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The Narrows (Harry Bosch #10)

by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 12,996 ratings · 531 reviews

FBI agent Rachel Walling finally gets the call she's dreaded for years, the one that tells her the Poet has surfaced. She has never forgotten the serial killer who wove lines of poetry in his hideous crimes--and apparently he has not forgotten her.
Former LAPD detective Harry Bosch gets a call, too--from the widow of an old friend. Her husband's death seems natural, but his...more

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Published May 3rd 2004 by Little, Brown and Company (first published January 1st 2004)

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Sep 07, 2011 Debra marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller, series, sai-king-recommends

Stephen King recommended book and author. In EW, 5/21/04, It's Alive! Alive!, Pop of King, he says: "There's little romantic in ''The Narrows,'' by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, $25.95), but one does not enter the dark world of ex -- LAPD detective Harry Bosch expecting hearts and flowers. Connelly doesn't always write about Bosch; I've always thought his best book was the gruesome (and excruciatingly suspenseful) ''The Poet,'' published in the mid-'90s. Although the climax of ''The Poet'' wa...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Harry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective-mystery

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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Oct 24, 2012 Jonathan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I know there are some big Connelly fans, and I’m sure he’s written better books than this one, so I’ll try to keep my feelings factual and concise.

* Some people call it a “mystery”, yet there’s no mystery. You know who the killer is and what he is doing the whole time, and the only question is whether or not the good guys will catch him.

* Some people call it a “thriller”, but there’s little action or suspense. Other than a quick scene after 300 pages and the extended action 400 pages in, the lea...more I know there are some big Connelly fans, and I’m sure he’s written better books than this one, so I’ll try to keep my feelings factual and concise.

* Some people call it a “mystery”, yet there’s no mystery. You know who the killer is and what he is doing the whole time, and the only question is whether or not the good guys will catch him.

* Some people call it a “thriller”, but there’s little action or suspense. Other than a quick scene after 300 pages and the extended action 400 pages in, the lead characters are in safe, protected positions working out intellectual puzzles. The killer doesn't even try to kill anyone until then, and no one is in danger from anyone that entire time.

* The main characters make numbingly bad decisions (eg – Hitting the biker? Going in the trailer? Not warning the cop at the book store? Not telling the FBI they knew the next target? Not getting backup for the house? Leaving the keys in the car? Running blindly under the bridge?). When your protagonists are supposed to be a smart homicide detective and a smart FBI agent, it gets annoying to shout “NO NO NO NO NO!” at them when they do something that is clearly a horrible idea.

* The two protagonists lie, use, and manipulate people throughout the book, in one case seriously playing with a man’s life. But they get really offended when anyone uses or manipulates them. It makes them difficult to root for.

* The book contains the most pointless romance scene I’ve ever read. When it comes out of nowhere, you think, “Huh? What is this?”, and then it goes nowhere. Just silly and a waste of time.

* Other than the sudden discovery of sex, there isn’t an unexpected twist in the entire plot. You know everything the two protagonists and the antagonist are doing from the beginning, you already know what has happened, how everyone will meet up, and how it will end. The only surprise comes after the whole plot has already been resolved, and actually takes away from the story rather than adding to it.

Overall, my feeling from the book is that Connelly had some loose ends and some live characters from his previous novels, and decided to throw them together in a book that would make some money. The writing is tight and flows well, so I get how he could be a popular author. But I don’t feel he put much effort at all into making this an interesting book – it’s more like filler space for hardcore fans.(less)

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Aug 24, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harry-bosch-novels, i-love-la, mystery, serial-killers, social-issues

This is Harry Bosch's 10th outing, and here he's joined by FBi agent Rachel Walling, seen in a previous work of Connelly's ("The Poet"). Unfortunately, The Poet has resurfaced, and at least 14 murders are attributed to him in this current wave of mayhem. The characters are complex, conflicted, and most of all believable. Even the two major locations, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, are drawn with such intensity that they almost become characters in themselves. The plot is intricate, surprising, and c...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A loose continuation of the earlier Connelly book "The Poet", in this story characters from the earlier case of a brilliant, but psychotic FBI agent who's also a serial killer but who disappeared, ostensibly died in the earlier case appears to be back and killing again.

There are two parallel investigations going on, one by the FBI, with Rachel, who was disgraced in the earlier case, called back from exile in South Dakota because the killer sent evidence to Quantico addressed to her. But because...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Carly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective-hb-noir, mystery, police-procedural

It's hard to say exactly who the main protagonist of The Narrows actually is. The story intertwines three of the protagonists from Connelly's previous works: the inimitable, unstoppable Harry Bosch of some 10 previous books, the cold, analytical Rachel Walling of The Poet, and in the background, overshadowing all of the thoughts of the other two, is the insight and spirit of Terry McCaleb from Blood Work. Rachel Walling is called out of her FBI purgatory of the Dakotas because her ex-mentor/ex-b...more It's hard to say exactly who the main protagonist of The Narrows actually is. The story intertwines three of the protagonists from Connelly's previous works: the inimitable, unstoppable Harry Bosch of some 10 previous books, the cold, analytical Rachel Walling of The Poet, and in the background, overshadowing all of the thoughts of the other two, is the insight and spirit of Terry McCaleb from Blood Work. Rachel Walling is called out of her FBI purgatory of the Dakotas because her ex-mentor/ex-boss and current serial killer dubbed "The Poet" is on the loose again and he's pulling the FBI's strings to force her into the case. Bosch, far away in LA, is called to investigate the suspicious death of Terry McCaleb. As he follows the clues that McCaleb left for him and as Rachel tries to piece together the hints left by her old mentor, their paths cross and they join forces to hunt down The Poet.

I've always felt that Bosch was much more suited for PI work than police work, so it's a pleasure to see him in this role. I like Bosch, even though I find significant flaws in his character, I really appreciate that Connelly also sees the same flaws. My issue is that although Bosch himself recognizes these flaws, he never, ever learns from his mistakes. His tendency for cowboy justice repeatedly endangers others and often gets them killed, yet he never changes. However, as a PI, his tendency to bend the rules and flaunt authority seems more fitting. PI work also seems to have loosened him up; we get some incredibly entertaining moments when he thumbs his nose at authority, like drawing a smiley face in the dust on the top of his car so it can be seen by the FBI helicopter above. One of the touching complexities this story adds to Bosch's character is his struggles to be a good father to his newly found daughter. Of course, since this is a Bosch story, we get a "girl of the week," (which, although different in each book, is treated in the narration as The One. Ugh.) and I'll leave you to guess who that is. Of course, in this story, Bosch isn't the only protagonist; his first-person narration is interspersed with third-person narration from Rachel Walling's perspective. I don't like Rachel; somehow she seems cold and impersonal to me. I also don't understand her; after screwing up by sleeping with a person tangentially related to the case in her last story, her next logical step in this book is to (view spoiler). Like Bosch, she has become cynical about authority and the trappings of authority, but her emotions are complexified by her desire to regain her previous role.

As in The Poet, we also get narrative snippets from the perspective of the killer. They say it's good not to get too close to your heroes, and I guess the same thing is true of your villains.
When I read The Poet I found the killer to be the absolute most terrifying character that Connelly created (except, perhaps, Bosch himself, but that's a another story for another time). The Poet was a person who reveled in control. He manipulated every situation he was in and controlled every action of his opponents effortlessly. The ultimate symbol of this was his use of hypnotism to force people at a much deeper level than simple physical force to do his will. He humiliated his victims and asserted his own supremacy in his every action: the rape, they hypnotism, the notes they were forced to write, everything. The Poet is a killer who kills for power, control, and a sense of status, and he's scary because he is so very good at manipulating people.

The Poet in this story...just isn't. Rather than using the manipulation and psychological control that made him so scary in his first story, he's much more of a thug. A clever thug, yes, but still a thug who asserts power via brutality, threats, and violence. To me at least, that is far less scary than a man who can suborn the body's will from his unwilling victims. We've seen him defeated before. His return simply feels anticlimactic, like a performer taking another bow after an unenthused call for an encore. I thought it was interesting he didn't go after Jack and that he felt no need for revenge upon him. Yes, I know the real reason is that Connelly felt that Jack got too close to home and didn't want to write about him anymore. But one can also make a case psychologically; in The Poet, he has Jack completely under his control and power. The humiliation, the assertion of superiority, has already been performed. The only thing that saves Jack is Rachel, and maybe that's what's so haunting about The Poet: the killer won, made his point, "got" Jack even if he didn't finish the job.

Overall, the story felt light to me; it didn't seem to touch on some of the powerful themes that some of Connelly's works such as The Concrete Blonde and Angel's Flight so eloquently struggled with, or the deep personal emotions that its narrator brought to The Poet. It also lacked the element of mystery, since the killer's identity is, for the most part, known from the outset. For all that, it is an enjoyable read. I adored the sequences of Bosch with his daughter, and this book provides some reconciliation between Bosch and the indomitable Kiz Rider, a favorite character of mine. Above all, it was fun to see Rachel and Bosch interact and lock horns. (less)

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Sep 17, 2011 Jane Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery

Another engaging and well done mystery in the series.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I am impressed with this author consistently writing such good stories. I’m happily doing one right after the other in this 17 book series. Most of my ratings are 4 and 5 stars. The main difference is the emotional feeling I have at the end. A couple of books had me feeling excited and elated at the end. Another book had me feeling hurt for victims and wanting more justice and revenge which I didn’t like and gave it fewer st...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Tony Gleeson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Michael Connelly finished his book "The Poet," he declared he wanted to finish his book with his killer still at large but later, having become a parent, he had a change of heart and felt he needed to have his villain ultimately tracked down (at least this is the story I've heard-- I would love to have the opportunity to discuss this with Mr. Connelly himself sometime). The result was "The Narrows," which features two of his characters seeking their own redemptions: Harry Bosch (no longer a...more

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May 18, 2011 Sidna Bookout rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this book, Harry is still retired. The wife of a detective who apparently died from a heart condition, asks Harry to look into his death since she thinks he was murdered. Of course, the investigation leads Harry in an unexpected direction.

In a previous book titled, The Poet,FBI agent Rachel Walling, hunts for a serial killer dubbed "The Poet." She finally reveals who The Poet is, but he escapes. In this book, The Poet resurfaces and Harry gets involved in tracking him down. He also gets invo...more

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Feb 19, 2011 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Michael Connelly- The Narrows (Warner Books 2005) 4.25 Stars

The Poet has turned back up after years of silence and Rachel Walling is being dragged back into the task force after years of being shunned by the FBI. Little does she realize that she will soon be working with retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch, who has discovered something that ties in with their case. Now they must work together to hunt down this psychopath before he finishes what he started.

I liked this instalment by Michael Conne...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Harry Bosch is a retired LAPD homicide detective who takes cold cases and solves them. Harry is asked by Terry McCaleb's (Blood Work, A Darkness More The Night) wife to look into Terry's death. Terry was a retired FBI agent and a heart transplant recipient operating a charter fishing boat with his partner Buddy.

Rachel Walling, the FBI agent who shot The Poet(Backus) and hopefully killed him in "The Poet" has been re-called from her exile because it looks like The Poet has returned. A road called...more

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Nov 03, 2010 Jenn rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery, from-the-library, read-2010, novel

Bleh. So, again, Michael Connelly tries his hand at a varied point-of-view book where two characters from The Poet finally meet up with Harry Bosch. Why? Because everyone in any world that Michael Connelly creates must eventually meet up with Harry Bosch. Also: any woman Michael Connelly creates must eventually have sex with Harry Bosch (with two exceptions, who are, of course, women who have sex with each other). That's right: In Connelly-land, you're either sleeping with Harry Bosch, or you're...more

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Oct 08, 2010 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, suspense

I read Michael Connelly’s The Poet while my husband flew to England reading The Narrows. Many years pass between the two novels, and many intertwined characters enjoy lives of their own in other books. But Blood Work and The Poet make a good introduction to The Narrows and the novel lived up to all the high expectations my husband’s comments inspired in me.

Michael Connelly again writes his book in two voices, the narrator watching over people’s shoulders, and the first-person narration, this tim...more

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May 30, 2009 Kayeb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had read this before but it was helpful to read it back to back with the first part of the Poet story. HOwever, it never address what happened to the reported relationship in the first book, so I don't know if she is in other of the harry bosch books or another of her own. I will have to do some checking.

[close:] FBI agent Rachel Walling finally gets the call shes dreaded for years. The Poet has returned. Years earlier she worked on the famous case tracking the serial killer who wove lines of...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Pamela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm currently working my way through the Harry Bosch series. (Audio books) It has been fascinating watching (or rather listening) to how Connelly gets better and better.

In the previous book in the series Lost Light, Connelly switched from 3rd person to 1st. I found it a fitting change as it was the first after Harry retired.

In this book, Connelly really stretches his wings. The Bosch narrative is in first person. FBI Rachael's part is in third person, and the killer's part is in third person.

A...more

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Jul 23, 2011 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For those who have read all the Michael Connelly books in order (not just the Bosch series), this is a great book. "The Narrows" has follow-up on Harry's struggles as a P.I. and his dealing with the new personal revelation from the end of "Lost Light". It also unites Bosch with crucial cast members and storylines from two other stand-alone novels ( The Poet and Blood Work), and provides an excellent continued storyline. Connelly also takes the narrative standpoint that has made recent Crais work...more

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Apr 19, 2011 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is another excellent effort by Michael Connelly, with some imperfections that, for me, put it short of five stars. Terry McCaleb, the protagonist of "Blood Work", is dead, and his widow asks Harry Bosch to look into his death. Bosch ultimately agrees, and his pursuit of an explanation ends up with him on the trail of the villian of a past Connelly book, although this is new for Bosch. As always, the plot is advanced logically and thoughfully, keeping the reader turning the pages.

Those who a...more This is another excellent effort by Michael Connelly, with some imperfections that, for me, put it short of five stars. Terry McCaleb, the protagonist of "Blood Work", is dead, and his widow asks Harry Bosch to look into his death. Bosch ultimately agrees, and his pursuit of an explanation ends up with him on the trail of the villian of a past Connelly book, although this is new for Bosch. As always, the plot is advanced logically and thoughfully, keeping the reader turning the pages.

Those who are familiar with the Michael Connelly "universe" will be pleased to find old friends from past books popping up throughout the story. It is worth reading Connelly's book in the order written for this reason. Connelly also likes to have fun with the reader, by mixing reality in with the fiction, and having fictional characters interact with real life. For instance, Clint Eastwood appears very tangentially in the plot. Also, the character Buddy does not like the way he was portrayed in Blood Work! (Connelly having a laugh at how Clint Eastwood changed his book). Also, there is a funny line in which Bosch thinks that George Pelecanos' book, "Nick's Trip" must have been written 150 years ago because it is a rare book.

There is a lot of commentary on being a parent, which was revealed in the previous book, most likely flowing from Connelly's own experience. Some readers may like this, I felt that there was a bit much, but it does humanize Bosch and make him a more real character.

Some minor negatives: some of the clues seem a bit weak and Bosch seems to leap to conclusions because "there are no coincidences". Also, there is a next-door neighbor in a hotel that is a loose end or that I missed. The most glaring negative for me, was the switching back and forth from the first person, for Bosch, then going to the third person for everyone else. It was distracting, and did not gain Connelly much, in my view.

On the whole, though, this is another winner and will keep me moving on to "The Closers".(less)

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Sep 02, 2012 Kelly Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: michael-connelly

I really like this author because the words he chooses to use to define the characters and locations paint a very clear picture. The story takes place between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with the famed "Zzyzx Road" sign in the middle of the desert between those two cities.

This story is a continuation of "The Poet", in this earlier story, a brilliant, but psychotic FBI agent, who's also a serial killer, thought to be dead, appears to be back and killing again.

There are two parallel investigations...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is only the second Harry Bosch novel I've read...though it's the 10th in the series. I found it better than the first. I do think that I've finally hit a stopping or at least a pausing place in my "Michael Connelly marathon".

Mr. Connelly has several characters in several series and they occasionally cross over and interact with each other. We get Rachael involved here with Harry as we (view spoiler) the career of the psychopath known as the Poet. I read this as I wa...more This is only the second Harry Bosch novel I've read...though it's the 10th in the series. I found it better than the first. I do think that I've finally hit a stopping or at least a pausing place in my "Michael Connelly marathon".

Mr. Connelly has several characters in several series and they occasionally cross over and interact with each other. We get Rachael involved here with Harry as we (view spoiler) the career of the psychopath known as the Poet. I read this as I was following this interlaced story which I intersected earlier in a different book. (view spoiler)

The Poet is a good character. I admit to discarding the character who turned out to be the Poet at least at first when I read the first novel. I does get to be a, "well it must be this person" after a bit but it's done well. I found this one was a little slower than the first but still good.

One of the problems I have with Mr. Connelly's books (that others may not have) is that I'm not heavily into the emotional side of the story. I read fairly eclectically but the one type book that will be dropped or completely avoided is "the romance". When it was first on (before it became nothing much more than a political platform) I liked the TV program Law and Order. It was a police procedural. We didn't find out who loved who, why the cop or DA was getting a divorce or refusing to marry. the personal lives of the participants if they came into the show at all were very peripheral. I guess I prefer "plot driven" books. In Mr. Connelly's books his characters are cursed with emotional baggage. Divorced fathers who miss their kids, divorced spouses who long for a corrected relationship with the lost mate, lovers who "struggle" to reach one another...and on and on and on. Not really for me. Thus the best of his books hasn't (for me) been anything more than a 4 star read. They're good, but bog down in the telling.

I think however that there is enough here for everyone. if like me you prefer a straight forward story with plot and clues to put together you usually get that. if on the other hand the emotional side of the story is "your thing" that's here to. Maybe it's a case of neither group getting the entire book but there being something for most readers??? Don't know, but I know that I like the writer and I like his books.

One other problem is that often Mr. Connelly's character do things that are just frankly illogical, or worse fail to do common sense things. (view spoiler) This kind of plot twist isn't all that unusal in Mr. Connly's books...still they don't ruin the book, just give me a headache.

So, excellent read, great plot, interesting characters. I'd say don't start here you'll miss too much story. Harry seems to have grown "in the telling" as I wasn't taken with the first book while here I was drawn into the book. Give Mr. Connelly a whirl. I can recommend his "stuff". (less)

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Sep 04, 2012 Daisy*•.♥.•* rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-suspense

Even though I have not read any of the previous books for this series, I still enjoyed it and did not feel I ran into any major spoilers. I am sure The fact that "The Poet" is quickly named at the beginning of the book, might be a spoiler to some readers who haven't read the previous books. Based on that, I don't recommend reading this book first if that is going to be an issue for you. I do plan on reading the first books to find out how "The Poet" got started in his life of crime. There was a...more

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May 23, 2012 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The mandatory sex scene in this one seemed forced, like it was there only because Connelly always has a sex scene. And I think the choice to put a lot of the book in the first person from Bosch's point of view made Rachel seem less three dimensional by comparison. I would have liked to have been in on her motivations as well as Bosch's.

Also, I am less than impressed that the author felt the need to vent his spleen at the treatment his Terry McCaleb character received in the Hollywood movie by k...more

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May 13, 2011 Deana M rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"The Narrows" brings back Robert Backus who was also the Poet. Harry Bosch is retired from LAPD, but was friends with Terry McCalub who was retired FBI. McCalub's wife, Graciela, wants Bosch to investigate the death of her husband. His death was ruled a normal death because he had a bad ticker and had a heart transplant. His wife does not believe this is the case, and that there was foul play. This story takes Harry to Las Vegas and to the desert where the Poet has come out of hiding and is tryi...more

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Jun 05, 2013 Cathy DuPont rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After a break from Harry Bosch, it was good to get back to see what he was up to.

And it didn't take long for Harry to get back into the life of the most sly character seen in awhile, The Poet.

I think it was GR friend Harry who said reading the The Poet was a must before reading The Narrows and it was good advice.

Harry Bosch, a loner, but the best and brightest of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), took an early retirement and works now as a P.I.

The wife of a fellow LAPD detective asks...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

With a writer of Connelly's popularity, particularly one that works with a regular cast of characters, mixed reviews are to be expected. Each successive book opens the possibility of a narrative letdown. Part of Connelly's decision to collate a few of his most enduring characters into The Narrows was to address concerns many fans had with the ending of The Poet. Though it strikes a few critics as a risky move that doesn't bear repeating, the general consensus is that Connelly pulls the sequel of

...more

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Sep 07, 2009 Sherrie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: already-read

"The Narrows" by Michael Connelly
(from the inside flap)

FBI agent Rachel Walling gets the call she's dreaded for years: the Poet has returned. Years earlier she tracked the serial killer who wove verses into his crimes. Rachel has never forgotten the Poet--and he has not forgotten her. Former LAPD detective Harry Bosch gets a call, too: from the wife of a friend who has recently died. The death appeared natural, but ties to the Poet make Harry dig deep. So begins the most frightening and masterf

...more

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Aug 22, 2009 Nancy (Hrdcovers) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Straight and Narrow of it All

After finishing The Narrows, I realized it was the 16th book I had ready by Michael Connelly which means I have read more books by this author than any other. Fans of Connelly will understand the reason for this is simply that he doesn't write a bad book (Chasing The Dime being the only exception). Of the 16 books, this was the tenth one in the Harry Bosch series, a character much beloved by Connelly's readers.

Harry starts off this book as a retired LAPD homicide...more The Straight and Narrow of it All

After finishing The Narrows, I realized it was the 16th book I had ready by Michael Connelly which means I have read more books by this author than any other. Fans of Connelly will understand the reason for this is simply that he doesn't write a bad book (Chasing The Dime being the only exception). Of the 16 books, this was the tenth one in the Harry Bosch series, a character much beloved by Connelly's readers.

Harry starts off this book as a retired LAPD homicide detective....retired not because of age but because he was sick of the bureaucracy. Connelly loves to have characters from one book/series show up in another and this is the case with The Narrows as Harry is asked by Terry McCaleb's (Blood Work, A Darkness More The Night) wife to look into Terry's death. Terry was a retired FBI agent who had crossed paths with Harry during his career. At the time of his death, he was a heart transplant recipient operating a charter fishing boat with his partner Buddy.

Enter the "poet", Robert Backus of "The Poet" fame. He was probably the most despicable of all serial killers thought possibly dead at the end of that book but apparently very much alive at the beginning of this one. And what would Backus be without Rachel Walling, the FBI agent who shot Backus and hopefully killed him in "The Poet". They say all roads lead to one and this story will have many of our favorites involved in catching the poet once again. This time the main road is called Zyzzyx Road; an exit off a desert highway and also the buriel place of many more of Backus' victims. As the FBI tries to unravel the clues, Harry is one step ahead of them as he realizes that McCaleb's death is tied to this infamous serial killer.

The Narrows also gives us a look at Harry's softer side as he tries to establish some kind of a relationship with his young daughter Maddie who is living in Las Vegas with Harry's ex Eleanor (also an ex-FBI agent and now a professional poker player). He sets up an efficiency apartment in Las Vegas just to be closer to her and, little does he know that this next case will bring him to Vegas for reasons other than seeing his little girl.

One of the most exciting things to happen in this book is a phone conversation Harry has with someone from the LAPD who tries to convince Harry to come back to the police force. Apparently there's a three year amnesty going on where they are looking to get back some of those experienced detectives who have left the force on their own. If Harry would consider coming back within this three year period, he would not have to take any of the police academy tests in order to do so. You know that every Bosch fan out there is looking to see Harry back at his old haunting grounds.....Parker Center. Next up for me is The Closers and I'm hoping it finds Harry sporting his badge once again.(less)

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Feb 29, 2012 Dale rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Narrows (Harry Bosch #10) (audiobook)

Thoroughly enjoyable audiobook

Read by Len Cariou
Duration: 10 hours, 57 minutes

Fans of Harry Bosch know that he is named for the Renaissance painter Heironymous Bosch. Bosch the painter specialized in sweeping panoramic paintings of hell, with details of how individual sinners were being gouged, burned and otherwise tormented by gleeful demons. Connelly has commented many times that Harry Bosch is meant to be our tour guide through the hellish side of Los...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Jo-Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: legal-thrillers

FBI agent Rachel Walling finally got the call she hoped she would never get telling her the Poet has returned. Years earlier she worked on the case tracking down the serial killer who wove lines of poetry into his murders.

Harry Bosch gets a call, too. Bosch is a retired LAPD homicide detective who takes cold cases. Harry is asked by Terry McCaleb's wife to look into Terry's death. Terry was a retired FBI agent and a heart transplant recipient operating a charter fishing boat. McCaleb’s death is...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Bev rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery, michael-connelly

Terry McCaleb's ("Blood Work") wife Graciella has come to Harry Bosch to ask him to investigate her husband's death. It was supposedly a heart attack for this heart transplant patient, but Graciella thinks there is more to it. Harry quickly agrees with her as he begins to check McCaleb's papers and his actions in the last days of his life. It soon become a possibility that "the poet," a serial killer everyone thought was dead, was not only not dead, but was responsible for McCaleb's death. Conne...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this is my favorite Harry Bosch book so far. Michael Connelly has built up over the last 10+ books a repertoire of characters with rich history, and some with a small mention only to become major characters in another novel. We know about the serial killer the Poet, the reporter that wrote the book about it, the newspaper reporter that has worked the cob beat for 10 years, the FBI profiler who accused Bosch of murdering a man, his former partner, and the list goes on. They all come toget...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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Quotes from The Narrows

“The gravel road widened into a large turnaround where three similar looking and designed brothels sat waiting for customers. They were called Sheila's Front Porch, Tawny's High Five Ranch and Miss Delilah's House of Holies.

"Nice," Rachel said as we surveyed the scene. "why are these places always named after women -- as if women actually own them?"

"You got me. I guess Mister Dave's House of Holies wouldn't go over so well with the guys."

Rachel smiled.

"You're right. I guess it's a shrewd move. Name a place of female degradation and slavery after a female and it doesn't sound so bad, does it? It's packaging.” — 1 person liked it

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The Narrows (Harry Bosch #10)

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