a couple recent audio "reads" I've enjoyed -
"The Black Echo" by Michael Connelly - though I've read most
of the subsequent Harry Bosch books, somehow I missed this
one the first time around. Really gripping and engaging - I'm
quite impressed by the way Bosch is a haunted loner and all
that, yet still seems to enjoy himself, get a kick out of his
job and women and life and playing games with the bosses. he
coexists with his demons, doesn't just brood over them. I
think the reason "A Darkness more than night" fell flat for
me is that the "outside" view of Bosch didn't let us see
enough of this side of him. McCaleb seems too humorless to
"get" Bosch anyway. A few quibbles with the book - there's a
very cartoony subplot about Deputy Chief Irving and a couple
of bumbling IAD officers that really isn't worthy of the rest
of the book; fortunately Irving shows up in later books as a
much more nuanced and ambiguous character and IAD officer
Chastaine is a much more compelling nemesis. There's also
quite a bit of redundancy and overexplaining of rather
obvious plot points, which looks more like bad first-book
editing than a weakness on the author's part. But overall
great plotting, compelling characters, and an interesting
twist on the Vietnam veteran angle, where Connelly's
journalistic training shows.
after the Connelly, i started on Ed McBain's "Cop Hater," the
first 87th precinct book. i've read a few later entries in
the series but I'm really enjoying the freshness of the first
encounter with the characters. This book was written in 1956
and I was expecting it to feel quite dated; of course there
are some details that date the story but what strikes me most
overall is how contemporary it feels. mcbain has a gift for
dialogue as well as for juicy metaphors, part of a
distinctive and recognizable style but certainly not
cliched.
carrie
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