BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
(Print: 11/1/2016; 9780316225946; Little, Brown and Company; 400 pages.)
(Digital: Yes)
Audio: 11/1/2016; Hachette Book Group; 9781478942955; Duration 10:21:37; 9 parts.
(Film/TV: Probably will be incorporated into the Bosch series.)

SERIES: Harry Bosch, Book 19 (29th novel by the author)

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Harry Bosch – Private Investigator / Part-time volunteer Detective at San Fernando Police Department
Mickey Haller – Defense attorney
Captain Trevino – Captain at the San Fernando Police Department
Bella Lourdes – Detective in Crimes against persons unit--Partners-up with Bosch’s at the San Fernando Police Department
Danny Sisto – Detective at San Fernando Police Department
Anthony Valdez – Chief at San Fernando Police Department
John Creighton – Retired from LAPD. Runs his own detective agency, Trident Security.

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
Harry Bosch is now a part-time volunteer detective at the small San Fernando Police Department, working on a case dubbed “The Screen Cutter Rapist”.
He’s reinstated his Private Detective license, and is contacted by a high-end security firm run by a previous boss from the LAPD. Bosch is warry of his old boss's interest in him and disinterested in working for the firm, but when he’s handed a $10,000.00 check just to meet with someone to discuss a freelance job, his curiosity is piqued.
A fun part of all of Connelly’s books is learning more about the lay of the land in my own neighboring county of Los Angeles and in this book, we get a few snippets of downtown Orange in my home County of Orange where Bosch’s daughter is in college (and where I worked in the law library for 9 years) at Chapman University.

AUTHOR:
Michael Connelly (7/21/56). According to Barnes and Noble, “Michael Connelly is the author of twenty-eight previous novels, including #1 New York Times bestsellers The Crossing and The Burning Room. His books, which include the Harry Bosch series and Lincoln Lawyer series, have sold more than sixty million copies worldwide. Connelly is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels and is the executive producer of Bosch, starring Titus Welliver. He spends his time in California and Florida.”
Find out more at Michael’s website: https://www.michaelconnelly.com/
This is Michael’s 29th novel and we are still behind in reading them all.

NARRATOR:
Titus Welliver (3/12/1962). The most comprehensive biography page I have seen on Titus so far is “Rotten Tomatoes". Be advised though that the leading sentence begins with “Titus Welliver was and American Actor . . .” as though he no longer exists. This is not the case. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/titus_welliver

GENRE:
Mystery, fiction, suspense, thriller

LOCATIONS:
Los Angeles, San Fernando, Orange

SUBJECTS:
Murder, Rape, Police Procedure

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 1
“Bosch loved any opportunity to see his city from up high. When he was a young detective he would often take extra shifts as a spotter in one of the Department airships—just to take a ride above Los Angeles and be reminded of its seemingly infinite vastness.
He looked down at the 110 freeway and saw it was backed up all the way down through South-Central. He also noted the number of helipads on the tops of the buildings below him. The helicopter had become the commuter vessel of the elite. He had heard that even some of the higher-contact basketball players on the Lakers and Clippers took helps to work at the Staples Center.
The glass was thick enough to keep out any sound. The city below was silent. The only thing Bosch heard was the receptionist behind him answering the phone with the same greeting over and over: ‘Trident Security, how can I help you?’
Bosh’s eye held on a fast-moving patrol car going south on Figueroa toward the L.A. Live district. He saw the 01 painted large on the trunk and knew that the car was from Central Division. Soon it was followed in the air by an LAPD airship that moved at a lower altitude than the floor he stood on. Bosch was tracking it when he was pulled away by a voice from behind.
‘Mr. Bosch?’
He turned to see a woman standing in the middle of the waiting room. She wasn’t the receptionist.
‘I’m Gloria. We spoke on the phone,’ she said.
‘Right, yes,’ Bosch said. ‘Mr. Creighton’s assistant.’
‘Yes, nice to meet you. You can come back now.’
‘Good. Any longer and I was going to jump.’
She didn’t smile. She led Bosch through a door into a hallway with framed watercolors perfectly spaced on the walls.
‘It’s impact-resistant glass,’ she said. ‘It can take the force of a category-five hurricane.’
‘Good to know,’ Bosch said. ‘And I was only joking. Your boss had a history of keeping people waiting—back when he was a deputy chief with the police department.’
‘Oh really? I haven’t noticed it here.’
This made no sense to Bosch, since she had just fetched him from the waiting room fifteen minutes after the appointed meeting time.
‘He must’ve read it in a management book back when he was climbing the ranks,’ Bosch said. ‘You know, keep ‘em waiting even if they’re on time.’ Gives you the upper hand when you finally bring them into the room, lets them know you are a busy man.’
‘I’m not familiar with that business philosophy.’
They entered an office suite. In the outer office, there were two separate desk arrangements, one occupied by a man in his twenties wearing a suit, and the other empty and, he assumed, belonging to Gloria. They walked between the desks to a door and Gloria opened it and then stepped to the side.
‘Go on in,’ she said. ‘Can I bring you a bottle of water?’
‘No, thanks,’ Bosch said. ‘I’m fine.’

RATING:
I gave this book 5 stars. Connelly tells great stories ( )

Family Drama

Possibly the best of the Harry Bosch novels, and that is saying a lot. There are two fascinating & somewhat intertwining themes. ( )

Fun read! It's been a while since I had a book interesting enough to keep me turning pages quickly but not so complex that I had trouble keeping up with plot and characters. My favorite sideline was Harry's discussion with Mattie about why he didn't want to eat at the Vietnamese restaurant. Mattie's preconceived idea of her dad's "racism" was right on the mark. I think she learned a whole lot about her dad thanks to this seemingly minor issue. Please keep up the interaction between Harry and Mickey, his "brother with another mother." They compliment each other so well, especially with Harry's straight shooter thinking bounced against Mickey's little bit of lawyer ambulance-chasing sleaziness. For some reason I never connected with Bella -- I felt like Harry's relationship with her was perfunctory. Although he said and did the right things for Bella, it didn't seem warm or genuine. Can't wait for the next book! ( )

The Wrong Side of Goodbye
4 Stars

Harry's cold case investigations are particularly enjoyable as the reader accompanies him on his treasure-hunt like journey chasing down clues and uncovering secrets.

While both of the cases in this installment are compelling, it is the search for the missing heir that really grabs the reader with the heartwrenching twists and turns. The second case focusing on the search for a brutal serial rapist is gripping, especially the final showdown. That said, there the revelation of the rapist's identity comes out of left field due to the lack of hints along the way.

Overall, this is another entertaining addition to the series. ( )