The Last Coyote (Harry Bosch Series, 4) Audio CD – CD, August 28, 2010

Resolves one of the central origin story lines in Bosches life, career and character development. Several twists and turns. A good read

The fourth Harry Bosch novel held me captivated. It was gritty, suspenseful and complex. While it’s a police procedural novel it’s also had a dark underbelly to the story and the characters. I especially enjoyed how he developed the relationship between Harry Bosch and his therapist. It reminded me of Tony Soprano and his therapist.My one complaint about this book and about the character, it is that Bosh sometimes seems to go deliberately out of his way to insult or anger people when there's no good reason to do so. Sometimes these are people who are actually trying to help him, but Harry treats them like crap, which is pretty much the same way he treats everyone. I understand that Connelly is trying to create a hard, noir character here--a loner with a chip on his shoulder who is reminiscent of the last coyote--but at times I was wondering why is Harry acting that way when there was simply no cause to do so.Once again Michael Connelly really manages to deliver a solid mystery with a complex main character. While the previous books certainly had good character development, I really felt by the end of this one that I have a much better picture of Harry and why he is the way he is. I'm really excited to read the next book in the series because I don't know what lies ahead for the character and I don't think Harry really knows either.

I’ve read quite a few detective/mystery novels, now including Connelly’s first four. I don’t know if this is #1 on the list, because I haven’t compiled the list, but it has to be in the top few.Harry Bosch is a really interesting character. Like “real people”, he’s full of paradoxes: simple but complex, brutal but caring, honest but willing to cross the line if justice demands it, jaded but somehow naive.It’s a great book. Read them in order, though. Not sure why you’d need a review of this book, if you’ve read the first 3 you’re already hooked.Highest recommendation.

I like Michael Connelly. This is a good one.

This has been my favorite Bosch book so far. All the twists and turns of a Bosch book. I love his attitude.

..but quite sad

Michael Connelly is fast becoming the pre-eminent Mystery/Crime novelist and rightly so. Having read all his books I can't think of anyone who I've enjoyed more consistently. Whether his main character is the endearing Detective Hieronymous (Harry)Bosch, Retired FBI profiler Terry McCaleb, FBI agent Rachael Walling or none of the above, I've enjoyed every story, all fourteen of them.Of course my favorite main character has to be the intractable Detective Bosch, offspring of a call girl whose murder in 1961 left young Harry orphaned at the age of twelve. The Last Coyote, Connelly's fourth novel, sees Bosch, placed on indefinite leave for putting his Lieutenant's head through a plate glass window and taking advantage of his new found free time to reopen the aged cold case of his mother's murder.Everybody or NobodyAs far as Harry is concerned, everybody, no matter what their station in life, gets equal treatment under the law. That's why his personal motto is "Everybody or Nobody" and he lives by that creed. Is that a coincidence, I think not. It probably goes back to his childhood and his mother's unsolved murder.Harry's Mother's name was Marjorie Lowe. After receiving a card five years previously from Marjorie's best friend, Merideth Roman, Harry pulled the murder file to try to reopen the case but he wasn't yet ready emotionally. So now he decided to try again. He had plenty of time between the three weekly visits to Carmen Hinojos, the departments anger management consultant (shrink), so he decided to give it another go. This time Harry got far enough into the murder book to decide that as he suspected, the investigation was whitewashed and some V.I.P.s were involved. Harry discovers Marjorie was seeing Arlo Conklin a former DA. Also possibly involved was Gordan Mittel, Conklin's former aid and now political kingmaker.Harry has plenty of time but he has no authority and no gun, so when he starts nosing around it disturbs some people. He is still angry at Harvey Pounds, his lieutenant and he needs a badge so he steals Pound's, on the sly. He also throws Pounds name around and this turns out to be a mistake, as it ends badly.Harry's an endearing character but he's certainly not delicate. Sometimes his investigating style is like a bull in a china shop. He gets results but some dishes get broken. In this case Harry's investigation leads to a couple more murders and almost Harry's demise. But let me tell you, I found the ending to be most surprising, even the second time around. If you can guess the ending before he gives it to you in the last fifteen or so pages, you're a better sleuth than me and I'm pretty good.CONCLUSIONBosch is a complex character who doesn't even seem to know himself. On one hand he is a resolutely honorable human being while being both difficult and uncompromising. This dichotomy is not appreciated among his superiors but because he is a extremely competent at his job, they cut him some slack. I think he is so popular a character because many of his readers identify with him in his travails against both bad guys, unfairness and bureaucracies.Author Michael Connelly is/was a crime reporter for the LA Times for years, which seems to give him a special insight into the world of crime and crime fighters, which is evident in his books. Having been a writer before an author also gives him a concise, economical, smooth writing style that is user friendly, which this reader appreciates. I just finished reading this book for the second time - actually the first time was an audio book - and I'm still amazed how Connelly can jerk the reader around, in a good sense, continuously making the reader guess the wrong bad guy and the wrong outcome. He is a master at misdirection.

“The Last Coyote” is the fourth book in the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. The title of the book comes from Bosch’s frequent dreams and sightings of a coyote near his home in Los Angeles.This book is different from the first three in the series. Bosch is suspended from duty after punching his commanding officer in the face and is undergoing therapy sessions with a psychologist. He also broke up with his girlfriend a few months ago. In short, he’s a mess, and it feels so in the book. The atmosphere is much darker and pessimistic than in previous books.The mission Bosch is after here is solving a murder that took place decades ago, his mother’s murder. She worked as a prostitute and was found one day dumped in a Hollywood alley. The murder was never solved and many loose ends were left unexplored. Bosch realizes he cannot get on with his life without closure on this case, so – devoid of his badge and gun – he embarks on a personal mission to find out who killed his mother. The trail leads him to some surprising and prominent figures whose paths his mother crossed. In the end, as usual, the real killer is actually someone quite different.I didn’t like this book as much as the previous ones. Solving his mother’s murder was supposed to be some highlight in Bosch’s life, but the dark and depressing mood of this story somehow manages to ruin the “joy” of reading a crime thriller. Bosch is doing way too much navel gazing in this novel. Hopefully he will be back to himself in future books in the series.

All of Connelly's books are great. Very talented writer. Get 'em crime fans.

Ritmo incalzante econtinue sorprese

Firstly, very fast and prompt delivery of the two Michael Connelly books I ordered, "The Concrete Blonde" and "The Last Coyote". Both arrived together the day after I ordered them. Many Thanks!With any book in the Harry Bosch series, you get an unputdownable, page turner as well as one you can really sink your teeth into and savour each and every word. In my opinion, "The Last Coyote", is the best Harry Bosch book I have yet read in the series.Poor Harry, he's not having a good time of it. He's on involuntary stress leave after violently attacking his boss, Lieutenant Harvey Pounds. His house has been condemned after being badly damaged in an earthquake and his girlfriend, Sylvia has left him. To top it all, in order to get his job back, he has to attend psychiatric counselling sessions with a Police appointed Psychiatrist. The book carries on at a steady but thrilling pace with Harry then deciding that as he has plenty of time on his hands, the time is now right for him to finally start his own investigation into the unsolved murder of his mother, Marjorie Lowe, which took place 35 yrs ago. The story centres on his investigation and the psychiatric counselling sessions with the psychiatrist Carmen Hinojos, whom he's initially very unwilling to co-operate with but gradually he begins to open up and a sort of bond begins to form between the two. Harry also travels from Los Angeles to Florida, where he tracks down one of the two cops who originally investigated his mother's murder. He also manages to fit in a little love action, with a woman who turns out to have some secrets of her own. On his return to LA, he's hit by an horrific turn of events. This is where the story picks up pace as it hurtles toward the final conclusion. The plot is full of twists and turns as we finally find out if Harry manages to solve his mother's murder and does he get his job back?This is the book where we discover the real Harry Bosch. What makes him the man he is, what makes him tick. It's an incredibly hard read at times, heart breaking even. That is why though, his mantra of "Everybody counts or nobody counts", defines the man he is. He'll always be there, fighting for everybody, no matter who you are or where you come from. He'll be there to see that justice is done, no matter how long it takes. A wonderful read and well worth the purchase.

I felt the frustration, anger and sorrow that Harry Bosch is going through. Quite a new list of interesting characters, hope they stay.

Excellent comme tous les romans de Michael Connelly. J'ai oublié de préciser que ce sont les versions anglaises...