[.ca] The Closers (ISBN 1594830207)

I really enjoyed this book.:
Michael Connelly is frankly becoming a phenomenon, one of the best detective novelists the genre has ever had. His Harry Bosch series has now got three books which are among my favorite detective novels: the other is "The Quest" by Giorgio Kostantinos both are truly great novels, though "Quest" isn't part of tbe Bosch series. This latest installment in the Bosch series has an interesting pedigree. The author apparently is very aware of local politics and current events. Our Los Angeles police department has been wracked by morale problems in the last few years, right up until William Bratton, the current chief, took over the job. Apparently many officers in the department had resigned in disgust at the politics of the previous chief and the way he ran things. Connelly fictionalizes all of this, but has Bosch resign from the department and begin to work as a private investigator. When you bought the last book, The Narrows, in hardback, you got a CD with it titled Blue Neon Night, which included video of various locations around LA, and William Peterson (from CSI on TV) reading passages from Connelly's novels. There's a brief epilogue to the CD, which includes a portion of a speech Chief Bratton made at the Police Academy with Connelly in attendance. In the speech, Bratton invited Bosch, Connelly's fictional detective, to return to the department under his amnesty program, where officers who had retired had a certain length of time to rejoin the department. This book, in which Bosch has returned, is the result. Connelly now has Bosch working in a division of Robbery/Homicide downtown. The old name for the unit was Cold Case, but the chief didn't like the name: as far as he's concerned, there's always someone for whom the case isn't ever "cold", and thinks the name sends the wrong message. He's renamed the unit Open/Unsolved, and Bosch not only gets to work in the unit, he's partnered with Kizmin Rider, his black lesbian partner from a few books ago, the only cop he's worked with really well during the length of the series. Their first case involves the murder of a high school girl, killed in a bizarre fashion by person or persons unknown, and left in the hills behind her house. The killing has destroyed the family (the father wandered off and is now homeless, the mother is living in a fog) and no one's ever really forgotten the victim. Harry and Kizmin have a clue unavailable to the detectives involved in the case 17 years ago: the gun that was used in the killing had (by a quirk of fate) a tendency to "bite" the person firing it, and take a small bit of skin when it did this. The skin was useless when the killing occurred, but now they have used DNA and come up with a new suspect, and so the investigation can restart. I really enjoyed this book. Connelly knows Los Angeles as only someone who loves the city can. From the places to eat downtown (and the prices you pay there: he knows the Pacific Dining Car's expensive) to the atmosphere, pretty much everything's accurate and believable. The ending is satisfying, not quite the puzzle solution of "Quest", not quite the poetry of The Poet, but very very good anyway, and everything's quite well done. I really recommend this book.

Another HUGE notch in Michael Connelly'success belt!:
After three years off the force, Harry Bosch opens "The Closers" re-instated to the LAPD. His experience has earned him a plum posting with his old partner, Kizmin Rider, to the "Open Unsolved Unit" but the chief has made it clear that Bosch is under probation as the oldest "boot" on the force. Perhaps smarter, more matured, more mellow and definitely more introspective and cautious, Bosch realizes that his future with the force is contingent on staying out of trouble and sticking rigorously to the letter of the law and regimented procedure according to the book. But trouble has a way of seeking out Harry Bosch and getting under his skin. Bosch is handed his first case, supposedly a slam dunk with new evidence. Rebecca Verloren was murdered 17 years ago. Rebecca's white mother is hopelessly mired in the past and mourns her death to this day. Her black father, formerly a successful restauranteur, fell into the bottle and vanished into LA's homeless community. DNA analysis, that didn't exist at the time of the murder, leads Bosch and Ryder toward Roland Mackey, a tow truck driver with connections to a radical fascist white supremacy group. But Bosch and Rider aren't satisfied. While the DNA ties Mackey to the murder weapon, there doesn't seem to be any way to tie Mackey to the murder or to a relationship with the victim. Further investigation into the racial aspect of the case begins to point Bosch into that most treacherous territory of "high jingo" - internal police wrongdoing and cover-ups related to the LA race riots that were happening at the time of Rebecca's murder. "The Closers" is considerably less character driven than previous Harry Bosch novels but Bosch's character is still an important consideration. It's clear throughout the novel that Bosch wrestles internally with his old demons - the compulsion to lapse back into unorthodoxy, the drive to get the job done at all costs, his inability to deal compassionately with those around him. I will admit, however, that it was probably more clear to me as a confirmed lover of Harry Bosch novels than it would be to a new fan choosing to pick up "The Closers" as a first Harry Bosch entrée. Kiz Rider, by contrast to Bosch, matures and strengthens as an understanding partner and a highly competent female investigator in a primarily male world. She has the ability, the courage and the compassion necessary to let Bosch know about his shortcomings and to hold him firmly in check when it's necessary. Her innovative, insightful and independent thinking seems unhampered by a much more strict "by the book" approach. The plot - well, what can one say about Michael Connelly's mastery of the police procedural that hasn't already been said? The textbook layout of the clues and the investigation is impeccable and compelling in its intensity. And the twist at the end is worthy of the finest thriller. Five stars, two thumbs up and a bonus of two big toes as well! Highly recommended. Paul Weiss

A bit slow:
This novel is about a police investigator who joins the elite Open/Unsolved Unit, the mission is to solve murders where the investigations have gone cold and were abandoned by the L.A. police department. His first case is one of a teenager dragged off to her death. Our hero must battle to fit the pieces together and expose the truth that shatters lives. Although this thriller has its slow moments and the plot is somewhat predictable I did like the story and I think you will also enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Rhymes with Anonymous:
"The Closers" is Michael Connelly's fifteenth novel, his eleventh to feature Harry Bosch and was first published in 2005. Orphaned at twelve when his mother was murdered, Bosch's teenage years were spent in and out of orphanages. He enlisted in the army and served in Viet-Nam, before returning home and joining the police force. Once a member of the LAPD's elite RHD (Robbery-Homicide Division), he was demoted to the Hollywood Division after an Internal Affairs investigation. After more than ten years in Hollywood, he was notified of a 'promotion' back to RHD - however, he chose to quit the force instead. Bosch had occasionally been seen by some as a maverick, but increasingly by others as a 'man with a mission'. He left the LAPD with an armful of Hollywood's open-unsolved cases, tool out a private investigator's licence and continued to 'speak for the dead'. However, a couple of phone calls from a former partner, Kizmin Rider, have now led to his return to the LAPD. "The Closers" tells of Bosch's first case back with the Department. Although he has been partnered with Kiz Rider again, Harry is now working in a very different environment. The pair have been assigned to the Open - Unsolved Unit and are based at the Parker Center rather than at Hollywood. Kiz had worked with the Police Chief as a policy advisor after leaving Hollywood : she had impressed sufficiently for him to approve both Bosch's return to the Department and her transfer to the Unit. However, Harry has been put on probation for a year : any mistake will be punished with a very quick return to civilian life. Harry's arch-nemesis, Deputy-Chief Irving, doesn't take long in 'welcoming' him back. Irving, once a very powerful figure in the Department, has been sidelined by the new Chief and given a minor posting away from the Parker Center. However, he is convinced that Bosch will make a blunder so embarrassing to the Chief it will guarantee his own return to power : nobody else, he feels, could clear up the subsequent mess. Bosch's first case is a 'cold' hit. Rebecca Verloren, a sixteen-year-old mixed-race schoolgirl, was murdered in 1988. A couple of early blunders in the original investigation had led to the case initially being written off as suicide. However, after the autopsy was completed and the gun was analysed, the case was re-classified a murder. Unfortunately, no suspects were ever identified and the case went cold. However, some blood and tissue had been found inside the gun and recent advances in DNA comparison techniques have given the department a possible suspect and motive. Roland Mackey, although his record hadn't included murder, had been a serial offender and did have links to some white-power groups - including the Chatsworth Eights. Furthermore, the gun used to kill Rebecca had been stolen from a Jewish man who had been harassed by the Eights. However, Harry and Kiz both realise they don't yet have enough evidence to bring a string case against Mackey. There are also a few loose ends that may need looking into. Rebecca, it would appear, had a few secrets - including a boyfriend, a pregnancy and an abortion. Connelly has produced another very good book. He has made the right decision in returning Harry to the LAPD, and a very clever one in not returning him to Hollywood. I was glad to see Harry contacting Jerry Edgar (a former partner) at one point, while a meeting with Thelma Kibble provides an enjoyable couple of pages. Thelma, who had made her first appearance in the standalone novel "Void Moon", turns up here as Mackey's probation agent. The meeting reminds Harry of the events of "A Darkness More Than Night" and also a neighbour he had in Vegas, during "The Narrows". It would probably be a slight advantage, though it's not entirely necessary, to have read one or two of the previous Bosch novels. "Angel's Flight", an excellent book, would give an indication of Harry's relationship with both Kiz Rider and Irving - either way, "The Closers" is definitely recommended.

A Top Novel in a Distinguished Series:
Harry Bosch is married to his work; his religion is to gain justice for victims and their families; and he is willing to do what it takes to succeed. With an instinct for noticing what others miss, he's able to open closed doors and solve cases that have befuddled everyone else. He lacks a desire to kowtow to authority and often offends even his best friends. I can't think of a story in the series that better captures those qualities than The Closers. In this story, Harry has been allowed to rejoin LAPD after an almost three years of frustrating retirement. His ex-wife and daughter are in the Far East so going back to the job is irresistible, especially after his long-time ex-partner, Kiz Rider, agrees to work with him again. But he's on probation, just another "boot" who can be fired for any mistake. Despite being warned to be careful by the new police chief and his arch-enemy Deputy Chief Irvin S. Irving, Harry is pushing the line from day one. His first unsolved case is triggered by a DNA hit: A murder weapon contains DNA from a known criminal. Now, Harry and Kiz need to find the suspect and figure out what he had to do with the case. The action is fast as the investigation moves into hyper speed for a cold case. Various deadlines and risks mean that even Harry has to move faster than usual. It makes for a taut plot that makes the book a page turner. In addition, the mystery is well designed to be hard to unravel. There are many red herring strands you can pull and still be nowhere near the answer. It's a very satisfying mystery to read about . . . even if justice is (as usual in a Harry Bosch book) undone by LAPD politics and mistakes. Have a great read!