The Harry Bosch Novels: The Black Echo, the Black Ice, the Concrete Blonde

Connelly develops a great main character, Harry Bosch, around whom these mysteries all revolve. Harry is a Vietnam Vet who is an "underdog" detective in the Hollywood division due to his preference to work cases alone, leaving his bosses to believe that he's not really to be trusted. I was pleasantly surprised that each book in succession held my attention very well, unlike other books with characters or plotlines repeated in successive novels that become boring after the second book. These stories are for anyone who likes crime and cop suspense mysteries.

This volume collects the first three Harry Bosch novels into one hardbound edition. Bosch is a detective with the LAPD - a bit of a maverick, a bit of a loose cannon, a whole lot of an outsider within the force. His ideals and devotion to justice repeatedly put him at odds with the bureacrats, political movers and crooked officers within the force. Each of these three books is a great read on its own. The stories are well-paced, the crimes and subsequent investigations are intriguing, and Connelly's gift with words (especially dialogue) is apparent. But reading these three books one right the other really hooks the reader on the Bosch character. There's a great balance here between the individual crime plots and the developments in Bosch's life that made him who he is today and continue to guide him toward his future. Connelly also does a great job of credibly moving characters in and out of Bosch's life in the books further down the road, so these three provide a necessary foundation. The best of the three is final book, "The Concrete Blonde". Throughout the earlier books there are references to a very important case in Bosch's past. In "The Concrete Blonde", Connelly uses an excellent tactic to flesh out this case without resorting to a prequel: the case is reopened and retried when new evidence is brought to light that may exonerate the man whom Bosch originally collared. The current day trial retells the original events while Bosch must reinvestigate his own methods and conclusions, all leading up to a super surprise ending. Very good whodunit reading. Since the original printings are long gone, this volume represents your only shot to get them in a new hardcover edition. The fact that this attractive package costs less than would the three paperbacks combined makes it a must-have for any fan of mystery or police procedural fiction.

The Bosch series is for anyone who likes a good police detective thriller. The story isn't as fast paced as James Pattersons - Alex Cross series, but the pace will keep you reading. The Black Echo, Black Ice, and Concrete Blonde (4 stars, 4 stars, and 5 stars, respectively) are a great compilation for starting with the Bosch Series. The first book may be a slightly predictable, but it gives good detail on the lead character. The second book builds on the first, with a lot of twists, and the third is the best of them all, a must read.

Connelly writes some of the best police procedurals if one also likes the hard boiled detective genre. The Harry Bosch novels move well, are genuinely moving at times, and contain very strong suspense elements. At the same time, the novels ring with the authenticity that procedurals require.

Now available for the first time in a single volume edition, "The Harry Bosch Novels" brings together the first three mysteries by Michael Connelly, one of the finest writers in the detective genre. If you haven't yet read this terrific series, this book presents the perfect place to begin.These three stories can easily be read one-by-one, or all three in a row. Such is Connelly's skill that readers are unlikely to tire soon of the unfolding story of Detective Harry Bosch. This omnibus volume is a great way to start this series and will help prepare readers for the release of the 7th Bosch novel (coming in early 2002), which promises to be one of the best yet.If you're not reading Michael Connelly, you're missing one of the best authors fiction has to offer. What are you waiting for?