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The Last Coyote (Harry Bosch #4)

by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 15,978 ratings · 516 reviews

Harry Bosch's life is on the edge. His earthquake-damaged home has been condemned. His girlfriend has left him. He's drinking too much. And after attacking his commanding officer, he's even had to turn in his L.A.P.D. detective's badge. Now, suspended indefinitely pending a psychiatric evaluation, he's spending his time investigating an unsolved crime from 1961: the brutal...more

Paperback, 400 pages

Published October 6th 1997 by Orion (first published 1995)

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Aug 24, 2011 Jane Stewart rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery

This was really good. It was hard to stop reading. Bosch did many smart things that surprised me, things I did not expect.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Early in the book Harry said “I want (pause) I’m going to find her killer.” (My thoughts were yes you will. Not many people could say that but you can. You are so smart at solving crimes – I’ve seen him in action in three previous books.) It was hard for me to imagine how anyone could solve something so old. It was fascinating to watch what Bosch did to unc...more

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Nov 29, 2008 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense

For fans of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series, this book is the must-read prequel, of sorts, that explains the central character's general angst and anger. In The Last Coyote, Connelly does a credible job in terms of plot and character, and he sustains suspense well enough to keep me up past my bedtime. The mood is dark, but the book is never boring, and there's a little intrigue at the end that should bring real Bosch fans for the next installment. All-in-all, this particular specimen of my...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Kurt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quick - start thinking of every tired trope that comes to mind when you think of generic cop stories. It's OK, I'll wait.

Your list probably included, "Author uses macho cop's mandatory therapy sessions as an excuse for character development," and, "Renegade cop gets his badge taken away, so he has to go rogue to catch the killer." Those two overdone stories come together to make this novel, so it should feel derivative and lifeless, right? Yet somehow, Connelly rises above the expectations of t...more Quick - start thinking of every tired trope that comes to mind when you think of generic cop stories. It's OK, I'll wait.

Your list probably included, "Author uses macho cop's mandatory therapy sessions as an excuse for character development," and, "Renegade cop gets his badge taken away, so he has to go rogue to catch the killer." Those two overdone stories come together to make this novel, so it should feel derivative and lifeless, right? Yet somehow, Connelly rises above the expectations of the genre and tells a compelling story that is the best in the series so far.

I think the reason I respond so well to this book is that it's the fourth in the series. After loving the Lincoln Lawyer novels, I've started Connelly's Harry Bosch novels from the beginning, so I know how the protagonist got to this episode in his life, but not where he goes from here. Connelly writes each book both for new readers and for devoted fans, though: a new character sees Bosch's scars from a gunshot wound, and those of us who read The Black Echo know what they mean, but a new reader can easily grasp the most important details of how they matter to the scene in this book. Another new character appears and mentions that she's a replacement for someone who had a similar job - again, we know what happened to her predecessor in the last book, so we have a richer picture of how Bosch sees this woman, but a new reader doesn't need that distraction, so Connelly keeps the story moving along briskly. Most importantly, for three books, we have read about Bosch's pain from his mother's long-abandoned unsolved murder, so we know how significant it is that Bosch finally gets to pursue this personal justice he needs, but any reader will understand the most important emotions and motivations here. Connelly's mastery of telling a small story within a larger story is astounding, and I love him for it.

This book itself involves Bosch, a homicide detective in LA, twiddling his thumbs on stress leave after a physical confrontation with the irritating supervisor who has tormented him for three books, so he begins investigating his mother's cold case. We see Los Angeles as a grimy and dangerous character of its own, as this book begins shortly after a devastating earthquake that leaves physical and mental damage for nearly everyone in the tale (Connelly's experience as a Los Angeles crime beat reporter enriches this aspect of the book, as it does every book he sets in the City of Angels). The mystery is engaging, with plenty of rational scenery changes and some good red herrings, a level of violence appropriate for the genre (with a hero who avoids the trap of protagonist invulnerability - we know that he won't actually die, since he's got to be around to star in more books later in the series, but he tends to take some wounds and carry scars from one novel to the next, so we never need to get bored thinking he's safe from real danger), and plenty of wit along the way. Connelly even plays with genre expectations here, though, as a very funny and juvenile running gag turns around for a stomach-dropping tragedy to kick the novel's final act into gear.

Which brings us back to the beginning of the review, with the two tired tropes. They work so well here for longtime readers because Connelly has laid the right groundwork. He isn't going with the "rogue cop" story because the genre requires it from time to time - he's doing it because we've had three books of Bosch fighting within the system to get justice for others, so the only way for him to get justice for himself is to go one step further and work outside the system entirely. We've had three books of seeing Bosch's nightmares and lonely nights with a jazz album and a pack of cigarettes, Bosch's inability to talk about the things that matter most with his inquiring romantic interests, Bosch's stumbling half-step questions about his mother - so the only way to draw him out as a character is to put him in a therapist's office with someone who's going to ask him hard questions and make him give himself permission to open those long-closed doors. Yes, the tropes are tired - when they're used as cheap shortcuts to something better. But here, Connelly is going to them because nothing else has worked for his protagonist, and if they're tired, at least they're effective, and Connelly knows exactly how to make that work.

Yes, this novel is a crime thriller, an airport paperback that you will probably read over the course of a couple of days and then never open again. It's not The Great American Novel. But as an example of what the genre can be in the hands of a truly capable storyteller, it is absolutely worth a read, either as your fourth Harry Bosch novel or as your first.(less)

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Mar 09, 2013 Bilge Kaan Kaya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harry-bosch, detective, mystery, favorites

"Geçmiş elimizde kalan bir sopa gibidir.Kendimizi onunla ne kadar döversek o kadar çok yaralanırız"

Michael Connelly bu kitap ile beraber hem ustalığının zirvesine ulaşmış hemde polisiye edebiyatındaki en unutulmaz kitaplardan birini yazmıştır.Bir kitabın her yönü mükemmel olurmu ? Evet olur.Hemde nasıl.Herşeyden önce kitap sadece bir polisiye kitabı değil.Ana konu Harry Bosch'un annesinin cinayetini çözmeye çalışması olsada hikaye sadece polisiye unsurlar üzerine kurulu değil.Polisiye kurgunun a...more "Geçmiş elimizde kalan bir sopa gibidir.Kendimizi onunla ne kadar döversek o kadar çok yaralanırız"

Michael Connelly bu kitap ile beraber hem ustalığının zirvesine ulaşmış hemde polisiye edebiyatındaki en unutulmaz kitaplardan birini yazmıştır.Bir kitabın her yönü mükemmel olurmu ? Evet olur.Hemde nasıl.Herşeyden önce kitap sadece bir polisiye kitabı değil.Ana konu Harry Bosch'un annesinin cinayetini çözmeye çalışması olsada hikaye sadece polisiye unsurlar üzerine kurulu değil.Polisiye kurgunun arka planında Harry Bosch'un yaşadığı psikolojik bunalım kesinlikle çok iyi anlatılmış.Hatta okurken sıkılma ihtimaliniz bile var ama kitap sıkıcı olduğu için değil Harry Bosch'un yaşadığı bunalım çok iyi anlatıldığı için.(Günümüzdeki pek çok polisiye kitaptaki alkolik sorunlu dedektif klişesininde popülerleşmesine yardımcı olan kitaptır aynı zamanda)

Bu sorunlu dedektif olayı pek çok kitapta işlendi ama içlerinden herhangi birisi Michael Connelly'nin Son Çakal'ındaki gibi etkileyici anlatıldımı merak konusudur ayrıca.Tekrar kitaba dönece olursak heyecanlı bir anlatımın yanında konudanda anlaşılacağı üzere bizi dramatikde bir hikaye bekliyor.Harry neredeyse 30-40 yıl öncesinin delilleri ile umutsuzca katili bulmayı planlarken bir yandanda Tünel Farelerinden alışık olduğumuz geri dönüşleri yaşıyor.Tünel Farelerinde Harry'nin Vietnam Savaşı yıllarında yaşadıklarını görürken bu sefer kahramanımızın yetimhane yıllarını görüyoruz.Hemde oldukça etkileyici bir anlatım ile.Büyük ihtimalle Harry'nin yaşadıklarına üzülüp ciddi bir biçimde kitabın etkisinde kalabalirsiniz.

Yetimhane yılları anlatılırken bir yandanda Harry'nin o önüne geçilemez adalet duygusunun nasıl geliştiğine tanık oluyoruz kitapta.Yetimhanedeki büyük çocukların Harry'nin ayakkabılarını çalması ile Harry'ninde gidip kendinden küçük başka bir çocuğun ayakkabısını çalınca Harry herşeyin farkına varıyor aslınada.Güçlünün adaleti nasıl etkileyebildiğini anlıyor...Annesinin ölümü ile Harry deyim yerindeyse ömrünün geri kalanını dağıtabildiği kadar adalet dağıtmak harcayacaktı...

Harry'nin etkileyici hikayesi yanında tabikide heyecan verici bir polisiye kurgusuda var hemde Connelly'nin Şair ile beraber kurduğu en güzel kurgudur belkide.Connelly kurgudaki ustalığını kullanıp adım adım ördüğü olaylar,birbiri ardına attığı düğümleri kitabın finalinde öylesine çarpıcı bir şekilde çözümlüyorki okuyucu hayatındaki en büyük Göt oluş deneyimlerinden birini yaşıyor ne yazıkki.Götlüğün etkisi altından çıktığınız zaman ise "iyiki okumuşum lan" gibi bir duygu ile kalkıp Connelly'nin diğer kitaplarına saldırıyorsunuz.Bu benim okuduğum ilk Connelly kitabıydı ama son olmadı olmayacakta.Aslında açlık oyunlarını almak için gittiğim D&R'da tavandan su akdığı için kitapların olduğu rafın ortasındaki yola kocaman bir leğen koymuşlardı.(Bildiğin pembe kirli bi leğen işte aynı evin tuvaletindekinden işte).D&R'da arkada çalan o marjinal kesime hitap eden (aslında kimsenin bir bok anlamadığı" jazz müzik çalarken ortada bizim tuvaletteki leğenin aynısından görmenin vermiş olduğu şaşkınlığı attıktan sonra leğenin üstünden atlamaya cesaret edemedim ve öylesine bu kitabı alıp geldim.Şimdi düşünüyorumde o leğeni oraya iyiki koymuşlar lan en azından dünyanın en iyi polisiye serilerinden birini okumaya başlamış oldum.Teşekkürler pembe ve boklu leğen...(Bilge ile Leğen'in dostluğu çok yakında...)

Kesinlikle kusursuz bir kitap okuyun.Kitap sırf Harry Bosch'u sorgulamaya kalkan çömez dedektiflere Harry'nin sorgu odasında attığı dayak ile verdiği ibret ötesi ayar için bile okunur...(less)

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Mar 26, 2013 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had never read anything by Michael Connelly before, but several of my friends are big fans. This book became available as a free download, so I decided to try it. Some reviewers expressed disappointment over this part of the Harry Bosch series, but I found it to be a great introduction to a fascinating and complex character. Connelly portrays the detective's personal struggle and moral quandaries beautifully. While not a fast-paced thriller, it is a compelling tale drawing a very human protago...more

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Apr 20, 2010 Joyce Lagow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Yet another outburst of violence has LA Homicide Detective Harry Bosch in trouble again� only this time, he shoved his superior, Lt. Pounds, and he is suspended from the force pending a psychiatric evaluation from the Department psychologist, Dr. Carmen Hinojos. Other aspects of Bosch� s life are just as bleak; an earthquake has rendered his home officially unlivable (although of course Bosch continues to live there), and Sylvia Moore, with whom he has had a year-long serious relationship, has l...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lately, I have returned to reading reading mysteries at night in bed on the theory that the pace and flow of this familiar style of fiction will lull me into sleep. Humph! Shouldn't have picked up this one! No rest for the wicked, not for those who insist on reading howling, twisty-turny tales after midnight!

Harry Bosch, the series protagonist, is a flawed but honorable police detective who has slammed flat-out into the wall of a mid-life crisis. After losing his temper and assaulting his infuri...more Lately, I have returned to reading reading mysteries at night in bed on the theory that the pace and flow of this familiar style of fiction will lull me into sleep. Humph! Shouldn't have picked up this one! No rest for the wicked, not for those who insist on reading howling, twisty-turny tales after midnight!

Harry Bosch, the series protagonist, is a flawed but honorable police detective who has slammed flat-out into the wall of a mid-life crisis. After losing his temper and assaulting his infuriating little bureaucrat of a lieutenant, he has been placed on an involuntary leave of indeterminate length. To regain his job, his lifeline, he must suffer the supposed indignity of seeing a therapist, who holds his future in her hands. As he wrestles with her, and with himself and his dreams & demons, he encounters himself and it unbalances him.

What does the anxious, pacing, prowling old coyote, Harry, decide to do to regain his equilibrium during his recovery time? Reopen the 30-year-old, unsolved murder of a prostitute, his own mother, Marjorie Lowe. Though the case is cold, the stakes are high for those with something to hide. Bosch travels from LA to Florida on the trail of the truth, a truth he may not want to know. In the process he learns who he can and cannot trust within the department, and what he can trust within himself. And he faces a choice to trust or to turn away from a woman who may be as messed up as he is.

I found this book to be soothing - in that the character of Bosch was consistent and authentic - and exasperating - because each time that I was certain I had the whole plot figured out, it took a turn, sometimes a wildly unlikely turn, and sometimes a dull, bogged down, romance-that-explains-his-damaged-psyche let's-get-this-over-with sort of turn.

Let us just say that the howl of this coyote kept me reading through the night. The light of dawn finally brought blessed, satisfied silence as I finished the book, and dozed off at last, wearing a contented little smile.(less)

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Dec 01, 2012 Harry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-mystery, favorites

Time saver tip: if you've read my review of any Harry Bosch book, you've read 'em all. Since I don't reveal plots and reserve my comments to the overall book/author, characterization, style, etc...I just don't feel the need to repeat myself as in most cases series books if any good at all do remain consistent. The star ratings might change, but not my opinion of the series as a whole.

Michael Connelly is a well know and very popular author in the mystery/detective and police procedural genres. E...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Guillaume Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Harry Bosch file un mauvais coton :
- il est célibataire, et s'en remet difficilement
- sa maison a été endommagé par un tremblement de terre et la mairie veut la faire détruire, et il la répare (et y vit) en cachette en attendant un éventuel recours légal
- et pour couronner le tout, suite à un léger différent de technique d'interrogatoire, il a fait passer son supérieur a travers la paroi vitrée de son bureau.
Du coup, il est suspendu du LAPD, sa réintégration dépendant du résultat de ses séances...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Edward Shurley rated it 5 of 5 stars

I became a Michael Connelly fan during a John Grisham/Michael Crichton lull in the mid 90's and now, he is probably may favorite author. I've read everything from about '96 on and now going back to read the books from BC (Before Connelly)

The Last Coyote is another Harry Bosch novel. Bosch is hard-boiled LA Homicide detective who once again has fallen afoul of the LAPD status quo - punching his lieutenant and now psychological counseling is his ticket back to the beat. Bosch, whose mantra - "Ever...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Srednivashtar rated it 3 of 5 stars

Definitely don't make this your first Connelly nor especially your first Harry Bosch series read. While I enjoyed having the history of this character fleshed out more expansively in this novel (after probably having read a sizable portion of the series already), the plot felt as if it was labouring along and at times chasing its tail. I was pretty disappointed because this story has been a huge missing piece for devoted Harry Bosch fans. The ending was decently satisfying, but far less so than...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Todd rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

Really it's a 3.5, though not quite high enough to warrant 4 stars. This book has some great twists and turns, which is something I've discovered Michael Connelly does very well in his books. You think you've got it all figured out, then there is a twist to the story and it turns down a path you never expected, the sign of a good crime novel writer.

This book explores some of Bosch's past in that the case involves the death of his mother, but also explores some of who Bosch is as a person. It's a...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Adrienne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries-la

Harry's life is a mess. His house has been condemned because of earthquake damage. His girlfriend has left him. He's drinking too much. And he's even had to turn in his badge: he attacked his commanding officer and is suspended indefinitely pending a psychiatric evaluation.

At first Bosch, resists the LAPD shrink, but finally he recognizes that something is troubling him, a force that may have shaped his entire life. In 1961, when Harry was eleven, his mother was brutally murdered. No one was eve...more

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May 13, 2011 Tony Gleeson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Detective Harry Bosch finds himself suspended from duty after he gives his immediate superior a bit of a beat down. It's right after the big Los Angeles earthquake and his home in the Hollywood hills has been condemned, so he has to surreptitiously live in it while avoiding inspectors who want to oust him. All in a day's work for one of the most damaged and haunted protagonists in contemporary American crime fiction. He utilizes the time to reopen the decades-old cold case of the murder of his o...more

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Apr 10, 2011 Sidna Bookout rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is #4 in Connelly's series about Police Detective Harry Bosch. I'm crazy about Connelly's writing and about Harry Bosch. In this book Harry solves a 30-year-old unsolved case, the murder of his mother. Harry's mother was a prostitute. He was taken away from her when he was about 11. She was trying to get him back when she was killed. He was passed from one institution and foster home to another until he was an adult. He served in Viet Nam before he became a police officer.

He's a loner and i...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, e-book, from-the-library, mystery, read-2010

This book tries to deal with a character that has, in three previous books, stacked trauma upon trauma onto an already difficult and traumatic life. We see Bosch again formally diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and, now, after an attack upon a commanding officer, forced into "involuntary stress leave" and sent to twice-weekly counseling sessions.

Now: the situation is absolutely ripe for this kind of story. In the first book, Bosch is thrown back into memories of Vietnam through the i...more This book tries to deal with a character that has, in three previous books, stacked trauma upon trauma onto an already difficult and traumatic life. We see Bosch again formally diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and, now, after an attack upon a commanding officer, forced into "involuntary stress leave" and sent to twice-weekly counseling sessions.

Now: the situation is absolutely ripe for this kind of story. In the first book, Bosch is thrown back into memories of Vietnam through the investigation of the death of a fellow tunnel rat. To pile on: in the same book he falls in love with and ultimately has to send to prison an FBI agent; he's under investigation by Internal Affairs for his role in killing a man; and he's tangentially the reason for the death of two fellow police officers. In The Black Ice, the stakes raise again: Bosch kills a police officer AND THEN falls in love with his wife. In The Concrete Blonde, not only is he on trial for the shooting of a serial killer, but as doubts are raised in that case, he's proven somewhat wrong (a real shake to a guy's ego); he has to sit in court while his mother's life (as a prostitute) and death (murdered, unsolved) are discussed in full public view; and someone he trusts ends up being a serial killer who tries to kill Bosch and does torture and kill someone Bosch admired. Oh, and his girlfriend – the cop’s wife – breaks up with him.
So when you hit book four, there absolutely NEEDS to be a break down. Bravo to Connelly for bringing one in. Off-screen, just before the action starts here, Bosch fought with his somewhat-despicable commanding officer and ended up putting the guy’s head through his glass office wall. Now suspended while he’s in counseling, what does the guy do? He decides to make things more interesting (true to character) by finally taking up the case of his mother’s murder.
In most books, I think this would be handled more tritely. The guy would get the case, he’d solve it, he’d feel some relief, and he’d go back to duty. Not so here: He does, finally, get an answer, but it makes everything worse. Though he does have his job offered back to him, we leave the book not sure that he will return – and not sure that he should. That’s good.
What’s not good is the actual portrayal of Harry’s counseling sessions and his coming to terms with his own stress and trauma. I just don’t buy it, when Bosch suddenly realizes he needs help. The intensity of his emotions is somehow… lacking. Which is only strange because Connelly can spend a paragraph describing how Bosch feels about rookies, or IAD folks. But he – the writer, not the character – backs away from really digging into Bosch’s soul here, preferring just to tell us that’s what’s happening. It’s easier that way, and it makes the book move, but it’s less believable.
Of course there’s no one right path to counsel, or be counseled. This psychological resolution just didn’t feel particularly genuine, next to the absolutely genuine stress and acting-out that the character displays.
Oh, and the mystery? It seemed somewhat obvious from the start, but it was fun to watch Bosch try to put everything together (though the Las Vegas scene seemed unnecessary).(less)

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Aug 21, 2009 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars

Michael Connelly- The Last Coyote (Little, Brown and Company 2007) 3.75 Stars

Harry Bosch is on suspension for assaulting his Lieutenant and is in mandatory counselling sessions. Not one to sit still he has decided to do something he should have done long ago, look into his mother’s murder. Things spiral out of control quickly as he unearths secrets long forgotten.

This book has a really slow beginning that I wish Connelly had found a way to avoid. When the action started happening though, it real...more

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Aug 18, 2009 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars

OK, I'm not going to say this book didn't have it's moments. There were times on the subway that I was whipping through chapters, trying to get to the next plot point before work. But a taut thriller this most certainly is not. The main character, LAPD detective "Bosch" (hero of several other books, evidently) embodies just about every cliche from the thousand other movies/books/plays that revolve around a do-gooding cop constantly breaking the rules and fighting authority. Michael Connelly has...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Cathy DuPont rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Number four in the Harry Bosch series and I feel that I have read many more than four of the series. Must be the fact that I’ve read all of the Mickey Haller series where Harry (we’re on a first name basis now) plays a role in the books, sometimes bigger than 'walk-ons.’

I simply love Michael Connelly’s skillful writing. He writes with the reader in mind with descriptive, flowing sentences. Great characters described so well that you can vision them in your mind’s eye and scenery that takes you...more Number four in the Harry Bosch series and I feel that I have read many more than four of the series. Must be the fact that I’ve read all of the Mickey Haller series where Harry (we’re on a first name basis now) plays a role in the books, sometimes bigger than 'walk-ons.’

I simply love Michael Connelly’s skillful writing. He writes with the reader in mind with descriptive, flowing sentences. Great characters described so well that you can vision them in your mind’s eye and scenery that takes you there.

Some professional reviewers have likened Connelly’s writing to noir but I disagree. His writing is in a league of his own and I’ve read enough noir to compare them.

To me, thus far, Harry has been an enigma and not very likable, to me, anyhow. Until now that is with the reading of this book. He’s been brash, arrogant, impetuous, self-absorbing and insensitive. My perception of Harry now, due to this book, has changed dramatically. I’ve seen a person who is indeed, very sensitive underneath and who is actively trying to become a better person. He wants to do the right thing in spite of everything flowing in and out and around him.

The book opens with his world falling to pieces and his denial of it all; his home is due to be demolished because of the earthquake and he continues working on it; he’s on involuntary stress leave from the LAPD because he threw his boss into a plate glass window (his boss lived with minor scratches); his long time (for him) girlfriend left him because she (he says) found out who he is; and lastly, he’s drinking too much. He’s tried to deny all of these events.

Because of the episode between Harry and his boss, he’s placed on involuntary stress leave and ordered to see the LAPD psychologist. At first he’s hesitant to interact with the psychologist who appears to be intuitive and willing to go the distance with him. She has the power to cut his career short or let it continue. She has his life in her hands and Harry’s not happy about that but is acutely aware of it. However, she’s skillful in drawing him out and he learns to respect her. He decides to look in the mirror and see the ‘real Harry.’

“Everybody counts or nobody counts” is his mantra, meaning victims regardless of who they are should receive equal treatment in an investigation of their murder. And number one on his list is his mother who was murdered 30+ years ago with an investigation which was hardly a blip by the department. He wonders why?

This begins Harry’s venture to find out what happened to his mother who was a prostitute when she was murdered. Everybody counts, even his prostitute mother. This quest relates closely to Harry’s introspection and his final revelations about himself.

The ending has numerous surprises which seem to go on and on. The ending brought this book from a solid four to a solid five stars for me, the best Harry Bosch yet.
(less)

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Jun 26, 2012 Carly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-noir, mystery, police-procedural

After being on the cusp of mental breakdown for years, Bosch has finally lost it. After comparatively minor provocation (but tangentially related to his mother), Bosch put his superior's head through a glass wall. Forced onto involuntary leave, he begins to look into the crime that has haunted him since childhood: his mother's murder. This excruciatingly painful and personal case leads Bosch into the darkness of the past and causes him to cross more lines than ever before. It's a powerful, agoni...more After being on the cusp of mental breakdown for years, Bosch has finally lost it. After comparatively minor provocation (but tangentially related to his mother), Bosch put his superior's head through a glass wall. Forced onto involuntary leave, he begins to look into the crime that has haunted him since childhood: his mother's murder. This excruciatingly painful and personal case leads Bosch into the darkness of the past and causes him to cross more lines than ever before. It's a powerful, agonizing, and gripping story, and I couldn't put it down until I reached the last page.

However, I was left with troubling doubts about the series. Maybe I read it is just that any book was bound to be a letdown after The Concrete Blonde. Much of the plot of Last Coyote centers around Bosch's explosive and unrestrained temper, but to me, this characterization seemed contradictory. Bosch seemed to always be burning with inner anger and pain, but always under tight control. His childhood memory of being pulled out of the swimming pool to be informed of his mother's death exemplified his general demeanour. Hearing the news, he dove deep into the dark waters, letting the depths swallow his screams and the water hide his tears. This is the guy who, in the last book, sat calmly, his face a mask, as he was accused of murder and scheming and called a monster. Bosch's previous actions made him seem someone who controlled and used his pent-up anger, releasing it in calculated bursts. But according to this story, he's had a "problem" with his "unrestrained temper" this whole time.

Isolation and loss are major themes of this story. However, this sudden isolation felt scripted and unnatural to me. The desertion of Bosch's love interest, Sylvia, is essentially unexplained--except it is thematically convenient. I feel Connelly has a pattern of treating women as plot devices rather than characters: in each book, a female character is introduced to provide reactions and explication in accordance to the story's theme. This female is then discarded between books, obviating any necessity of any female character development. One of the series' major themes is Bosch's repudiation of the way society treats outcasts and prostitutes. It is therefore rather ironic that Connelly exploits his female characters to develop these themes and disposes of them as soon as they are no longer useful.

I found Bosch a problematic protagonist in this book. He is definitely a rounded and empathetic antihero: deeply driven, with a problematic ethical code and a tendency to make terrible mistakes that have drastic consequences. This book adds new facets to his character by exploring the past he has repressed. But it hit me that he hasn't grown as a character; he's regressed. I'm tired of his apparent desire to alienate everyone around him and troubled and repulsed by his willingness to let ends justify means. This was a hard book to read, not least because so much of Bosch's pain, so much of his isolation, is due his own self-destructive behaviour. Tangentially, the way this book turned all the symbolism and metaphor into straightforward statements from a psychologist made the conclusions feel forced and superficial to me. I loved the relationship developing between Bosch and Irving, but I was irritated by Bosch's antagonism towards a man who has repeatedly stuck his neck out for Bosch. The two characters act as foils: while Bosch rampages towards his own goals and ignores the damage his actions inflict on others, Irving is the voice of practicality and law: a bureaucrat who cynically weighs the cost of his choices. Bosch repeatedly declares that his actions in pursuit of justice for the dead are "right," despite any illegality or cost to innocents. I was left with the sense that, despite grief at the consequence of his actions, Bosch would not rethink his path. It is not just that Bosch doesn't trust the system; he believes that the rules do not apply to him. Despite the opportunities this book provided for self-evaluation, I was left with an unsatisfying sense that Bosch was confirmed in his belief that he had the right to act as judge, jury, and executioner in the pursuit of his own ideal of justice. Perhaps as the series continues, he will begin to reconsider his actions, but I think I'll wait a bit to find out.(less)

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Jun 18, 2012 Lynn Pribus rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is #4 in the series. Since library didn't have this in audio, I read it in hard copy. So well done. His dialog is absolutely spot-on.

From previous books in the series, we know his mother was murdered when he was 11. He was already living in a foster home and his life didn't improve after her death.

Now he is suspended after clocking his superior and is required to attend counseling sessions with a dept. shrink -- a minority female who constantly challenges his behaviors, but with whom he gra...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Jeremy added it

Shelves: 11th-grade-advisory

After reading Michael Connelly's book" Reversal", I decided to read another book by this author because I enjoyed the last book. This book had a different character who was not a lawyer. Harry Bosch is an LAPD detective who is having a very bad time in his life. His house was damaged in an earthquake, and is now condemned, his girlfriend broke up with him, he had a fight with his commanding officer and now he had to give up his detective badge. Even though Harry was suspended, he can't give up p...more

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Dec 27, 2010 Dlora rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: murder-mystery, adventure-action

I really like Connelly's well-written, thoughtful, gritty detective novels. Harry Bosch is a particularly tough cop whose anger at his incompetent pencil-pusher department head lands him in suspension pending a psychiatrist's evaluation of his stability. And we agree he is not too stable or smart as he vindictively make some stupid choices to irritate his boss. While waiting to see if he is going to be fired or rehired, and sparked by the sessions with the department's shrink, he decides to solv...more

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May 11, 2013 Janebbooks rated it 5 of 5 stars

THE LAST COYOTE is my very favorite Harry Bosch story by Michael Connelly!

We learn in this fourth outing...that his damaged house on a hillside has been condemned and that the woman who was his mother was brutally slain in 1961...three decades earlier than the time of the novel. I had always been curious about a woman who named her son after the erratic, dark artist Hieronymous Bosch.....

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Nov 29, 2012 Guillaume Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Jan 17, 2012 Joe Stamber rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012, audio

The Last Coyote is the fourth outing for Michael Connelly's wonderful creation Harry Bosch. I've taken them in order, with 3 on audio CD and one in print. As with all audio books, the narrator makes all the difference. I may be wrong but I think the 3 I have listened to so far have all had the same narrator. Like Elliot Gould reading Raymond Chandler, the narrator here is right on the nail.

In the previous books, we've heard regular snippets about Harry's childhood; his hooker mum being murdered,...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

This installment of the Harry Bosch series isn't as breath-taking or pulse-pounding as the one that preceded it, but it's still high enough in quality that it warrants the 4th star. The only-- repeating that part: ONLY-- thing keeping this novel from being an improvement on The Concrete Blonde is a plot blunder right at the damn end of the book.

Don't keep reading if you don't want to know!

Spoilers herein...

Two plot points in particular made my jaw drop: the death of Pounds and the final realizat...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Nita rated it 5 of 5 stars

Love character Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch and this is one of the best. While on leave from work for stress, he investigates his mother's murder when he was 12. Here is the list of characters which will help as you read this great book:

Carmen Hinojos — Psychologist for the Los Angeles Police Department
Meredith Roman — Prostitute friend of Bosch's mother
Keisha Russell — Reporter for the Los Angeles Times
Lieutenant Harvey "Ninety-Eight" Pounds — Bosch's supervisor
Jerry Edgar — Bosch's partner
Irvin...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Wordsmith rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: topfavorites, police-procedural, part-of-series, thriller-intrigue, region-specific, star-five, death-violent, family-dysfunction, favorite-author, mystery, military, violence, have-reviewed, ranking-2012-reads-processing

Now we're in deep in the life of this man, an LAPD Detective, a lone wolf, renegade in a way, kind of cop whose definitely on a mission. Which is to pull the evil-doers off of his city's streets and send them packing straight where they belong, to a caged cell locked in the Slammer. That's Harry in a nutshell. In this book, for all kinds of reasons (petty inter-departmental jealousy, his ability to keep focused with both eyes dead on that prize, his tenacious self-righteous world views...) Harry...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Cindy Amrhein rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-read-to-me

As the song goes, "I'm just wild about Harry." This is the first of the Harry Bosch books I have read and it worked well as a stand alone, giving background here and there as Harry comes to grips with his issues. I like the fact that there are some things I don't like about him. A good flawed character which makes for entertaining reading.

He doesn't seem to know what to hold on to and what to let go of. He reveals he didn't go after his girlfriend when she left, yet he hold on to his house that...more

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About Michael Connelly

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teache...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with 18 more novels.
Connelly's books have been translated in 35 languages and have won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), and Premio Bancarella Award (Italy).
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael was one of the creators, writers, and consulting producers of Level 9, a TV show about a task force fighting cyber crime, that ran on UPN in the Fall of 2000.
Michael lives with his family in Florida.

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The Brass Verdict (Harry Bosch, #14; Mickey Haller, #2)

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“What is jealousy but a reflection of your own failures?” — 17 people liked it

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The Last Coyote (Harry Bosch #4)

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