#BookReview: The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly

The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Some stories mean a lot to you just the way they span generations and way it changes the course of someone's life. "The Wrong side of Goodbye" starts with Bosch being hired by an old guy, almost on his deathbed to find his heir that he abandoned about 60 years ago. And so starts a search that leads Bosch to revisit his time in the Vietnam war and in parallel search for this heir and any other family that the Old guy might have. Also, Bosch is working as a reserve for the Police department and a case of a serial rapist is taking shape and getting a lot of traction. With these two cases running in parallel, this book has no dearth of action and revelations.

This is by far my favorite of all the books I have read in the Bosch series. It had the same intensity that Bosch has but there was something about him being on his own that showed how he has made connections over the years and how he has this other side outside his old job. The investigation was laid out very systematically and engaged the reader at every turn. Once you start this one, I bet you won't take much time finishing it.

It also had the other Connelly character - Mickey Haller [ Bosch's stepbrother who is also a really good lawyer] whom I liked so I would now read the books in the Lincoln lawyer series based on him.


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Lost Light - Michael Connelly

LOST LIGHT

A Harry Bosch novel

ISBN - 978-1-4091-1684-4
FIRST PUBLISHED - 2003
PUBLISHERS - Hachette
PAGES - 341
BINDING - Paperback
GENRE - Crime/Thriller
SOURCE - Publishers

AUTHOR - Michael Connelly

BEST-SELLERS - The Brass Verdict

SYNOPSIS - Harry Bosch has finally quit the LAPD. When he left, he took a file with him - the case of a young woman murdered four years earlier. The crime was linked to a $2 million robbery on a movie set, and the LAPD think the money was used by terrorists.

Now, with time on his hands, Harry looks at the old file again. Something about the victim affected him deeply and the case has haunted him ever since. But when he decides to re-investigate, he falls foul of both his old colleagues and the FBI. And then someone from Bosch's past turns his world upside down.

FL Speak - Even though I curse myself for discovering Michael Connelly too late, nevertheless I'm overjoyed at reading his novels back-to-back. Lost Light is one of his earlier novels. In fact it is Harry Bosch's 9th case.

Just like every other Michael Connelly case, this book kept me up all through the night. As the synopsis says, Harry has quit the LAPD. Its been a year but he hasn't been able to get rid of the case from his mind. Now that he's no more bound to other cases, Harry decides to go through his files as to why this one was not solved earlier.

Angela Brenton was murdered on her 24th birthday. She was violated and the angle pointed towards a pervert with a grudge. 2 days later $2 million was stolen from a Hollywood studio during a shoot. Angela Brenton worked in that studio. Years later, when Bosch decides to re-investigate the case, he was stone walled by his own department. After a call by a former cop who took over the investigation years ago, the FBI started breathing down Bosch's neck. It looks like some of the stolen money found its way to terrorists. And with a female FBI agent missing for 2 years, this case has taken a whole new meaning.

Bosch searches for clues that the previous cops missed and without help from the FBI who were hell bent on stopping him from interfering with terrorism matters, Bosch knew he had to rely on the notes he already had and search for the clue that eluded everyone all these years. And things come to a shocking end when the death of Angel Brenton, the robbery of $2 million and the case of the missing FBI agent intertwine over the next few days.

I'm telling you lot again. Michael Connelly is one of the finest crime writers ever. And Harry Bosch is his finest creation. Lost Light is that spark in the darkness when everything else fails, but not the determination of the cops who protect us in this vile world.

My Rating - 5 stars

PRICE - INR 350/-

The Drop - Michael Connelly

THE DROP

A Harry Bosch novel

ISBN - 978-1-4091-3649-1
FIRST PUBLISHED - 2011
PUBLISHERS - Hachette
PAGES - 419
GENRE - Crime
BINDING - Paperback
SOURCE - Publishers

AUTHOR - Michael Connelly

BEST-SELLERS - The Reversal

SYNOPSIS - When evidence links to a brutal murder in 1989 to a convicted rapist named Clayton Pell, the case should be water-tight. Pell's DNA was found on the victim - but he was only eight years old at the time.

This is not the only mystery Harry Bosch ha to solve. A man has jumped - or was pushed - from a window. The victim's father i Councilman Irving, who's been intent on destroying Harry's career for years. Now Irving wants Harry to head up the investigation.

Harry uncovers traces of two of the city's deepest secrets : a killer operating for as many as three decades without being detected, and a conspiracy that goes back into the history of the police department.

FL Speak - Readers are right. Michael Connelly may well be the best crime writer in the world. The Drop is one such brilliant work of his. Harry Bosch is a cop who specializes in cold cases. Cold cases are those cases which were not solved before. These cases go back decades. And Harry Bosch is one of the best detectives they have.

When DNA comes back with a positive trace on a convicted rapist after ages, Harry is given the job to bring the rapist back after 20 years of the crime. But that's the twist. 20 years ago, the rapist was a 8 year old boy. Harry and his partner take on the case when a fresh case is dumped into their hands. A body was discovered and Councilman Irvin wants Harry to be on the case as the body belonged to his son. Even though there was history between the two, Harry promised to be a thorough professional.

However it turned out not to be an easy case at all. George Irvin was pushed. Or did he commit suicide? The cops think it was a jumper without the lack of proof. But Harry thought it was murder. And as he peeled over alibis and made slow headway into the case, he realized it was more of a power play in the political struggle at the top that brought him the case. And the prime suspect is a cop who was made the scapegoat by the department.

However even definite proof can be deceitful when Harry realises that he's being pushed to a particular direction while investigation. And his partner may not be on his side. This is why I like Michael Connelly. He really knows  how to push the right buttons. Solving two separate crimes in a novel is a superpower that very people has. And Connelly sure knows what the reader wants.

Riddled with obstacles and an impossible task to locate a killer that has been active for the last 30 years, Harry and Chu follow every bit of trail that has since then gone cold. And what they find is the cumulative of the last three decades. A killer is forever a killer. And Harry and Chu are in the search for the mother of all monsters.

So, I'll say it again. Michael Connelly is the most awesome crime writer again. Detective Harry Bosch is extremely loveable, with his own personal flaws but he's doing enough to keep it in line. I need to read him again. Highly recommended.

My Rating - 4 stars

PRICE - INR 350/-

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

Title: The Lincoln Lawyer
Author: Michael Connelly
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4555-0023-9
First Published: 2005
Genre: Crime Fiction,Mystery
Pages: 505
Rating: 3.75/5


Summary (From Goodreads)


"The scariest client a lawyer will ever have is an innocent client. Because if you [screw] up and he goes to prison, it'll scar you for life."Louis Roulet, Mickey's "franchise client" (so-called becaue he's able and willing to pay whatever his defense costs) seems to be the one his father warned him against, as well as being a few rungs higher on the socio-economic ladder than the drug dealers, homeboys, and motorcycle thugs who comprise Mickey's regular case load. But as the holes in Roulet's story tear Mickey's theory of the case to shreds, his thoughts turn more to Jesus Menendez, a former client convicted of a similar crime who's now languishing in San Quentin. Connelly tellingly delineates the code of legal ethics Mickey lives by: "It didn't matter...whether the defendant 'did it' or not. What mattered was the evidence against him--the proof--and if and how it could be neutralized. My job was to bury the proof, to color the proof a shade of gray. Gray was the color of reasonable doubt." But by the time his client goes to trial, Mickey's feeling a few very reasonable doubts of his own.


What I feel :

'There is no client as scary as an innocent man'

I had seen the trailor of the movie version and I kinda got the idea.The plot in a nut shell would be sleazy/anti hero lawyer,an assault/rape,a victim-Reggie Campo,a suspect-Louis Roulet.The twist- the readers are unsure who is the victim and who is the suspect.
The protagonist,Mickey Haller, defense attorney is juggling with his professional life and personal life when he hits the jackpot, a franchise client Louis Roulet.Initially the case looks like a clear win for Mickey until he starts noticing glitches in the stories of both Louis Roulet and Reggie Campo.Add to the current mess,Mickey is haunted by an old case-similar in many grounds, in which he made his client(Jesus Menendez) plead guilty in order to avoid death sentence.Now he feels he is face to face with his biggest fear-not recognizing an innocent client about which his father had written in many of his books.From there its a roller coaster ride.By the middle of the book the readers would know who did what but the question remains how will Mickey escape from the trap which he himself set.
Even though Mickey is portrayed as a corrupt lawyer who defends just about anybody who is willing to pay him,the readers would more likely be drawn to him.His charm and his quick tongue is  almost irresistible!The fact that he buys 4 Lincoln cars with the money he got from winning some old case and thinking about using it as limo service,he still being cordial with both of his ex wives and finding time to mend ways with his daughter is quite endearing.
What particularly marveled me was the vast knowledge about legal affairs by the author(which obviously shows how good a researcher he is).Not just the rules and regulations but the shady deals too which makes the plot more realistic.Loads of twists and turns leaving the readers almost breathless.The book was aptly paced,suspense increasing by each page leaving me tempted to flip pages and read the ending.
I was a tad bit disappointed with the climax,it seemed a little filmy. Other than that, an impressive read.