The Black Echo (Harry Bosch, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #1)

by Michael Connelly

James M. Cain once said that the premise of all his plots was the tragedy that befalls us when we eventually get what we want.

“Oh, they went in a bit, you know, and reached in with a stick or something and poked around at the guy pretty good. Stiff as a wedding night prick.”

That made me laugh.

“There was no name for it, so we made up a name. It was the darkness, the damp emptiness you’d feel when you were down there alone in those tunnels. It was like you were in a place where you felt dead and buried in the dark. But you were alive. And you were scared. Your own breath kind of echoed in the darkness, loud enough to give you away. Or so you thought. I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. Just… the black echo.”