Judith L. (jlautner) reviewed on 10/9/2012 + 105 more book reviews

Harry Bosch is back. He retired, then came back, and in this episode he is given extra time to continue before he has to retire for good.

This is a new, improved, Harry. He has learned from life. Although he is easier to work with, and makes time for his teen-age daughter, he is still driven to solve crimes. And sometimes to run roughshod over those who try to prevent him from doing that job.

Harry is called to the scene of an apparent suicide. The son of a former Police Chief (and now City Councilmember) Irvin Irving appears to have jumped from the top floor of a hotel. Why is Bosch called in for this case, when he is currently in the "Open-Unsolved" unit? Because Irving personally requested him. This is more of a mystery to Bosch because Irving had practically made it his life's work to destroy Bosch. Many years of acrimony loom between them. Irving says he wanted Bosch because he wanted no stone unturned, wanted to be certain that the truth will be determined, and he was told that Bosch is the best man for the job.

It does appear to be suicide but Bosch does a painstaking investigation. In addition to this case, though, he has just landed a case from 1989 where DNA evidence has created a "hit" - a match with a person in the system. Trouble is, the person whose blood is on the strangled victim is an eight-year-old boy. Now a registered sex offender. No way could a boy have done this murder, so Bosch has to figure out how his blood got there.

Working two cases simultaneously, Bosch can't satisfy everyone, of course. He wants justice for the strangling victim more than a closed case for the councilmember. Complicating matters, he is working with a new partner and he is not entirely happy with him. He doesn't share his thoughts or plans, and often leaves his partner wondering where he even is. The situation does not improve when Bosch discovers something improper about his partner's conduct.

I have long liked Bosch. Over the years that I have been reading Connelly's vision of this detective, I have come to feel like I know what he looks like, how he thinks, how he might act. I don't always like what he does and often am wanting him to take a little more care with personal relationships. It seems that he has been doing just that, and when things go off he stops to think about his part and sometimes even fixes the situation. A kinder, gentler Bosch. I like that, but at the same time I miss some of the more gut-wrenching times from past novels. There is a darkness to Bosch that, it seems, is starting to see the light, yet I am not sure I am ready for this version.

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