Book Review: Michael Connelly Black Box

I read my first Harry Bosch book by Michael Connelly with the reading of the latest novel in the series, Black Box.

And I really enjoyed the book.

Here is quick overview from Amazon.com

In a case that spans 20 years, Harry Bosch links the bullet from a recent crime to a file from 1992, the killing of a young female photographer during the L.A. riots. Harry originally investigated the murder, but it was then handed off to the Riot Crimes Task Force and never solved.

Now Bosch's ballistics match indicates that her death was not random violence, but something more personal, and connected to a deeper intrigue. Like an investigator combing through the wreckage after a plane crash, Bosch searches for the "black box," the one piece of evidence that will pull the case together.

Riveting and relentlessly paced, THE BLACK BOX leads Harry Bosch, "one of the greats of crime fiction" (New York Daily News), into one of his most fraught and perilous cases.

This is the 19th book in the Harry Bosch series. What I like about this series is that it is real time. Michael Connelly has aged and created this world in real time where each book ages one year at a time. I had the privilege of meeting Michael Connelly as part of the Sony VIP Book Club and it was very interesting to hear him speak about his writing and these characters. You can read about my thoughts here.

Back to the book. This book held my interest. There was an interesting case. Along with the case I felt compelled to learn more about the characters. I wanted to know more about the story of their lives. Despite jumping into the series very late I did not feel left out. I was able to connect with Harry right away. The two plots were interesting and I read this book very quickly. I have not read a book this quick in quite some time. I am not a crime book reader. This is not my genre. However, I would like to go back and read the rest of the books in the series.

If you are looking for a good crime story with a cop with a flawed past, then this is for you. He does not bring in unnecessary facts. He writes about what is needed to know and takes you on a journey with a character that you can't help but like despite the flaws.