Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch #14), by Michael Connelly
Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another read, another Bosch. A better Bosch than the previous one and, yet, still not back to old form.
It begins interestingly enough when Bosch is called out to a liquor store he knows from way back, the owner of which has been murdered. Just as usual, this sets off a police procedural with Harry Bosch at its front and centre. Ignacio Ferras, his latest partner, also makes some appearances, but only attains any kind of significance at the very end.
What comes next, though, is in several ways a complete departure from earlier paths: Maddy, at this point 13, is abducted in Hong Kong. Bosch is contacted and is told in no uncertain terms that he’s to stop looking into things. This is where a completely different part of the novel begins.
Bosch, of course, travels to Hong Kong to join forces with his ex-wife, Eleanor Wish, to rescue their daughter. This part is basically a wild manhunt through the city and its seedier districts. There’s much violence, and almost gore, in this part, and it felt like a bit too much. It’s also very different from other Bosch novels because here, Harry plays the role of a vigilante, and that doesn’t really suit him. Also, Eleanor deserved a better ending: She is shot and killed in a simple mugging attempt, instead of, as in the TV show, being killed for revenge.
Back in L.A. things start getting better until a very rushed ending that’s also told in a flashback – a curious decision on the author’s part.
Still, it’s a Bosch, and it was definitely more satisfying and interesting than “The Overlook”.
Four stars out of five.
