Ray's Reviews: The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly

“The Wrong Side of Goodbye” by bestselling author Michael Connelly
(Little, Brown, $29) is the latest in his exceptionally popular series
starring Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch.
        The former LAPD Homicide Detective and cold case specialist has left the
department after 30 years. Now he’s working part time as a private
detective.
        He doesn’t have an office - soon he’s contacted by Whitney Vance, a
reclusive billionaire.
        Summoned to Vance’s huge mansion, Bosch agrees to investigate whether the
industrialist had any heirs, which requires a lot of painstaking
research.
        When he was just 18, Vance had an affair with a Mexican girl, who became
pregnant and then disappeared. Bosch follows many leads, following a
trail with a link to the War in Viet-Nam, bringing back painful memories.
        Bosch attempts to track down the truth, utilizing a wide variety of
resources to find pertinent information.
        Other corporate executives may have a lot to lose – and Bosch is wary of
possible of intervention as he uncovers long hidden family secrets.
        But Bosch has other problems – he’s also working part-time as an unpaid
reserve officer in the small San Fernando CA police department.
        One of the cases he’s dealing with involves a serial rapist, known as
“the Screen Cutter” because of his method of gaining access to his
victim’s dwellings.
        During his investigation, Bosch and members of his department make some
unnerving discoveries, leading to distinctively deadly situations.
        “The Lincoln Lawyer”, Bosch’s half-brother Mickey Haller, plays an
important role as the tension mounts. The author expertly examines the
challenges facing small police departments, including budget cuts,
internal friction and inexperience.
        This is an excellent police procedural crime novel, one of Connelly’s
best; it’s full of well-developed characters, taut situations and vivid
descriptions.
        Readers who’ve been to the Los Angeles area are likely to appreciate
details relating to the freeways, traffic and assorted restaurants.
        While it helps to be familiar with the characters through Connelly’s
earlier novels, this also works well as a stand-alone entry.
        His main character has appeared for two years on “Bosch”, the Amazon
Prime television series, although aspects of the character’s past are
somewhat altered.
        This is a highly entertaining tale that’s easily one of the top crime
novels of the year.

        Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed crime
novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.

Find this book and other great titles

at the Curious Book Shop, an independent 

book shop in East Lansing, founded in 1969.

Curious Book Shop

307 East Grand River Avenue

East Lansing, Michigan

517.332.0112

This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on December 4, 2016.

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