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The Black Echo

by Michael Connelly — 27 Aug 2024

LA detective and Vietnam vet Harry Bosch is called in to examine a body found in a drainage tunnel, but the case hits closer to home when he recognises the body as an old comrade

The first of the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. Harry is a grizzled old detective and former Vietnam vet who has worked clearing the notorious tunnels of the Viet Cong. A case gone awry has him demoted and IA on his tail, waiting for one more misstep.

He is called in on a murder case involving a fellow vet, another tunnel expert like him. Harry connects the death to a series of unsolved bank robberies, all done through tunnels. He ropes in the FBI, but they are reluctant to work with him, initially. But the lead detective, Eleanor Wish, works with him and connects the robberies to a pair of corrupt Vietnamese police chiefs now living in the USA.

How Bosch unravels the whole scheme and identifies the perpetrators forms the remainder of the book, complete with a surprise towards the ending.

This is a classic noir police procedural; Bosch is a cynical detective, who is straight as an arrow, but accepts that the world around him isn’t perfect. His reasoning and deductive skills are top notch, and he draws upon his vast experience, both in the police as well as the army to solve the crimes.

Good reading, and also a TV series from what I hear. I will perhaps read a book or two more before I start watching. Definitely worth reading.