted and paced, contrasting the grim underbelly of the LA suburbs against the City of Angels' more glamorous facade. You get good cops, bad cops, and every shade of grey inbetween and the twists and turns keep on coming. These books are grippingly written and brilliant pageturners with fantastic characters. Michael Connelly is my absolute favourite crime writer, and what's more, I've got another five of his on the shelf to look forward to, but I've been limiting myself to just 1 or 2 per year. show less