The Overlook

Starred review from April 2, 2007
Bestseller Connelly's dazzling 13th Harry Bosch novel (after 2006's Echo Park
) reunites Bosch with his former flame, FBI agent Rachel Walling. Bosch must break in a new partner, rookie Iggy Ferras, when they're called to look into the execution of physicist Stanley Kent on a Mulholland Drive overlook. When a special FBI unit, headed by Walling, arrives and tries to usurp his case, claiming it's a matter of national security, Bosch refuses to back down. Walling's focus on the potential theft of radioactive material from the hospital where Kent was lending his expertise to cancer treatment and her unwillingness to share information only make Bosch more determined to solve the case. This is a quick read, almost half the length of Connelly's previous novels, but he spares no punches when it comes to complexity and suspense. The scramble to investigate threats to national security, justified or otherwise, is a timely subject and one on which Connelly puts a brilliant new spin.

Starred review from June 25, 2007
Reviewers were somewhat abrupt about perennial bestseller Connelly’s 13th Harry Bosch novel: “a quick read, almost half the length of Connelly’s previous novels,” said one; “a tasty hors d’oeuvre” quipped another. How smart and fortunate for listeners that Hachette Audio has turned to veteran Connelly reader Len Cariou for some added weight. Cariou catches all the strength and sadness behind Bosch’s minimal dialogue and is also perfect as Harry’s LAPD colleagues, female and male. He is especially good at bringing to frightening life the real villains: the federal investigators, headed by a former Bosch lover, FBI agent Rachel Walling. The Feds are trying to take over the case of a body found on an overlook near Mulholland Drive—a doctor who turns out to have had access to radioactive materials stored at hospitals throughout L.A. All praise to Hachette for getting Cariou to help us through it. The production boasts original music by Frank Morgan. Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 2).

Starred review from August 1, 2007
Series hero detective Harry Bosch, now of LAPD's Homicide Special Squad of the Robbery/Homicide division, is back with a vengeance. Connelly ("Echo Park") delivers a masterly piece of contemporary fiction that goes beyond the average police procedural by drawing on the current fears of terrorism and the political ramifications created by attempts to thwart it. A medical physicist is murdered, and the radioactive material he worked with is stolen. Thus begins the search to find the killer and the urgent need to retrieve the materials. Again, the usual departmental and federal politics and the unexpected plot twists combine for a great work. Connelly's novels are quite simply only getting better with age; the banter of the murder investigation is smart and the action taut. This sixth narration of a Bosch mystery by Len Cariou is excellent and brings the characters to life. Highly recommended.Scott R. DiMarco, Mansfield Univ. of Pennsylvania

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2007
This short novel began life as a 16-part serial in the New York Times. Despite being expanded somewhat for book publication, the storys roots as a plot-driven serial remain visible: readers familiar with Connellys celebrated Harry Bosch seriesAnd what hard-boiled fiction fan isnt?will notice less character development and less psychological texture here than in any of the full-length Bosch novels, but that isnt to say the story doesnt pack a wallop. In the wake of the controversial events at the conclusion of Echo Park (2006), Bosch has a new assignment, with LAPDs Homicide Special Unit. He lands his first case when a body is found on the overlook near Mulholland Drive. The victim, Dr. Stanley Kent, turns out to have had access to radioactive materials stored at hospitals throughout L.A. As the clues point toward a terrorist plot, Bosch must contend with various crime-fighting bureaucracies, including the FBI and Homeland Security. Bosch reacts to bureaucratic interference (even from former lover and FBI agent Rachel Walling) like the body reacts to radiation, so the sparks begin to fly immediately. Unlike other Bosch novels, which effortlessly mix action with the heros inner struggles, this one unfolds like an episode of 24, pounding its way relentlessly to a surprising conclusion. Treat The Overlook like a tasty hors doeuvre: down it in one quick gulp, and look forward to the next Bosch entr'e.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)