“There was always a baby at his mother’s breast. And, sometimes, a baby
alone in a dumpster. Somewhere.” (p. 114)
When it comes to crime fiction, in my mind, there is no author that can compare to Michael Connelly. And when it comes to main characters in crime novels, in my mind, there none more cut-out for being a crime novel hero than Hieronymus ‘Harry’ Bosch. In Harry Bosch, Connelly has created the almost perfect protagonist. A flawed man, Harry is utterly successful, if not always as a cop, then at least in the joy he provides for the reader.
And so it is with THE BLACK ICE. THE BLACK ICE is just one of the many novels featuring Bosch as its main character, and it is perhaps not even the most entertaining of them all, yet it is entertaining enough, if for no other reason, then for the fact that it features Bosch. It is set in a world filled with violence, drugs, failed relationships, distrust and the like, yet as usual, despite the dark nature of this work, there is always an amount of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. It is always enjoyable to read works of a cross border nature. THE BLACK ICE is such a work. It reminded me of a Western novel in many ways, perhaps a Morgan Kane adventure. On the one hand, there is L.A. And then there is Mexico. It speaks a different language, and the people are unpredictable, and they don’t always like Americans. And this makes for lots of leisure reading pleasure. In fact, THE BLACK ICE is perhaps nothing but a modern day Western. There are the good guys, the baddies, and a whole lot to munch on as they vie for victory.
In THE BLACK ICE, Bosch typically runs into trouble with his own department. Being Bosch, one has to cause many many troubles for oneself, in order to solve the greatest of them all. While trying to solve cases, and being under pressure to do so at lightning fast pace, Bosch sets of to Mexico, disobeying orders along the way and causing a great general stir, landing himself in great trouble, all this while continuously confronting his own demons along the way. Perhaps this story takes a while to get going. This was my impression, and this is a-typical of Connelly’s works. Often times, these novels are edge of the seat stuff from the word go. Yet despite this particular novel struggling to really ‘get going’, Connelly still is able to hold one’s attention.
There were some memorable moments in THE BLACK ICE. Having read most of Connelly’s works, THE BLACK ICE certainly does not rank number one in my mind when compared to his other works. Yet it is certainly worth the read. For fans of the ‘Bosch’ character THE BLACK ICE is of course a must read and those unfamiliar with Connelly’s works might also be hooked after putting this one down.
Action. Adventure. Bosch. Enough said.
When it comes to crime fiction, in my mind, there is no author that can compare to Michael Connelly. And when it comes to main characters in crime novels, in my mind, there none more cut-out for being a crime novel hero than Hieronymus ‘Harry’ Bosch. In Harry Bosch, Connelly has created the almost perfect protagonist. A flawed man, Harry is utterly successful, if not always as a cop, then at least in the joy he provides for the reader.
And so it is with THE BLACK ICE. THE BLACK ICE is just one of the many novels featuring Bosch as its main character, and it is perhaps not even the most entertaining of them all, yet it is entertaining enough, if for no other reason, then for the fact that it features Bosch. It is set in a world filled with violence, drugs, failed relationships, distrust and the like, yet as usual, despite the dark nature of this work, there is always an amount of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. It is always enjoyable to read works of a cross border nature. THE BLACK ICE is such a work. It reminded me of a Western novel in many ways, perhaps a Morgan Kane adventure. On the one hand, there is L.A. And then there is Mexico. It speaks a different language, and the people are unpredictable, and they don’t always like Americans. And this makes for lots of leisure reading pleasure. In fact, THE BLACK ICE is perhaps nothing but a modern day Western. There are the good guys, the baddies, and a whole lot to munch on as they vie for victory.
In THE BLACK ICE, Bosch typically runs into trouble with his own department. Being Bosch, one has to cause many many troubles for oneself, in order to solve the greatest of them all. While trying to solve cases, and being under pressure to do so at lightning fast pace, Bosch sets of to Mexico, disobeying orders along the way and causing a great general stir, landing himself in great trouble, all this while continuously confronting his own demons along the way. Perhaps this story takes a while to get going. This was my impression, and this is a-typical of Connelly’s works. Often times, these novels are edge of the seat stuff from the word go. Yet despite this particular novel struggling to really ‘get going’, Connelly still is able to hold one’s attention.
There were some memorable moments in THE BLACK ICE. Having read most of Connelly’s works, THE BLACK ICE certainly does not rank number one in my mind when compared to his other works. Yet it is certainly worth the read. For fans of the ‘Bosch’ character THE BLACK ICE is of course a must read and those unfamiliar with Connelly’s works might also be hooked after putting this one down.
Action. Adventure. Bosch. Enough said.
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