Book Review- Jackie K Cooper
THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE by Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly is the master of the universe in which he lives, and that is the sphere of crime thrillers. This man is so good at what he does that each and every one of his novels go straight to the top of the best sellers lists, and there is also a very successful TV series about his main character Harry Bosch. Each time Connelly writes a new book his fans quickly gobble it up and then begin counting down the days till the next one arrives. THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE is the twenty first Harry Bosch story and it is just as good or better than the first one was. Connelly's talent is not showing its age.
Bosch is now retired from the Los Angles police department where he worked as a detective. He did not go quietly into retirement but sued the city as he left. This has made him persona non grata in his old stomping grounds but Harry could care less. He is working part time for the San Fernando Police Department and taking some private gigs on the side. THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE is about one of each.
The "private" job has Harry tracing down a possible heir for one of the richest men in the country. Whitney Vance is eighty-five years old and sixty-something years earlier he had a romance that might have produced an heir. It is up to Harry to dig into the past and find out whether or not this is true.
Meanwhile Harry is also working the "screen cutter" case for the San Fernando Police Department. This case involves a serial rapist and Harry is digging up every clue possible so he can get this guy off the streets. The rapist is labeled the "screen cutter" because he gains entry into various homes by cutting the houses' screens.
Connelly gives us a double shot of Harry as we get to see how he operates on the job and also privately. There is also the double pleasure of having Harry's half-brother Mickey Haller assist him with the legal side of the private case. Yes the "Lincoln Lawyer" is still around and more fun than ever.
If you have not read Michael Connelly in the past then you can not know how much enjoyment you are missing. Nobody writes like Connelly, nobody. He is unique in his style and also in the character of Harry Bosch he has created. If you read one page about Harry Bosch as written by Michael Connelly you will be hooked for life.
It may be Connelly's twenty-first Harry Bosch book but it is fresh and innovative from the first page till the last. When it comes to crime procedurals it is step by step detecting that is page by page enthralling. You just can't go wrong with reading Michael Connelly. He will make you wild about Harry Bosch.
THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE is published by Little Brown. It contains 400 pages and sells for $29.00.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com