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Harry Bosch #13
The Overlook
Sul belvedere vicino a Mulholland Drive viene ritrovato un cadavere. La vittima, identificata come il dottor Stanley Kent, è stata freddata con due colpi di pistola alla nuca: a prima vista, una tipica esecuzione.
L’indagine è affidata al detective Harry Bosch. È il caso che aspettava, il primo da quando ha lasciato l’Unità Casi Irrisolti per la Squadra Speciale Omicidi. Ma appena Bosch inizia a far luce sulla vita di Kent emergono le prime contraddizioni. Non risulta, infatti, che l’uomo avesse contatti con il crimine organizzato; di certo si sa che poteva liberamente accedere a pericolosissime sostanze radioattive in quasi tutti gli ospedali della contea.
Il quadro iniziale, quello di un banale omicidio per un regolamento di conti, assume in breve contorni inquietanti, che rendono l’indagine molto più complessa e urgente. Bosch deve lottare contro il tempo non solo per inchiodare i colpevoli, ma anche per battere l’FBI e il Dipartimento di Sicurezza Nazionale, convinti che la faccenda sia troppo delicata per la polizia di Los Angeles. Non solo: la sua ex amante Rachel Walling fa parte del team di federali che cerca di soffiargli il caso, rendendogli il lavoro ancora più difficile.
Seguendo implacabile la sua pista, Bosch si affida ancora una volta all’istinto, con la consapevolezza che, oltre a un omicidio da archiviare, questa volta c’è in ballo una minaccia che incombe su tutta Los Angeles.
L’indagine è affidata al detective Harry Bosch. È il caso che aspettava, il primo da quando ha lasciato l’Unità Casi Irrisolti per la Squadra Speciale Omicidi. Ma appena Bosch inizia a far luce sulla vita di Kent emergono le prime contraddizioni. Non risulta, infatti, che l’uomo avesse contatti con il crimine organizzato; di certo si sa che poteva liberamente accedere a pericolosissime sostanze radioattive in quasi tutti gli ospedali della contea.
Il quadro iniziale, quello di un banale omicidio per un regolamento di conti, assume in breve contorni inquietanti, che rendono l’indagine molto più complessa e urgente. Bosch deve lottare contro il tempo non solo per inchiodare i colpevoli, ma anche per battere l’FBI e il Dipartimento di Sicurezza Nazionale, convinti che la faccenda sia troppo delicata per la polizia di Los Angeles. Non solo: la sua ex amante Rachel Walling fa parte del team di federali che cerca di soffiargli il caso, rendendogli il lavoro ancora più difficile.
Seguendo implacabile la sua pista, Bosch si affida ancora una volta all’istinto, con la consapevolezza che, oltre a un omicidio da archiviare, questa volta c’è in ballo una minaccia che incombe su tutta Los Angeles.
225 pages, Hardcover
First published May 22, 2007
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About the author
Michael Connelly
381 books34.8k followersLibrarian 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 over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has 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), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
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 over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has 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), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,662 reviews
July 1, 2018
I first read this story when it was serialized in the New York Times Magazine. Following that, Connelly expanded the story and published it as a novel. I remember enjoying the serialized version, but, as one would expect, the novel winds up being a fuller and richer experience.
As the story opens, Detective Harry Bosch has just been reassigned to the L.A.P.D.'s prestigious Homicide Special Squad. He's sitting up at midnight, waiting for his first call out. When it comes, he's directed to a homicide on an overlook above the city. He arrives to find that a doctor, Stanley Kent, has been murdered execution-style, next to his Porsche, which is has been left with its luggage compartment standing open.
As Harry examines the scene, he is surprised by the arrival of F.B.I. agent Rachel Walling. Walling indicates that the victim, Kent, was a medical physicist who was on a list kept by the federal government. She initially refuses to tell Bosch why Kent was on the list or why she is interested in the case, and insists that they should get to Kent's house A.S.A.P.
Bosch concurs and, on arriving at the house, they discover the victim's wife, naked and tied up on a bed. She tells them that two men invaded the house, forced her to strip, then tied her up and took pictures of her. It appears that terrorists may have used the pictures to force Stanley Kent to give them extremely dangerous radioactive material.
The Feds, of course, want to take over the case and are, logically, pursuing it as part of a dangerous terrorist plot. The material in question could cause thousands of deaths and that is their priority. While Bosch recognizes the threat, from his perspective this is principally a homicide investigation and he insists on being allowed to pursue it. His rational is, find the killers and you find the material they stole.
It's a gripping story that moves very swiftly. Connelly excels at portraying the bureaucratic infighting between the Feds and the local police and it's really fun to watch. The fact that Bosch and Rachel Walling were once lovers only adds fuel to the mix. Bosch, being Bosch, is not about to take a back seat to anyone, especially not the F.B.I. This story first appeared only a few years after the attacks of 9/11, when the threat posed by potential terrorists was even more frightening. Twelve years later, the threat still feels palpable, especially in the hands of a writer as skillful as Michael Connelly, and fans of the series will not want to miss this one.
As the story opens, Detective Harry Bosch has just been reassigned to the L.A.P.D.'s prestigious Homicide Special Squad. He's sitting up at midnight, waiting for his first call out. When it comes, he's directed to a homicide on an overlook above the city. He arrives to find that a doctor, Stanley Kent, has been murdered execution-style, next to his Porsche, which is has been left with its luggage compartment standing open.
As Harry examines the scene, he is surprised by the arrival of F.B.I. agent Rachel Walling. Walling indicates that the victim, Kent, was a medical physicist who was on a list kept by the federal government. She initially refuses to tell Bosch why Kent was on the list or why she is interested in the case, and insists that they should get to Kent's house A.S.A.P.
Bosch concurs and, on arriving at the house, they discover the victim's wife, naked and tied up on a bed. She tells them that two men invaded the house, forced her to strip, then tied her up and took pictures of her. It appears that terrorists may have used the pictures to force Stanley Kent to give them extremely dangerous radioactive material.
The Feds, of course, want to take over the case and are, logically, pursuing it as part of a dangerous terrorist plot. The material in question could cause thousands of deaths and that is their priority. While Bosch recognizes the threat, from his perspective this is principally a homicide investigation and he insists on being allowed to pursue it. His rational is, find the killers and you find the material they stole.
It's a gripping story that moves very swiftly. Connelly excels at portraying the bureaucratic infighting between the Feds and the local police and it's really fun to watch. The fact that Bosch and Rachel Walling were once lovers only adds fuel to the mix. Bosch, being Bosch, is not about to take a back seat to anyone, especially not the F.B.I. This story first appeared only a few years after the attacks of 9/11, when the threat posed by potential terrorists was even more frightening. Twelve years later, the threat still feels palpable, especially in the hands of a writer as skillful as Michael Connelly, and fans of the series will not want to miss this one.
June 4, 2019
Easily, one of my favorite Bosch novels. Excellent story, superbly written and Len Cariou is outstanding as narrator. 10 of 10 stars!
November 3, 2017
Michael Connelly has made a name for himself by creating the characters Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller.
In The Overlook, Connelly’s 2007 entry into the Harry Bosch files, the mystery writer takes on a case where Bosch must work with the FBI in a suspected terrorist case.
This is the 13th Harry Bosch novel (Connelly began the series with The Black Echo in 1992) and the LAPD detective again demonstrates his Holmes-esque attention to detail and also his inability to follow bureaucratic rules. Connelly effectively describes the Vietnam veteran as IT challenged, but to his credit does not allow this stereotypical anachronism to devolve into a running joke and Bosch more than makes up for his old codger ways by his considerable skill as an investigator. In this episode in the series Bosch does some smooth police work.
To be successful in this genre, a writer must possess the ability to maintain a recognizable and likeable protagonist and drop this player into a mystery and have him work out of it in a cognizant and believable way. One problem I always had with Doyle’s classic sleuth is the obscure clues that lead inexorably towards an elementary solution. I called BS on a lot of the hints that Sherlock used, but Doyle got away with it because of the charisma Holmes possessed and the writer’s own talent at telling the story.
The Overlook is not one of the better Bosch stories, it is a touch too slick and maybe even formulaic, but Connelly’s faculty to weave a good mystery with a captivating hero is nonetheless on full display.
A fun whodunit.
In The Overlook, Connelly’s 2007 entry into the Harry Bosch files, the mystery writer takes on a case where Bosch must work with the FBI in a suspected terrorist case.
This is the 13th Harry Bosch novel (Connelly began the series with The Black Echo in 1992) and the LAPD detective again demonstrates his Holmes-esque attention to detail and also his inability to follow bureaucratic rules. Connelly effectively describes the Vietnam veteran as IT challenged, but to his credit does not allow this stereotypical anachronism to devolve into a running joke and Bosch more than makes up for his old codger ways by his considerable skill as an investigator. In this episode in the series Bosch does some smooth police work.
To be successful in this genre, a writer must possess the ability to maintain a recognizable and likeable protagonist and drop this player into a mystery and have him work out of it in a cognizant and believable way. One problem I always had with Doyle’s classic sleuth is the obscure clues that lead inexorably towards an elementary solution. I called BS on a lot of the hints that Sherlock used, but Doyle got away with it because of the charisma Holmes possessed and the writer’s own talent at telling the story.
The Overlook is not one of the better Bosch stories, it is a touch too slick and maybe even formulaic, but Connelly’s faculty to weave a good mystery with a captivating hero is nonetheless on full display.
A fun whodunit.
November 22, 2016
I don't often read from the fiction bestseller list and I periodically wonder what I'm missing. When a Connelly (oops, not John Connolly) book came my way, I was looking for a light headache distraction and thought it might do the trick. To absolutely no one's surprise, I discovered I'm not really missing anything that would cater to my own palate. This is the Arby's of the fast food world: seemingly meaty but rather bland (unlike Nihilist Arby's).
Harry is apparently back in action with LAPD with a new position on a special homicide team. He and his new partner are assigned an execution killing but it quickly becomes complicated when his ex-lover (I think) and FBI agent shows up on the scene on behalf of Homeland Security.
According to the jacket, this was originally a sixteen chapter serial story published in The New York Times Magazine and reformatted forvideo book-like storytelling. The rewrite wasn't at all obvious, as the story seemed to smoothly flow, lacking the occasional choppiness I associate with seriels. Writing was clear but bland lacking details that build richness of character. The most evocative image was that of the overlook and it's view of the L.A. Basin, but I can't tell if that was the book or my own memory. There was a nice little twist near the end, but it was too late to do more than give a momentary pause in my lull.
Overall, it was Storytelling Lite, easily finished in the space of an evening, even with a headache. When I looked up the history of the book, wikipedia noted that some reviewers state it lacked the depth of his other stories. So I suppose I won't write him off just yet.
Two and a half snoozes.
Harry is apparently back in action with LAPD with a new position on a special homicide team. He and his new partner are assigned an execution killing but it quickly becomes complicated when his ex-lover (I think) and FBI agent shows up on the scene on behalf of Homeland Security.
According to the jacket, this was originally a sixteen chapter serial story published in The New York Times Magazine and reformatted for
Overall, it was Storytelling Lite, easily finished in the space of an evening, even with a headache. When I looked up the history of the book, wikipedia noted that some reviewers state it lacked the depth of his other stories. So I suppose I won't write him off just yet.
Two and a half snoozes.
January 8, 2025
4.5★
“To the librarian who gave me To Kill a Mockingbird”
That’s Connelly’s dedication, and I’d like to add my own Hear Hear for the librarian. Think of all the readers who would have missed getting to know Hieronymus Bosch, who is so dedicated to seeking justice in his city of angels, Los Angeles.
Harry has recently rejoined the LAPD and gets a call-out to what looks like a professional execution at the overlook above the Mulholland Dam. Connelly always explains the background to the assignments, because later, we will see Harry getting cooperation or friction from other officers and agencies. Everything is political.
“The Los Angeles Police Department had seventeen geographic divisions, each with its own station and detective bureau, including a homicide squad. But the divisional squads were the first line and couldn't get bogged down on long-running cases. When a murder came with any sort of political, celebrity or media attachment, it was usually shuttled down to Homicide Special, which operated out of the Robbery-Homicide Division in Parker Center. Any case that appeared to be particularly difficult and time-consuming—that would invariably stay active like a hobby—would also be an immediate candidate for Homicide Special. This was one of those.”
Like a hobby?!!! Even Harry, who does like to hark back to old cases when dealing with new ones, probably doesn’t think of following them up as “a hobby”. But perhaps his bosses do. (I refrain from saying “his superiors”, because that implies they are better than he is. They aren’t. Some have more political clout and don’t bend the rules.)
This victim is identified as a doctor who transports and delivers the tiny vials of nuclear medicine to hospitals and cancer treatment facilities. It seems there is a quantity missing.
Alarm bells begin to ring, and before you know it, the FBI is involved. That means it’s time to cue the lovely Special Agent Rachel Walling, with whom Harry shared a romance until … well, let’s just say it cooled quickly, and he’s feeling very awkward about how they’ll manage working together again.
But there is no time to waste on social niceties. Harry asks about cesium.
“ ‘It's a by-product. The fission of uranium and plutonium creates cesium. When Chernobyl hit meltdown, cesium was the stuff that was dispersed into the air. It comes in powder or a silver-gray metal. When they conducted nuke tests in the South Pacific—‘”
Cut to the chase:
“‘The bottom line is that the radiation danger diminishes by half every thirty years. It you set off a good amount of this stuff in an enclosed environment — like maybe a subway station or an office building — then that place could be shut down for three hundred years.’”
Terrorists and mortal danger and the FBI – what more could Bosch want? Not to mention his lovely FBI Special Agent friend.
It’s another good read from the series, and like the others, you can enjoy it on its own. I like knowing the back stories, but I must admit I appreciate how well Connelly manages to fill the gaps in my memory.
(#1) My review of The Black Echo
(#2) My review of The Black Ice
(#3) My review of The Concrete Blonde
(#4) My review of The Last Coyote
(#5) My review of Trunk Music
(#6) My review of Angels Flight
(#7) My review of A Darkness More Than Night
(#8) My review of City of Bones
(#9) My review of Lost Light
(#10) (Jack McEvoy #1, Harry Bosch Universe #5, prequel to The Narrows) My review of The Poet
(#11) My review of The Narrows
(#12) My review of The Closers
“To the librarian who gave me To Kill a Mockingbird”
That’s Connelly’s dedication, and I’d like to add my own Hear Hear for the librarian. Think of all the readers who would have missed getting to know Hieronymus Bosch, who is so dedicated to seeking justice in his city of angels, Los Angeles.
Harry has recently rejoined the LAPD and gets a call-out to what looks like a professional execution at the overlook above the Mulholland Dam. Connelly always explains the background to the assignments, because later, we will see Harry getting cooperation or friction from other officers and agencies. Everything is political.
“The Los Angeles Police Department had seventeen geographic divisions, each with its own station and detective bureau, including a homicide squad. But the divisional squads were the first line and couldn't get bogged down on long-running cases. When a murder came with any sort of political, celebrity or media attachment, it was usually shuttled down to Homicide Special, which operated out of the Robbery-Homicide Division in Parker Center. Any case that appeared to be particularly difficult and time-consuming—that would invariably stay active like a hobby—would also be an immediate candidate for Homicide Special. This was one of those.”
Like a hobby?!!! Even Harry, who does like to hark back to old cases when dealing with new ones, probably doesn’t think of following them up as “a hobby”. But perhaps his bosses do. (I refrain from saying “his superiors”, because that implies they are better than he is. They aren’t. Some have more political clout and don’t bend the rules.)
This victim is identified as a doctor who transports and delivers the tiny vials of nuclear medicine to hospitals and cancer treatment facilities. It seems there is a quantity missing.
Alarm bells begin to ring, and before you know it, the FBI is involved. That means it’s time to cue the lovely Special Agent Rachel Walling, with whom Harry shared a romance until … well, let’s just say it cooled quickly, and he’s feeling very awkward about how they’ll manage working together again.
But there is no time to waste on social niceties. Harry asks about cesium.
“ ‘It's a by-product. The fission of uranium and plutonium creates cesium. When Chernobyl hit meltdown, cesium was the stuff that was dispersed into the air. It comes in powder or a silver-gray metal. When they conducted nuke tests in the South Pacific—‘”
Cut to the chase:
“‘The bottom line is that the radiation danger diminishes by half every thirty years. It you set off a good amount of this stuff in an enclosed environment — like maybe a subway station or an office building — then that place could be shut down for three hundred years.’”
Terrorists and mortal danger and the FBI – what more could Bosch want? Not to mention his lovely FBI Special Agent friend.
It’s another good read from the series, and like the others, you can enjoy it on its own. I like knowing the back stories, but I must admit I appreciate how well Connelly manages to fill the gaps in my memory.
(#1) My review of The Black Echo
(#2) My review of The Black Ice
(#3) My review of The Concrete Blonde
(#4) My review of The Last Coyote
(#5) My review of Trunk Music
(#6) My review of Angels Flight
(#7) My review of A Darkness More Than Night
(#8) My review of City of Bones
(#9) My review of Lost Light
(#10) (Jack McEvoy #1, Harry Bosch Universe #5, prequel to The Narrows) My review of The Poet
(#11) My review of The Narrows
(#12) My review of The Closers
March 22, 2017
Harry Bosch now works in the Robbery-Homicide Division in the Homicide Special unit follow the events of Echo Park. He's got a new partner, Ignacio Ferras, and their first case is the murder of a medical physicist. Because the case also involves the theft of some radioactive materials, the FBI and other alphabet agencies want to control the case that Harry first sees as a homicide.
This is Connelly's most nimbly-written story to date and that made a big difference in my enjoyment. I finished listening to it in a day and it made my road trip just perfect. FBI Agent Rachel Walling makes a return and is a major factor in the story. The pace was wonderful as everything moved so quickly. Even though I figured out the villain early on, there were still some surprises at the end.
Lou Cariou continues to work for me as the narrator of these stories. I liked this one and the ending left some unanswered questions that I'm looking forward to having resolved in the next book. This was a good one, especially on audio.
This is Connelly's most nimbly-written story to date and that made a big difference in my enjoyment. I finished listening to it in a day and it made my road trip just perfect. FBI Agent Rachel Walling makes a return and is a major factor in the story. The pace was wonderful as everything moved so quickly. Even though I figured out the villain early on, there were still some surprises at the end.
Lou Cariou continues to work for me as the narrator of these stories. I liked this one and the ending left some unanswered questions that I'm looking forward to having resolved in the next book. This was a good one, especially on audio.
October 15, 2016
2 stars – It was neither good not bad. As my younger friends say meh!
The most exciting thing that happened in this Harry Bosch novel was learning a bit about the radioactive material cesium and what could happen if it were used in a terrorist plot. All seemed too familiar, like the same old. A short story that seemed rushed. What saved The Overlook from becoming a DNF was the continued fine performance by Len Cariou in narration.
The most exciting thing that happened in this Harry Bosch novel was learning a bit about the radioactive material cesium and what could happen if it were used in a terrorist plot. All seemed too familiar, like the same old. A short story that seemed rushed. What saved The Overlook from becoming a DNF was the continued fine performance by Len Cariou in narration.
May 23, 2020
Michael Connelly does his token terrorism story. And it would not be true to him to make it a political mess and power struggle among the various organisations that want to show the world and their constituency how great they are at the wheel of a real threat. Among them Harry Bosch with a new partner that just wants to solve a the murder that starts of the whole story. And Harry gets mighty annoyed when the murder is considered less important than the threat of some terrorism.
As always Connelly lets his hero do his own thing while the madness around Bosch dictates why he should try to fit in instead of having his own ideas. Bosch is not that much of an idealist but far more a realist that knows his place in the world and tries to hold it with a personal dignity and code of honour. People around him admire him for who he is and at the same time they play the game in order to obtain a place in the pecking order. Bosch is just a darn good investigator so he gets more space to work in time after time, and often when he solves a case he gets the stick due to office politics.
In this book there is one chapter/situation in which Connelly really draws a scary picture of the kind of damage terrorism has done and how the trust and freedom of speech & religion gets trampled because with the current mood in the US officially sanctioned murder gets swept under the rug. It is a really well written chapter in the book and great is my relief to see the main characters being disgusted about what happened.
The book is a great mystery and at the same time a big complaint about politics of fear that rules over common sense. And in this book as always the common sense is Harry Bosch.
Another great one by the Connelly bard of great US thriller/mystery writing.
(reviewed again due to some grammatical mistakes on 23th of may 2020)
As always Connelly lets his hero do his own thing while the madness around Bosch dictates why he should try to fit in instead of having his own ideas. Bosch is not that much of an idealist but far more a realist that knows his place in the world and tries to hold it with a personal dignity and code of honour. People around him admire him for who he is and at the same time they play the game in order to obtain a place in the pecking order. Bosch is just a darn good investigator so he gets more space to work in time after time, and often when he solves a case he gets the stick due to office politics.
In this book there is one chapter/situation in which Connelly really draws a scary picture of the kind of damage terrorism has done and how the trust and freedom of speech & religion gets trampled because with the current mood in the US officially sanctioned murder gets swept under the rug. It is a really well written chapter in the book and great is my relief to see the main characters being disgusted about what happened.
The book is a great mystery and at the same time a big complaint about politics of fear that rules over common sense. And in this book as always the common sense is Harry Bosch.
Another great one by the Connelly bard of great US thriller/mystery writing.
(reviewed again due to some grammatical mistakes on 23th of may 2020)
March 23, 2021
That was very fast paced. And a record solve of a murder in 12 hours. Harry is always posturing and getting himself into trouble but he is also a dog with a bone and won’t stop until he has it all figured out. Enjoyable as always!
July 1, 2024
A "hot" Harry Bosch thriller!
Having begun life as a 16 part serial for the New York Times, THE OVERLOOK has a dramatically different flavour than the preceding 12 novels in the continuing, exciting Harry Bosch canon with which Connelly has thrilled his legion of fans. Less grim and foreboding, less atmospheric, less prone to the philosophical meandering that we've come to expect from the angst-ridden backcountry of Bosch's psyche, THE OVERLOOK is much more of a plot driven novel - a shorter, snappier, purely action oriented police procedural but no less successful and enjoyable for the differences!
Dr Stanley Kent, a medical bio-physicist who had access to radioactive materials used in the treatment of cancers at hospitals throughout LA, has been found murdered - executed, in fact, with two bullets in the back of the head - on a Mulholland Drive overlook. Bosch, assigned to the murder with his new partner, Iggy Ferras, immediately begins to bump heads with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, called in on the case as a result of the potential terrorist involvement with the assassination. The case is mere minutes old and Kent's body has barely begun to cool when Bosch discovers that the crime also involves the theft of a case of potentially deadly radioactive Cesium-137. That the FBI agent assigned to the case is Rachel Walling, Bosch's love interest who we met in Connelly's last novel ECHO PARK complicates matters immensely but certainly doesn't prevent the inevitable inter-organizational war over case jurisdiction.
Bosch, true to the mantra "Everybody counts or nobody counts" which we first heard in THE LAST COYOTE, focuses on people and is intent on finding Kent's murderers. The FBI, not too surprisingly, treats the murder as incidental and is intent on treating the theft of the Cesium as a threat to national security.
There is no doubt in my mind ... Connelly is brilliant! Even with a purely plot-oriented novel, he has made sure that Bosch loses none of the flavour or depth of character so carefully built up in twelve previous novels. His interaction with Walling is both hot and heated (if you understand the subtle distinction). The jurisdictional squabbling and in-fighting has a definite tinge of realism and, frankly, it is difficult as a reader to sit in judgment in this particular case and take sides. Bosch and Walling, the FBI and the LAPD were all right and wrong at various moments in the novel!
And what can one say about the ending? There is no way that any reader is going to see this fancy twist coming! If you're a Bosch fan, you're gonna love this one! If you haven't read any of Bosch's previous novels, don't start here ... go back and read four or five of the earlier novels (try to pick them up in chronological order - start with THE BLACK ECHO) so you can get that underlying feel for the character first. Then come back and enjoy this one with the rest of us.
Highly recommended!
Paul Weiss
Having begun life as a 16 part serial for the New York Times, THE OVERLOOK has a dramatically different flavour than the preceding 12 novels in the continuing, exciting Harry Bosch canon with which Connelly has thrilled his legion of fans. Less grim and foreboding, less atmospheric, less prone to the philosophical meandering that we've come to expect from the angst-ridden backcountry of Bosch's psyche, THE OVERLOOK is much more of a plot driven novel - a shorter, snappier, purely action oriented police procedural but no less successful and enjoyable for the differences!
Dr Stanley Kent, a medical bio-physicist who had access to radioactive materials used in the treatment of cancers at hospitals throughout LA, has been found murdered - executed, in fact, with two bullets in the back of the head - on a Mulholland Drive overlook. Bosch, assigned to the murder with his new partner, Iggy Ferras, immediately begins to bump heads with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, called in on the case as a result of the potential terrorist involvement with the assassination. The case is mere minutes old and Kent's body has barely begun to cool when Bosch discovers that the crime also involves the theft of a case of potentially deadly radioactive Cesium-137. That the FBI agent assigned to the case is Rachel Walling, Bosch's love interest who we met in Connelly's last novel ECHO PARK complicates matters immensely but certainly doesn't prevent the inevitable inter-organizational war over case jurisdiction.
Bosch, true to the mantra "Everybody counts or nobody counts" which we first heard in THE LAST COYOTE, focuses on people and is intent on finding Kent's murderers. The FBI, not too surprisingly, treats the murder as incidental and is intent on treating the theft of the Cesium as a threat to national security.
There is no doubt in my mind ... Connelly is brilliant! Even with a purely plot-oriented novel, he has made sure that Bosch loses none of the flavour or depth of character so carefully built up in twelve previous novels. His interaction with Walling is both hot and heated (if you understand the subtle distinction). The jurisdictional squabbling and in-fighting has a definite tinge of realism and, frankly, it is difficult as a reader to sit in judgment in this particular case and take sides. Bosch and Walling, the FBI and the LAPD were all right and wrong at various moments in the novel!
And what can one say about the ending? There is no way that any reader is going to see this fancy twist coming! If you're a Bosch fan, you're gonna love this one! If you haven't read any of Bosch's previous novels, don't start here ... go back and read four or five of the earlier novels (try to pick them up in chronological order - start with THE BLACK ECHO) so you can get that underlying feel for the character first. Then come back and enjoy this one with the rest of us.
Highly recommended!
Paul Weiss
February 4, 2023
#13 in the Harry Bosch detective series by Michael Connelly, and not by any means one of the best in the series. Maybe it's the weakest so far for me. It was published in 2007, still in the early years in the manic angry years post-9/11, and the killing seems to involve a dangerous substance that could poison the population, possibly a terrorist plot.
Distinctive features:
* I listened to it, and Canadian actor Len Carriou is just a wonderful reader, perfect for Connelly's stories.
* Throughout we learn that Harry Bosch likes jazz, especially sax, and one of his favorites is Frank Morgan (whom I have also heard live 2-3 times); I am not sure how this went down, but not Frank Morgan is playing sax through this audio version. Cool, though Morgan's vibe is a little mellow for this thriller. Here's "The Nearness of You:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr1tM...
* This is by far the shortest of the Bosch books, adapted from a version Connelly wrote in serial fashion in the NT Times Magazine
* FBI agent Rachel Walling has dumped Bosch twice, but they have found a way to work together, and they do so in this volume
* Bosch is very negative in this volume, making the point that the FBI and LAPD are more competitive than cooperative. He spends a lot of time (way too much time) griping about the FBI in this one
* Bosch also fights a lot with Walling, and also his new partner, who no longer wants to work with him. Walling says he is reckless and in this one we'd probably agree.
* One think I like is the way Connelly confronts the "every Arab is a terrorist" assumption of many post9/1.
* One thing i did not like was the ending/resolution, which I thought was crazy, preposterous, forgettable.
So it's a thriller, with lots of crazy driving around and in-fighting between the FBI and LAPD and Homeland Security, shootouts. I bet next book is more character-driven and back to Bosch as usual, mellower and more likable. I mean he's a kind of eye for an eye justice dude, but we generally are on his side. Less so in this one.
Distinctive features:
* I listened to it, and Canadian actor Len Carriou is just a wonderful reader, perfect for Connelly's stories.
* Throughout we learn that Harry Bosch likes jazz, especially sax, and one of his favorites is Frank Morgan (whom I have also heard live 2-3 times); I am not sure how this went down, but not Frank Morgan is playing sax through this audio version. Cool, though Morgan's vibe is a little mellow for this thriller. Here's "The Nearness of You:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr1tM...
* This is by far the shortest of the Bosch books, adapted from a version Connelly wrote in serial fashion in the NT Times Magazine
* FBI agent Rachel Walling has dumped Bosch twice, but they have found a way to work together, and they do so in this volume
* Bosch is very negative in this volume, making the point that the FBI and LAPD are more competitive than cooperative. He spends a lot of time (way too much time) griping about the FBI in this one
* Bosch also fights a lot with Walling, and also his new partner, who no longer wants to work with him. Walling says he is reckless and in this one we'd probably agree.
* One think I like is the way Connelly confronts the "every Arab is a terrorist" assumption of many post9/1.
* One thing i did not like was the ending/resolution, which I thought was crazy, preposterous, forgettable.
So it's a thriller, with lots of crazy driving around and in-fighting between the FBI and LAPD and Homeland Security, shootouts. I bet next book is more character-driven and back to Bosch as usual, mellower and more likable. I mean he's a kind of eye for an eye justice dude, but we generally are on his side. Less so in this one.
January 13, 2025
Michael Connelly’s 2007 novel “The Overlook”, the thirteenth novel to feature Harry Bosch, is a thriller that is impossible to describe without giving spoilers, but here’s an attempt:
When a body is found on an overlook near the famous Mulholland Drive, Bosch is the one who takes the call. The crime appears to be execution-style: two bullets to the back of the head. Also at the scene of the crime is a face that is both pleasingly familiar and a bad sign: FBI agent Rachel Walling.
They have a history, one that Bosch wouldn’t mind revisiting, but her presence means that this is more than just a simple roadside robbery/murder. When the FBI and Homeland Security is involved, Bosch knows that this is going to be bad.
The victim was a medical technician who handled highly radioactive material for patients undergoing radiation chemotherapy. Several vials are missing from the hospital at which he worked. It’s enough to make a dirty bomb that could wipe out most of Los Angeles.
Bosch is in for a long night.
To say more would give away a lot of the fun and exciting twists and turns that one expects from a Connelly novel. Added to that is the fact that the novel takes place within less than a 24-hour period. Jack Bauer would be jealous.
Originally published as a 16-part serial novel for The New York Times Magazine, “The Overlook” (in a very different form) was also adapted for the Amazon Prime TV show “Bosch”. Both the novel and the TV show are great.
When a body is found on an overlook near the famous Mulholland Drive, Bosch is the one who takes the call. The crime appears to be execution-style: two bullets to the back of the head. Also at the scene of the crime is a face that is both pleasingly familiar and a bad sign: FBI agent Rachel Walling.
They have a history, one that Bosch wouldn’t mind revisiting, but her presence means that this is more than just a simple roadside robbery/murder. When the FBI and Homeland Security is involved, Bosch knows that this is going to be bad.
The victim was a medical technician who handled highly radioactive material for patients undergoing radiation chemotherapy. Several vials are missing from the hospital at which he worked. It’s enough to make a dirty bomb that could wipe out most of Los Angeles.
Bosch is in for a long night.
To say more would give away a lot of the fun and exciting twists and turns that one expects from a Connelly novel. Added to that is the fact that the novel takes place within less than a 24-hour period. Jack Bauer would be jealous.
Originally published as a 16-part serial novel for The New York Times Magazine, “The Overlook” (in a very different form) was also adapted for the Amazon Prime TV show “Bosch”. Both the novel and the TV show are great.
May 25, 2025
Ugh… I didn’t expect this. A bad Bosch novel!
Well, bad is, of course, relatively speaking: “The Overlook”, instalment 13 of the ongoing Bosch series by Michael Connelly, isn’t outright bad. It’s just surprisingly and significantly mediocre.
For the first time in his new job in Robbery Homicide Division (RHD) at Homicide Special as a senior investigator looking into cases that might require long-term engagement, Harry is called out to the eponymous overlook where a murder took place.
Soon it becomes clear the case might not solely be a murder, but also a case of terrorism, and so the FBI is called in. Rachel Walling is first among them. If you remember the previous novel’s outcome with respect to Harry and Rachel, you might wonder at the tension between them. There’s a bit of it, but not much.
“Not much” is, in fact, something that can be said about many aspects of this novel as well as the novel in its entirety. Harry is still Harry, but even he slowly meanders along for most of the story, and, suddenly, it all comes to a rushed ending.
Harry’s new partner Ignacio “Iggy” Ferras feels like stuffing – he’s hardly around, and if and when he is, it’s as a semi-serious sidekick with much of the character and personality of a toothpick.
The investigative part also suffers from this strong imbalance: Whereas Harry follows a sound and logical train of thought, the FBI and other three-letter agencies are on a wild goose chase for domestic and international terrorists. They never really come together, nor do they clash as spectacularly as in other Bosch novels.
Similarly to earlier Bosch novels, but on the positive side, is the writing which is just as clear, dark, and gritty as always. “Overlook” certainly is an easy read, if at times a bit slow, and at its end there’s a lot of action and some suspense. It’s just like a fast food version of Bosch: Easy to devour, but not very nourishing.
»Bosch checked his watch. It was almost one. He had ridden the case from beginning to end in little more than twelve hours.«
“Overlook” reads just like that. I was also rather surprised to see an already short novel end, at less than 200 pages, at 80% of the ebook.
Three stars out of five.
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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam
Well, bad is, of course, relatively speaking: “The Overlook”, instalment 13 of the ongoing Bosch series by Michael Connelly, isn’t outright bad. It’s just surprisingly and significantly mediocre.
For the first time in his new job in Robbery Homicide Division (RHD) at Homicide Special as a senior investigator looking into cases that might require long-term engagement, Harry is called out to the eponymous overlook where a murder took place.
Soon it becomes clear the case might not solely be a murder, but also a case of terrorism, and so the FBI is called in. Rachel Walling is first among them. If you remember the previous novel’s outcome with respect to Harry and Rachel, you might wonder at the tension between them. There’s a bit of it, but not much.
“Not much” is, in fact, something that can be said about many aspects of this novel as well as the novel in its entirety. Harry is still Harry, but even he slowly meanders along for most of the story, and, suddenly, it all comes to a rushed ending.
Harry’s new partner Ignacio “Iggy” Ferras feels like stuffing – he’s hardly around, and if and when he is, it’s as a semi-serious sidekick with much of the character and personality of a toothpick.
The investigative part also suffers from this strong imbalance: Whereas Harry follows a sound and logical train of thought, the FBI and other three-letter agencies are on a wild goose chase for domestic and international terrorists. They never really come together, nor do they clash as spectacularly as in other Bosch novels.
Similarly to earlier Bosch novels, but on the positive side, is the writing which is just as clear, dark, and gritty as always. “Overlook” certainly is an easy read, if at times a bit slow, and at its end there’s a lot of action and some suspense. It’s just like a fast food version of Bosch: Easy to devour, but not very nourishing.
»Bosch checked his watch. It was almost one. He had ridden the case from beginning to end in little more than twelve hours.«
“Overlook” reads just like that. I was also rather surprised to see an already short novel end, at less than 200 pages, at 80% of the ebook.
Three stars out of five.
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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam
June 4, 2007
The Overlook is Connelly's latest Harry Bosch detective novel. The book was written as a 16 part serial novel for the New York Times Magazine and it shows. I'm a big Bosch fan and I always enjoy reading about him but I am a little disappointed in this book. As one might expect with a serial novel, many chapters are disjointed and Connelly does not focus on character development. Rachel Walling is again back in Bosch's life and while Connelly mentions the relationship, he doesn't do much to develop the relationship and/or play off the tension created when the two are again pitted on opposite bureaucratic sides (Feds vs. LA) in the current investigation.
The book is largely plot driven but again, this is a short novel and it isn't overly complicated. (I hate to say it but this has "movie script" written all over it.) The plot does have some interesting twists and plays off the obvious struggles that law agencies face in the increasingly national security/terrorism challenges that continue to confront our nation.
All in all-- this is a fun, quick read-- perfect fodder for the beach. Hardcore Connelly fans will enjoy another Bosch novel but don't expect the rich character development and plots that we've come to expect from him. My recommendation: its definitely not worth buying the hardback. Wait for the softback or, better yet, pick it up at the library.
The book is largely plot driven but again, this is a short novel and it isn't overly complicated. (I hate to say it but this has "movie script" written all over it.) The plot does have some interesting twists and plays off the obvious struggles that law agencies face in the increasingly national security/terrorism challenges that continue to confront our nation.
All in all-- this is a fun, quick read-- perfect fodder for the beach. Hardcore Connelly fans will enjoy another Bosch novel but don't expect the rich character development and plots that we've come to expect from him. My recommendation: its definitely not worth buying the hardback. Wait for the softback or, better yet, pick it up at the library.
April 29, 2024
A read in a day Harry Bosch. They used the book for one of the tv series Bosch episodes and stuck relatively close to the book. Harry is a great detective and the novels are all written well and are fast paced. Death is always around Harry. As he says ‘we are all circling the drain…some are closer to the black hole than others…some will have no clue when the undertow grabs them and pulls them down into darkness forever.’
April 18, 2024
This novel is set about 5 months after the last story. Harry is in Homicide Special now with a new partner. Rachel Walling shows up for the third time and not much has changed.
February 13, 2017
Eh. This was not my favorite Bosch. After a couple of home-runs with this series, this was definitely a disappointment. About half the length of his usual books, Connelly uses this to just show readers excerpts from his other books. I hit the finish line with this book at 74 percent I think. The remaining was just excerpts.
This felt and reads more like a short story. We have so many plot holes I don't even know which to begin with in "The Overlook." It's been a year since the events in "Echo Park." Harry is still bitter that Rachel Walling cut him off (I would have too) after his shennigans in the last book. He is still visiting his daughter in Hong Kong when he has time. He now has a new partner, after Kiz has gone back to working for the Chief of Police. His partner Ignacio (call me Iggy) Ferras is younger than Bosch, and their partnership is not going very smoothly. I wish I could sympathize with Bosch more, but honestly I was tired of his games from beginning to end in this one. And thankfully Bosch finally got it through his thick head he can't just do what he wants with no blow back. Maybe nuclear material entering the picture in this one was what he needed.
Bosch is no longer in Open/Unsolved. Now he is a unit called Homicide Special Squad. Bosch and Iggy (I don't care that Bosch doesn't like the guy's nickname, he was being an ass by refusing to use it) are called to a homicide where a Doctor Stanley Kent is found with some bullets to the head. It looks like a simple case of possible robbery gone wrong until Bosch is informed that Kent has access to radioactive material due to his job and a possible terrorist may have gotten his hands on it. Enter Rachel Walling and her colleagues from the FBI.
I was happy to see Rachel back in Bosch's face and Bosch realizing that many at the FBI think and know what a loose cannon he is. Bosch has hurt feelings about the whole thing and I may have stated mumbling "boy bye" under my breath. I like Bosch. But I am over the martyr act he has going for most of this book. Also since tracking down radioactive substances is more of an issue than him finding out who killed Stanley Kent I felt like his pissing match with the FBI was just ridiculous.
We get some new faces in this one and of course new with Iggy and some others. We see a reappearance of J. Edgar who once again proves that tv J. Edgar is better than book J. Edgar. It always makes me uncomfortable how Connelly portrays him as lazy and homophobic. Ugh.
The writing wasn't on par with previous books. I counted so many plot holes I gave up after 10. I think my biggest issue is that it doesn't make sense when you find out the why behind Kent's murder. It's beyond stupid. Why do something that would bring in the cops and the FBI? I think at that point you want to get caught. That's all I am going to say about that.
The book ends on a weird note. I know Bosch isn't dead (hello other books in the series) but it leaves things on a fraught note with him maybe getting in trouble due to being around some of the radioactive material. We have another partner of his who may be down and out. And at this point, you couldn't pay me to partner with Bosch.
This felt and reads more like a short story. We have so many plot holes I don't even know which to begin with in "The Overlook." It's been a year since the events in "Echo Park." Harry is still bitter that Rachel Walling cut him off (I would have too) after his shennigans in the last book. He is still visiting his daughter in Hong Kong when he has time. He now has a new partner, after Kiz has gone back to working for the Chief of Police. His partner Ignacio (call me Iggy) Ferras is younger than Bosch, and their partnership is not going very smoothly. I wish I could sympathize with Bosch more, but honestly I was tired of his games from beginning to end in this one. And thankfully Bosch finally got it through his thick head he can't just do what he wants with no blow back. Maybe nuclear material entering the picture in this one was what he needed.
Bosch is no longer in Open/Unsolved. Now he is a unit called Homicide Special Squad. Bosch and Iggy (I don't care that Bosch doesn't like the guy's nickname, he was being an ass by refusing to use it) are called to a homicide where a Doctor Stanley Kent is found with some bullets to the head. It looks like a simple case of possible robbery gone wrong until Bosch is informed that Kent has access to radioactive material due to his job and a possible terrorist may have gotten his hands on it. Enter Rachel Walling and her colleagues from the FBI.
I was happy to see Rachel back in Bosch's face and Bosch realizing that many at the FBI think and know what a loose cannon he is. Bosch has hurt feelings about the whole thing and I may have stated mumbling "boy bye" under my breath. I like Bosch. But I am over the martyr act he has going for most of this book. Also since tracking down radioactive substances is more of an issue than him finding out who killed Stanley Kent I felt like his pissing match with the FBI was just ridiculous.
We get some new faces in this one and of course new with Iggy and some others. We see a reappearance of J. Edgar who once again proves that tv J. Edgar is better than book J. Edgar. It always makes me uncomfortable how Connelly portrays him as lazy and homophobic. Ugh.
The writing wasn't on par with previous books. I counted so many plot holes I gave up after 10. I think my biggest issue is that it doesn't make sense when you find out the why behind Kent's murder. It's beyond stupid. Why do something that would bring in the cops and the FBI? I think at that point you want to get caught. That's all I am going to say about that.
The book ends on a weird note. I know Bosch isn't dead (hello other books in the series) but it leaves things on a fraught note with him maybe getting in trouble due to being around some of the radioactive material. We have another partner of his who may be down and out. And at this point, you couldn't pay me to partner with Bosch.
April 27, 2018
The Overlook is a much shorter Harry Bosch novel than the others I have read, in fact it felt a bit like a novella and it missed some of the characterisation we are used to from Michael Connelly. That said, it was all story and happened in real time so it had a bit of a different feel to the stories that take place across a week or so.
Harry Bosch is a fantastic character and for those who are yet to meet him, this wouldn’t be a terrible place to start. In The Overlook we see him battling for control of a case with the FBI. And, none other than his on off lover Rachel Walling. There’s some great scenes in this book. We as readers love Bosch, but to anyone else who he doesn’t like or who doesn’t like him, he’s an absolute bastard and that only makes me like him even more.
Despite the shortness of the story I did enjoy the plot and where it eventually ended up. It could perhaps be said that once again Bosch ties everything up too neatly, and that once again career ending mistakes end up being washed away however this is fiction and I read these books to see Bosch behaving like this and to see him come out on top and so I am not going to complain. I am just going to say long may it continue.
Harry Bosch is a fantastic character and for those who are yet to meet him, this wouldn’t be a terrible place to start. In The Overlook we see him battling for control of a case with the FBI. And, none other than his on off lover Rachel Walling. There’s some great scenes in this book. We as readers love Bosch, but to anyone else who he doesn’t like or who doesn’t like him, he’s an absolute bastard and that only makes me like him even more.
Despite the shortness of the story I did enjoy the plot and where it eventually ended up. It could perhaps be said that once again Bosch ties everything up too neatly, and that once again career ending mistakes end up being washed away however this is fiction and I read these books to see Bosch behaving like this and to see him come out on top and so I am not going to complain. I am just going to say long may it continue.
September 21, 2025
Always love these books!
June 29, 2018
Ferras put the Blackberry down and turned back to his computer. Like many detectives he preferred to use his own laptop because the computers provided by the department were old and slow and most of them carried more viruses than a Hollywood Boulevard hooker.
The novella length The Overlook finds seasoned Detective Harry Bosch back in the Robbery/Homicide Division of LAPD, mentoring a young partner, Cuban-American Ignacio Ferras. Bosch is called out towards midnight to an execution-style murder at the Overlook above Mulholland Dam, a short distance from his home. The coroner and Detective Jerry Edgar are on scene but Edgar is happy to hand the case over due to his workload.
Bosch examines the victim’s Porsche, left at the lookout with the trunk open, showing strange indentations and he learns the deceased is medical physicist, Stanley Kent, who has access to radio-active isotopes stored at several hospitals in the valley, used in the treatment of cancers. But
before Bosch can take charge, he is confronted by FBI Special Agent Rachel Walling of the Tactical Intelligence Unit, an old flame, who is less interested in a homicide than the potential for radioactive caesium to have fallen into the hands of a terrorist group.
At the victim’s house the wife is found naked and trussed up on the bed, obviously distraught, the situation not helped by the arrival of Walling’s partner, Brenner, and Bosch fights to keep some control over the case…and some elements of the wife's story doesn't sit right with him.
This is classic Hieronyous Bosch standing up to the FBI. But before he can negotiate terms he and Ferras are sidelined to attend the scene where a car allegedly used in the execution (as witnessed by a tourist/drifter) has been found outside the house of an Islamic activist following an anonymous tip-off. Now Bosch has to face Hadley, the gung-ho head of LAPD’s Office of Homeland Security, a character that reminded this reader of Colonel Flagg of military intelligence in the long-running TV series M*A*S*H*.
Verdict: intelligent, well-written and entertaining.
The novella length The Overlook finds seasoned Detective Harry Bosch back in the Robbery/Homicide Division of LAPD, mentoring a young partner, Cuban-American Ignacio Ferras. Bosch is called out towards midnight to an execution-style murder at the Overlook above Mulholland Dam, a short distance from his home. The coroner and Detective Jerry Edgar are on scene but Edgar is happy to hand the case over due to his workload.
Bosch examines the victim’s Porsche, left at the lookout with the trunk open, showing strange indentations and he learns the deceased is medical physicist, Stanley Kent, who has access to radio-active isotopes stored at several hospitals in the valley, used in the treatment of cancers. But
before Bosch can take charge, he is confronted by FBI Special Agent Rachel Walling of the Tactical Intelligence Unit, an old flame, who is less interested in a homicide than the potential for radioactive caesium to have fallen into the hands of a terrorist group.
At the victim’s house the wife is found naked and trussed up on the bed, obviously distraught, the situation not helped by the arrival of Walling’s partner, Brenner, and Bosch fights to keep some control over the case…and some elements of the wife's story doesn't sit right with him.
This is classic Hieronyous Bosch standing up to the FBI. But before he can negotiate terms he and Ferras are sidelined to attend the scene where a car allegedly used in the execution (as witnessed by a tourist/drifter) has been found outside the house of an Islamic activist following an anonymous tip-off. Now Bosch has to face Hadley, the gung-ho head of LAPD’s Office of Homeland Security, a character that reminded this reader of Colonel Flagg of military intelligence in the long-running TV series M*A*S*H*.
Verdict: intelligent, well-written and entertaining.
April 20, 2018
Number 13 in the Bosch series.
This book was short but sweet.
Harry back with the LAPD and a new partner.
Harry and his partner get called to a homicide on the Overlook at Mulholland Drive. Turns out that this is not just a homicide but could also be terrorist related. Because of the terrorist threat the FBI and OHS, OHS stands for Office of Homeland Security. The FBI and OHS take the case and leave Harry and his partner out in the cold. No way is Harry going to let this happen. Harry finds a witness to the murder but hides him from the FBI. The FBI have suspects but wont let Harry interview them. Harry is more than a little bit annoyed at the FBI but conversely the FBI are just as p'ed off at Harry.
If the animosity that exists between the LAPD and the FBI in the book is a reflection of real life it's a miracle that any crimes ever get solved.
It's good to see Harry back where he belongs.
This is a short, easy and entertaining read with enough twists and turns to keep you turning pages.
This book was short but sweet.
Harry back with the LAPD and a new partner.
Harry and his partner get called to a homicide on the Overlook at Mulholland Drive. Turns out that this is not just a homicide but could also be terrorist related. Because of the terrorist threat the FBI and OHS, OHS stands for Office of Homeland Security. The FBI and OHS take the case and leave Harry and his partner out in the cold. No way is Harry going to let this happen. Harry finds a witness to the murder but hides him from the FBI. The FBI have suspects but wont let Harry interview them. Harry is more than a little bit annoyed at the FBI but conversely the FBI are just as p'ed off at Harry.
If the animosity that exists between the LAPD and the FBI in the book is a reflection of real life it's a miracle that any crimes ever get solved.
It's good to see Harry back where he belongs.
This is a short, easy and entertaining read with enough twists and turns to keep you turning pages.
October 30, 2025
Ho cominciato a leggere i romanzi polizieschi dello scrittore americano Michael Connelly agli inizi degli anni 2000 quando ero un accanito fruitore di thriller e fin dalle prime pagine rimasi colpito dalla qualità della scrittura, dalla solidità delle trame e dalla introspezione psicologica dei personaggi, ma soprattutto dalla figura del detective Harry Bosch, limpido esempio di poliziotto tanto intelligente quanto integro moralmente e profondamente umano: inevitabilmente per un lungo periodo non mi sono perso una pubblicazione di questi romanzi anche se poi col tempo, al mutare anche delle mie inclinazioni di lettura, mi sono allontanato da questa narrativa. Adesso, a distanza di circa 10 anni dall’ultima volta, ho voluto leggere questo romanzo che, oltre al riaffiorare dei ricordi di un tempo, mi ha regalato un’ottima lettura di evasione in cui spicca come sempre l’acume e la pazienza investigativa di Harry Bosch che riesce a sciogliere il rebus di una morte apparentemente di semplice soluzione che si rivela invece intricata e contorta.
December 31, 2021
Ο Χάρι κι εγώ σαν ευχόμαστε καλή χρονιά, με υγεία αγάπη και ό,τι επιθυμείτε!
Βιβλίο σφηνάκι που διαβάζεται με μιαν ανάσα! Ο καλύτερος τρόπος να κλείσεις μια καλή αναγνωστική χρονιά!
Βιβλίο σφηνάκι που διαβάζεται με μιαν ανάσα! Ο καλύτερος τρόπος να κλείσεις μια καλή αναγνωστική χρονιά!
April 25, 2025
“We are all circling the drain, he thought. Some are closer to the black hole than others. Some will see it coming and some will have no clue when the undertow of the whirlpool grabs them and pulls them down into darkness forever.”
February 19, 2020
Continuing with my visit back into the Harry Bosch Universe, this was next in line. In this one, Harry is in a new division, an elite homicide division, paired up with a young detective that might benefit from his experience. I think he does, but perhaps a bit more than he expected. He even wanted to cancel out and get a new partner at one point.
This story was all over the place, with the federal alphabet agencies getting involved (or a threat of them), anti-terrorism squads, even the mother of Harry's daughter, from the FBI. Nuclear materials are stolen, people are killed, there are physical fights between the FBI and Harry, etc. The ending was pretty unexpected, I thought. But Harry figures it out, all in a day's work.
This story was all over the place, with the federal alphabet agencies getting involved (or a threat of them), anti-terrorism squads, even the mother of Harry's daughter, from the FBI. Nuclear materials are stolen, people are killed, there are physical fights between the FBI and Harry, etc. The ending was pretty unexpected, I thought. But Harry figures it out, all in a day's work.
August 16, 2018
Bosch is at his irascible best, hunting for murders of a nuclear scientist. Add in Homeland Security, the FBI, including former love interest Rachel, and possibly evil Arab terrorists, and it's a fun ride.
September 8, 2022
Dr. Stanley Kent killed, shot 2 times in head, in his “rich” Mulholland Drive home. His wife found naked & “hog-tied”. What & Why?
Dr. Kent’s discovery of a new “radioactive substance” usage is growing in LA county Hospitals & other hospitals for potential money growth.
Harry Bosch, Ignacio Ferras (new partner) & Rachel Walling (FBI - w/some past romance) assigned. They need to find who was the murderer & why his wife (Alicia Kent) was left behind?
FYI: Caesium is mined from waste produced by nuclear reactors.
FYI Update: Micheal Connelly - Police & FBI Acronyms
The great view L.A. view from the small house in the Bosh TV shows.
Dr. Kent’s discovery of a new “radioactive substance” usage is growing in LA county Hospitals & other hospitals for potential money growth.
Harry Bosch, Ignacio Ferras (new partner) & Rachel Walling (FBI - w/some past romance) assigned. They need to find who was the murderer & why his wife (Alicia Kent) was left behind?
FYI: Caesium is mined from waste produced by nuclear reactors.
FYI Update: Micheal Connelly - Police & FBI Acronyms
This photo shows where Bosch’s small TV house sits on the side of a hill with it’s grand “Overlook” of LA city - I was surprised how it looks - they did a good job find it....
The great view L.A. view from the small house in the Bosh TV shows.
December 17, 2018
Overlook is disappointing.
For one, the plot sucks. It does not scan like a homicide mystery but rather an action-thriller. I mean in the end it is about murder but that noirish, hard boiled feeling is missing.
The second reason is that it feels manufactured. I mean take a standard homicide, wrap it up in a terrorist plot (really?), add an element of tension and voila - you have a story that feels like the movie Peacemaker.
Yes. I hated it. It is the worst in the Bosch series so far. And it is short!
For one, the plot sucks. It does not scan like a homicide mystery but rather an action-thriller. I mean in the end it is about murder but that noirish, hard boiled feeling is missing.
The second reason is that it feels manufactured. I mean take a standard homicide, wrap it up in a terrorist plot (really?), add an element of tension and voila - you have a story that feels like the movie Peacemaker.
Yes. I hated it. It is the worst in the Bosch series so far. And it is short!
July 20, 2022
Poor Rachel whenever she is with Harry one of her FBI colleagues seems to be a baddie. A murdered doctor, sesium missing and the possibility of terrorism. Harry has another new partner called Iggy who is young and worried about Harry’s unorthodox methods.
The story followed the tv version quite well although the wife came off better in the series. I also think it was a different baddie. Need to check. A solid 3.5. Always readable and entertaining.
The story followed the tv version quite well although the wife came off better in the series. I also think it was a different baddie. Need to check. A solid 3.5. Always readable and entertaining.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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