The Black Ice

As far as modern American Noir, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The protagonist, Harry Bosch, is a complicated mixture of Saint and Sinner, Vice and Virtue. He is both virtuous and cynical. He struggles with his past. Michael Connelly does a really good job of developing Harry Bosch as a character and weaves his character into the story and interactions with other characters.Next a disclaimer, I am a retired 39 year police officer and 31 year detective. As this story unfolded there were lapses that were so obvious to me that they might as well had appeared with red lights and sirens. As far as a mystery I never got out from under those lapses and was waiting for certain shoes to drop. Now I also need to say that I have witnessed such lapses myself in real life. So…. I don’t know…. But that does not mean that I did not enjoy the novel as a Noir reading experience. I did, very much.My reading is eclectic. I am drawn to American Noir as a moth to a flame. I intentionally make a point of not overdoing it. Thus far I have read three Michael Connelly novels and really liked all three. After perhaps a month or two I fully intend to read the third Harry Bosch novel, The Concrete Blonde. Thank You for taking the time to read this review.

I am working my way back through the Bosch/Haller books. Connelly is definitely one of my favorite writers of fiction and I have come to love Los Angeles (though I've never been there.) His characters have depth, his plots are wonderfully structured, but.... he doesn't know diddly squat about guns. He destroys his credibility with me every time I come across some of his really clueless statements about guns. As examples, and working just from memory, in this book alone he discusses Bosch, a lefty, risking credibility by checking in a "right-handed revolver." There's no right or left hand with revolvers. The cylinders all swing out to the left and there's no such thing as a "safety" on a revolver. He seems to have gotten all his gun know-how from urban cops who tend to know no more about the technical aspects of firearms than they do about the cars they drive...knowledge that stopped half-way through high school. Would it cost that much to have a firearms-knowledgeable subject matter expert check things out for him? Such excellent writing otherwise, but the author insists on making himself look like a bozo when it comes to guns. And by the way, the Border Patrol doesn't man the checkpoints at the international borders. That's the job of Customs and Immigration. The Border Patrol patrols the border. Of course, they all belong to homeland security now.

Not a boring paragraph. I’ve read more than 15 Bosch and Renee Ballard novels. All are good reads and I’m looking forward to starting another very soon. Michael Connelly is a master weaver of a story.

Nice plot and good story.Follows the typical Bosch attitude of getting to the truth in the story, even by bending the rules a bit.Reminded me of the movie "Extreme Prejudice", which had a great plot line.

It was a good read with a lot of detail, twists and turns. Michael Connelly proves that he is master storyteller again.

This is the second book in the Harry Bosch detective series by Michael Connelly. This author is detailed in his description of Los Angeles, and the low-life's Bosch has to deal with as a detective.Bosch is an interesting character. I recommend you start at the beginning of the series.

Books 1&2, the first two books in the Bosch series are just okay, saved by the excellent writing skills of Connelly. Book 2 was better than 1, and starting on book 3, they seem to keep improving.

The Bosch series is well written and entertaining

“Just the facts ma’am” were the words constantly uttered by Dragnet’s Detective Joe Friday. But Harry Bosch is a cop who learned early on that ‘facts’ were mostly isolated puzzle pieces; that what crime solving really took was finding that “thing” – that one piece needed to connect all the others into a solvable whole.In The Black Ice, Harry’s starting point is a dead cop, and from there he travels a path leading from his home turf in LA to dangerous and deadly locales south of the border where he finds himself in serious jeopardy.Connelly writes a taut, fast-paced tale that is everything a reader of crime thrillers could ask for - suspense, intrigue, surprising plot twists - that’ll keep you turning page after page. With this book, Connelly again shows Bosch to be a hard-hitting cop who doesn’t always play by the rules. He has created a realistic, believable character who’s solidly positioned as a fan favourite.

Very good book. Half way through.

Great story

Super!!Negativt existerar inte!

These early Bosch books are maybe the best, although all those I've read have been excellent. Ingenious plot, superb dialogue and credible characters. Thoroughly recommended.