Find the cesium by solving a murder - Rated 
A radiotherapist is shot to death on an overlook near his home. It looks like another "ordinary" homicide until it is discovered that right before his death he stole 26 ampoules of radioactive cesium from one of the hospitals where he worked. The cesium would be exchanged against his wife, who is kidnapped. All lights start flashing at the FBI, especially when a witness thinks he might have heard someone calling "Allah" at the moment of the shot. Harry Bosch is not only up against a murderer, but also against special terrorism units from both the FBI and his own LAPD. His mission is to find that killer, which he is sure will lead to the cesium, the mission of the terrorism units is to find the cesium, forget about the killer. In the end both are a little bit right and the solution is much more mundane, but also more sad, than one would initially expect.
Another one in the Harry Bosch series with Harry having yet another partner, but teaming up with the FBI agent Rachel Walling that we already met in previous books. Not the most nerve-wracking book of the series, but a solid piece of detective writing again.
It'll keep me going for a Bosch fix, but not to his usual standard - Rated 
I'm a huge Connelly fan, and was delighted that this was released in paperback in time for me to bring it on holiday. I read it within 24 hours, and it was fine - but fine isn't what I expect of Michael Connelly. I was glad to get the Harry Bosch fix, but this was really easy to figure out, and for once didn't have me on the edge of my seat (or sun lounger). The only thing worth remembering from this book is that Bosch is older - in my mind he seems a lot older than in the last book...
Well, for the die-hards, you've probably bought it already - for those who have heard wonderful things about Connelly - don't buy this book unless you're very stuck! And try to start with the first ones he wrote!
Rip off for the price - Rated 
I love HB and some of MC's other novels esp The Poet.
Like other fan reviewers here and elsewhere I can only add my disapointment and feeling of being ripped off. I didn't know there was a new HB book out until a week ago so I spent a voucher to get this. At the time I thought hmm this is a bit short on pages and the font's a bit larger than usual. No hardback - just this halfway house format. Nor could I believe the price. Halfway between pback and hback. A tinge of feeling of being ripped off came back to me. If I had not got the voucher I think I would have waited - maybe to get it from the library or buy it from Amazon's MP.
Well, I have read it now and while it's been fun this rip off feeling came back again. It's a bit like modern PC games such as CoD IV, all over too soon.
Worse, it is the first MC HB tale I have guessed the ending way ahead. It's a clever ruse but highly unbelievable.
On the upside there's some more fill in stuff about HB's Vietnam era and his family life. But all told it's a shade too cynical and I expected better of this distinguished author and his publisher.
Please Mike don't do this to us again. We can only look forward to the next genuine HB novel as I sure there will be more.
Better than most recent efforts but not the Bosch we love - Rated
Michael Connelly used to write intricately detailed crime novels. But these days he seems to be producing paint by numbers thrillers. That is not to say his books are not very readable, they are just not the experience they used to be.
Take for instance Bosch: Connelly's defining character. Bosch used to be soulful and driven in a way that leapt off the page - with his deliberation and dilemma of life appealing to the reader as much as the intricate weaving of plot. But these days Bosch starts at the beginning and heads straight for the finish line, hitting key markers along the way, but not giving us what we have previously come to love as a Bosch novel - we don't get soulful.
Here Bosch freshly reinstated to homicide gets an eagerly anticipated call in the middle of the night. Which seems to be about a bunch of Islamic terrorists stealing radioactive material with which to fuel a war on terror. And onwards Bosch goes relentlessly chasing down the murder at the investigations core while local FBI, media and bureaucracy tarry at the coalface of terror.
Which is the welcome angle to this novel as Connelly takes a rare opportunity to turn Americana in on itself. Revealing the frustration many Americans now have with being fed sound bytes in the name of war. But that is where the appeal ends I am afraid. For an author that is generally considered to have written the best opening sentence to any crime novel - ever (The Poet) this is entertaining, but a longways short of what we were used to.
What a let down - Rated 
I am so pleased this was a library book and not one we had paid good money for. I loved the Lincoln Lawyer, it was superb are as the previous Harry books. This was a sorry excuse for a Harry book and I am not surprised to see it started life as a serial. Come on Michael, get back in gear and let us have another good Harry book or go off at another tangent - you are a great story teller.
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