Again, Michael Connelly at his best... in stretching for home base...

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	• The Overlook (Harry Bosch) Michael Connelly Vision, 2008 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 182 reviews view larger image
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The Overlook

There is no such thing as a bad Michael Connelly novel. The Overlook does nothing to change that fact. Harry Bosch is once again the central character & FBI agent Rachel Walling is around again. The novel is shorter than most of M. Connelly's, mostly due to the fact that it was serialized in the "New York Times Magazine". Actually this may be a good thing, the pace is fast & there's not a single slow moment in the story.

The story involves a murder of a man that has access to cesium, a radioactive material that's used to treat some types of cancer. It's dangerous stuff, though, when not used properly. Because cesium is a radioactive material & could possibly be used to create a dirty bomb, not to mention that the victim was on a watch-list, the FBI gets involved because it's viewed as a possible terrorist activity. Inadvertently, Bosch & Walling are brought back together on the case but their last experience (Echo Park) left them bitter & disillusioned with the other. The FBI views the case as a heist, their main concern is to recover the cesium & get the terrorists. Bosch views it as a murder investigation & therein lies the conflict of the story.

This is a very good book in the Harry Bosch series. If you haven't read any of those you're in for a treat. Though it's not necessary, I would recommend reading the books in order of release (duh).

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Could have been terrific, but it was just mediocre

This is a tough review to write. The plotline was very good, but the shortness of the book left me wanting more of the old Harry Bosch. I missed the melancholy time in front of the stereo at home pondering the case, his life, the problems with his wife/girlfriend, etc. This book was a quick slam, bam, thank you reader. I miss the interaction with his partner - he has a new one this time, but nothing there is developed; it's an after thought.

The FBI/LAPD were again at each other and the mystery was worth the read, but I can't help but think that something is up with Connelly. Either he is attempting to get out more books for a contract or his publisher is trying to save money by stripping down the story. In either case, I felt like a good story was wasted on a mediocre effort. It's not that the plot is bad, but there are none of the complexities of the previous stories - before "Echo Canyon". And with the plotline that he had going, this could have been a terrific book.

The author may be tiring now with this line of work. But that would be a real loss to those of us that can't wait for the next one.

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`We are all circling the drain'

Harry Bosch is now assigned to Homicide Special: waiting for cases that are politically sensitive, have a level of media interest, or are just too hot for the regular LAPD to handle. Harry's first case with Homicide Special, it quickly becomes apparent, combines all three of these ingredients.

An execution style murder, the theft of significant quantities of a potentially deadly radioactive chemical and the involvement of multiple agencies all place pressure on Harry's capacity to work the murder case effectively. Harry himself is dedicated to finding the murderer while those in the agencies around him are intent on exploring terrorist possibilities. Harry, of course, is not above redefining co-operation to suit the needs of his case and, by following the evidence rather than speculation solves the murder. A case, perhaps, for the straightforward application of `all other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best' (the principle known as `Occam's Razor').

I enjoyed this relatively short Harry Bosch story. While it lacks some of the detailed writing of other Bosch novels, it was a great way to spend a couple of spare hours. While I worked out aspects of the solution before the end of the novel, there were sufficient loose ends to keep my attention until the end.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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Again, Michael Connelly at his best... in stretching for home base...

Fifteen years ago author Michael Connelly introduced Harry Bosch in the first book of a best-selling series... 'The Black Echo'. Impresario LAPD detective Bosch is now with the Homicide Special Squad, breaking in a new partner, novice Ignacio 'Iggy' Ferras, and re-connected with FBI Agent Rachel Walling (Harry's past lover). The victim took two shots to the head... a pro job -- a medical physicist, who worked at the medical facility with material used in treating cancer. And in the wrong hands, it is a deadly weapon. The perps had used the threat of harming Kent's wife if he didn't cooperate, and give them what they want. Jesse Mitford from Canada is a stranger to LA, looking for celeb autographs to send home to mom, and he's a witness found by Bosch and partner on the property and at the scene of the crime. Bosch battles with his own conscience of detecting methods, keeping just enough from some troublesome and interfering FBI know-it-alls. Bosch is told, "...It is actually much more than [a homicide investigation]...it serves the federal government extremely well with this thing on the overlook being part of a terrorism plot.... You've got the Middle East, the price of a gallon of gasoline and a lame-duck president's approval ratings.... [here] is an opportunity for redemption. ...A chance to shirt public attention and opinion. ...A case like this, you have to broaden your political landscape." Bold and not-to-be-taken for a fool or advantage of, Bosch retorts: "Are you saying that they might try to keep this think going, maybe even exaggerate the threat?" Is it a terrorism plot? Find out when the not-so-innocents among the players are under suspicion, but you'll have to read the book to capture it all as only Connelly can deliver, with a red herring thrown in, oh, a frame-up too. 'The Overlook' is a character-driven mystery, which Connelly never falters in providing a well-groomed cast, plot, on the tip-of-your toes read, as you burn the midnight-oil through suspense and action.
Josephine Kaszuba Locke, Book Hugger, Reviewer BookLoons.com

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Find the cesium by solving a murder

A radiotherapist is shot to death on an overlook near his home. It looks like another "ordinary" homicide until it is discovered that right before his death he stole 26 ampoules of radioactive cesium from one of the hospitals where he worked. The cesium would be exchanged against his wife, who is kidnapped. All lights start flashing at the FBI, especially when a witness thinks he might have heard someone calling "Allah" at the moment of the shot. Harry Bosch is not only up against a murderer, but also against special terrorism units from both the FBI and his own LAPD. His mission is to find that killer, which he is sure will lead to the cesium, the mission of the terrorism units is to find the cesium, forget about the killer. In the end both are a little bit right and the solution is much more mundane, but also more sad, than one would initially expect.

Another one in the Harry Bosch series with Harry having yet another partner, but teaming up with the FBI agent Rachel Walling that we already met in previous books. Not the most nerve-wracking book of the series, but a solid piece of detective writing again.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

In his first case since he left the LAPD's Open Unsolved Unit for the prestigious Homicide Special squad, Harry Bosch is called out to investigate a murder that may have chilling consequences for national security. A doctor with access to a dangerous radioactive substance is found murdered in the trunk of his car. Retracing his steps, Harry learns that a large quantity of radioactive cesium was stolen shortly before the doctor's death. With the cesium in unknown hands, Harry fears the murder could be part of a terrorist plot to poison a major American city.
Soon, Bosch is in a race against time, not only against the culprits, but also against the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI (in the form of Harry's one-time lover Rachel Walling), who are convinced that this case is too important for the likes of the LAPD. It is Bosch's job to prove all of them wrong.

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