book data
1184 ratings, 3.82 average rating, 58 reviews
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published
February 1st 2003
(first published 2002)
by Warner Books
binding
Mass Market Paperback, 448 pages
characters
literary awards
Barry Award for Best Novel (2003); Anthony Award for Best Novel (2003)
isbn
0446611611
(isbn13: 9780446611619)
description
Since his first appearance in 1992's Edgar-winning The Black Echo, Detective Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch has joined Dennis Lehane's Pat...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1461)
A South African mystery writer recently said this was the best crime book ever written. I have no way of verifying that, but it was very, very good. This novel seems to come in the middle of Michael Connelly's series featuring Los Angeles detective Harry Bosch. The title derives from the discovery at the outset of a set of boy's bones on a wooded hillside above a residential street, and the case resonates strongly with Bosch because of his own troubled childhood.
Through the twists and turns...more
Through the twists and turns...more
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Read in January, 2003
This is another excellent entry in the Hieronymous (Harry) Bosch detective series. Connelly’s books are consistently excellent. Bosch is a return — resurrection might be a better word — to the anti-authority, hard-boiled, chain-smoking (although he has quit in the most recent novels)
cop who sets his own standards of excellence and tries to live up to them, often crossing swords with his superiors in the process. Unlike many modern “heroes,” he doesn't suffer from constant angst. He d...more
cop who sets his own standards of excellence and tries to live up to them, often crossing swords with his superiors in the process. Unlike many modern “heroes,” he doesn't suffer from constant angst. He d...more
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Read in June, 2008
I read it and liked it. It kept me interested, entertained, and I didn't guess "whodunit" before I was supposed to. I thought that this one was the first in the Bosch series but there were enough references to past partners, etc., that I think I picked up one in the middle somewhere. If so, it was no biggie. I didn't feel like I missed anything. I always have a slight quibble when the main character is a Vietnam Vet, though, (and I'm thinking of you, Peter Decker from Faye Kellerm...more
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Read in January, 2007
City Of Bones (2002) van Michael Connelly, de Amerikaanse misdaadschrijver die bij het grote publiek vooral bekend werd toen zijn roman Blood Work werd verfilmd (het was echter geen hoogvlieger) met Clint Eastwood in de hoofdrol. In het genre was hij nochtans al enkele jaren een van de grote namen, niet in het minst door zijn Harry Bosch-reeks, waarvan City Of Bones het achtste deel uitmaakt. Meer nog dan Pelecanos, Lehano & Co. lijkt Connelly beïnvloed door de Hammett/Chandler-school. Gort...more
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
Harry Bosch fans
Summary: On New Year's Day, a dog finds a bone in the Hollywood Hills - and unearths a murder commited more than twenty years earlier. It's a cold case, but for Detective Harry Bosch, it stirs up memories of his childhood as an orphan. He can't let it go. As the investigation takes Bosch deeper into the past, a beautiful rookie cop brings him alive in the present. No official warning can break them apart - or prepare Bosch for the explosions when the case takes a few hard turns. Suddenly all of ...more
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Read in March, 2008
Michael Connelly is a good author. In the sense that I began reading this book on Tuesday, and finished it on Saturday. It's a book that I wanted to keep reading. That said, I don't feel too much desire to read any more of his books. I've read only 2 now, but I can see the themes that he writes about. Death, and the investigation that ensues. And a relationship between the male investigator and a woman somehow involved in the case. Something MUST happen to the relationship because of the m...more
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Read in October, 2008
recommends it for:
murder/mystery lovers
This could have been so much better without the sex stuff. It wasn't super explicit, just there. I did like the main character enough that I will probably read the next book he is in.
On New Year's Day, a dog brings his owner a bone that he recognizes as human. Harry Bosch is the LAPD detective who responds to the call, and a shallow grave containing the bones and backpack of a young boy is discovered. Even though the time of death is estimated to be about 20 years before, Bosch is determined...more
On New Year's Day, a dog brings his owner a bone that he recognizes as human. Harry Bosch is the LAPD detective who responds to the call, and a shallow grave containing the bones and backpack of a young boy is discovered. Even though the time of death is estimated to be about 20 years before, Bosch is determined...more
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Read in June, 2002
CITY OF BONES-Ex
Connelly, Michael - 8th in series
Bosch and his well-dressed partner, Jerry Edgar, are working to identify a child's skeleton, buried for 20 years in the forest off Hollywood's Wonderland Drive, and to bring the killer to belated justice. For Bosch this is more than just another homicide, as the mystery child, beaten and abandoned, comes to represent much of what he sees as evil in his city. Add in a tragic love affair with a fellow cop, complications from overzealous media, a...more
Connelly, Michael - 8th in series
Bosch and his well-dressed partner, Jerry Edgar, are working to identify a child's skeleton, buried for 20 years in the forest off Hollywood's Wonderland Drive, and to bring the killer to belated justice. For Bosch this is more than just another homicide, as the mystery child, beaten and abandoned, comes to represent much of what he sees as evil in his city. Add in a tragic love affair with a fellow cop, complications from overzealous media, a...more
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Though this was apparently the second time I read this book, I remembered only one single line of it: “All odors are particulate.” Potato-chip book; a good time-passer.
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-(#8 of the Bosch Series)- Bosch and his well-dressed partner, Jerry Edgar, are working to identify a child's skeleton, buried for 20 years in the forest off Hollywood's Wonderland Drive, and to bring the killer to belated justice. For Bosch this is more than just another homicide, as the mystery child, beaten and abandoned, comes to represent much of what he sees as evil in his city. Add in a tragic love affair with a fellow cop, complications from overzealous media, and the growing feeling tha...more
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This is a great book. I am a slow reader and in just a little over a day I read 150+ pages!!!! Fast action and a topic that really draws out your emotions!
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Read in November, 2007
Alright, this might say something about me ...but I was CONVINCED I knew who the killer was a least 3 times in this book, but it kept twisting around so much that I didn't actually figure this one out until almost the end. Twists and turns are good things though, don't get me wrong. If it weren't for the twists and turns I most likely would not read this genre. I have said before that I love the Harry Bosch Novels and this one only helped me to cement that love even further into my being !! Grea...more
Read in September, 2006
LA Dt. Frank Bousch won’t accept the easy answer after he discovers the skeleton of a young boy murdered many years ago. A nascent love is killed, and he almost gets fired for refusing to help PIO, but he solves the case in the end, the killer being the same man involved in his love’s death. A guilty pleasure. Completely lacking character development, but fun and fast. Just when you think it will end, he throws you another curve.
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Murder mystery lovers
I first discovered Michael Connelly at a used-book swap while traveling in Baja, Mexico last winter, and am thoroughly hooked.This book is another in his Harry Bosch series; Bosch is an LAPD homicide detective. In this book, he is looking for the killer of a 12 year old boy who has been dead for 20 years. Connelly writes well. His books are as much about Harry as they are about solving murders; both aspects are intriguing.
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Read in August, 2008
My first Michael Connelly. I read after a recommendation and was not disappointed. If these are formulaic then it's a very good formula. It was difficult to put it down. I was told this is the best of the series. Was that the best place to start? Lots of great detail; I like the descriptions of the minutiae of the job and the relationships are completely believable. I'm looking forward to reading more.
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Read in July, 2006
This is the first of the Harry Bosch series I’ve read (there I go, jumping into the middle of a series again). It was great! Usually I’m pretty good at figuring out what direction a book is going in, but this one had 2 or 3 surprising twists that I really enjoyed. And it seems that it may have come at a turning point in the series. Now I need to find the earlier books...
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This is a cop mystery story. The topic can veer towards gruesome at times. I find I cannot put Michael Connelly books down. His character development is excellent, his story line and seques are believable. I also enjoyed this book since it is set in Los Angeles, a place where I used to live. If you like cop/murder mysteries Michael Connelly is tops.
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Read in June, 2005
Connelly writes good cop-solves-crimes novels, and I enjoy his hero, Harry Bosch. This series reminds me a lot of the early James Patterson/Alex Cross books, before they started being written more for sales than plot. I'll certainly keep an eye out for more of Connelly's work. Quick read - about three hours on a Sunday morning.
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Read in January, 2008
Eh... borrowed this from my Dad-in-law before a cruise. My first detective novel. Couldn't really relate to the characters, and it all seemed a bit cliched. Also, didn't like how the case was closed. Seemed like he had approached his word count and just picked a convenient place to "solve" the crime.
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Read in February, 2008
I always like the Harry Bosch books. This one is from 2002, so it's out of sequence if you like to read him in order. Harry is a LA police detective solving a cold murder case. It's an easy read; good for an airplane trip or time on your hands in a waiting room somewhere.
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