like Void Moon, CHASING THE DIME, Connelly's third stand
alone thriller is based on a marketable hook: a man who
becomes obsessed with a woman he's never met. a standard
theme in noir fiction, the author brings it into the present
day with a high tech veneer and a non-pro protagonist. but
while the hero's lack of skills lends itself to a modicum of
thriller infused jeopardy, it also undermines the credibility
of the plot, especially since Connelly doesn't seem to invest
the same level of emotional conviction that he bestows on The
Poet's Jack McEvoy or Blood Work's Terry McCaleb, and
certainly not his beloved Harry Bosch. the result is a mostly
forgettable work, one that might have floundered the career
of a fledgeling or even mid-list level author. but when
you've reached the level where your name alone allows you to
debut a book #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, you
can release a book with the most cynical title on a work of
crime fiction since Charles Willeford's NEW HOPE FOR THE
DEAD
no one can fault an author for cashing in when they've
discovered the goose that lays the golden eggs. many big
names in publishing it seems are driven by that holy grail
rather than any interior muse or demons. others may start off
in artistic fervor, but find that success and the
distractions that come with it have distanced them from the
passion and hunger that set them on their path. sandwiched
between 2 uninspired but commercial thrillers, the
concept-rich McCaleb/Bosch disappointment A Darkness More
Than Night could even be seen as more akin to the works that
bookend it, rather than the earlier, deeply inhabited series
that gave it birth
perhaps sensing the comfortable trap going up around him
Connelly returned to his bread and butter. CITY OF BONES is a
vintage Bosch outing, with the detective solving a 20 year
old murder, discovered when a dog digs up a shallow grave.
tired and burned out, the case reminds Bosch where he came
from and who he is. and similarly, the book reads like a
visit from a long lost friend, bringing back everything you
always loved about your mutual past. but the author wasn't
content to just push his old, familiar buttons or walk the
same streets he'd come to know so well. at the end of the
book, on the spur of the moment...
SPOILER ALERT
X X X X X
-- Bosch resigns from the L.A.P.D, taking a box of long dead
cases with him.
things would be different from here on
the same was true for Michael Connelly. proving he wasn't
content in the comfortable place his career had taken him,
the author literally followed his creation out the door,
moving from Los Angeles to Tampa, Florida. things would be
different for him as well
TO BE CONTINUED
John Lau
************** It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on
AOL Money
& Finance.
(http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 06 Mar 2008 EST