Lost Light by Michael Connelly

Published in 2003, Lost Light by Michael Connelly is the 9th Harry Bosch novel in an outstanding series set in Los Angeles that shows no signs of diminishing returns at all. In fact they’re getting better…

What’s new about Lost Light is that Harry retired from the LAPD at the end of City of Bones, disillusioned with the hypocrisy in the department. Harry is a driven man and was a good but maverick cop always bucking against the pen-pushing system. He’s single again but still shines a light for his ex who’s now in Vegas, and at 52 retirement doesn’t suit him.

But as you might expect, once a cop, always a cop, or rather detective in Harry’s case, and he took a file with him when he left. A film production assistant was murdered four years earlier days before a daring $2 million robbery on set – Harry was there investigating her murder when the robbery happens, but neither case was solved. Now the LAPD thinks the money is financing terrorists based in Mexico. – Yep, you’ve guessed it, this is Connelly’s post 9/11 novel. Harry walks into this tangled web involving the LAPD, FBI, and counter-terrorist units, but despite being warned off he can’t rest until he finds the killer.

Connelly’s novels are immaculately plotted and paced, contrasting the grim underbelly of the LA suburbs against the City of Angels’ more glamorous façade. You get good cops, bad cops, and every shade of grey in between and the twists and turns keep on coming. These books are grippingly written and brilliant page-turners with fantastic characters. Michael Connelly is my absolute favourite crime writer, and what’s more, I’ve got another five of his on the shelf to look forward to, but I’ve been limiting myself to just 1 or 2 per year.

The first Michael Connelly book I read was The Poet in about 1996. This wasn’t a Harry Bosch novel, but was then a standalone serial killer thriller of dazzling virtuosity involving police suicides and links to Edgar Allan Poe. I soon after discovered his back catalogue and met Harry Bosch, who by then had already appeared in four volumes. Since then I’ve looked forward to each new novel collecting them in hardback – although I now have that tempting backlog to read… I think Connelly-rationing is off!

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Source: Own copy. To explore further on Amazon UK, please click below:
Lost Light by Michael Connelly, Orion paperback.

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