Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch, an LAPD detective, makes his debut appearance in The Black Echo by Michael Connelly. Connelly’s Bosch series spawned an Amazon Prime Series, Bosch, which ran between 2014 and 2021.
In this debut novel, an anonymous phone call to 911 sets Bosch on a case involving a dead body dumped in a drainage tunnel near Mulholland Dam. The corpse’s face and tattooed shoulder seem familiar, even though Bosch can’t immediately identify how, or if, he knows the deceased. As Bosch works on the case, the Federal Bureau of Investigation suddenly becomes interested in the case. Eleanor Wish and her boss, John Rourke, become irritants to Bosch to a certain extent.
Once Bosch figures out that he knew the victim, Billy Meadows, from his time in Vietnam, the powers that be in the LAPD and FBI angle to get him off the case. The more the “suits” wanted him away from the case, the more determined he was to continue, regardless of what could happen to his career. Interestingly, the perpetrator of the crime seemed to stay one step ahead. How? Why? Is there a leak or mole in the LAPD or FBI?
Although rule-bending and tenacious, Bosch is likeable as a character. He cares about the victims of the crimes which he’s investigating. He’s an avid coffee drinker, and lives alone. Although this is the first of Connelly’s Bosch novels that I’ve read, I get the impression that he closely interacts with the women in his cases.
Although thoroughly enjoyable, The Black Echo seemed to slow down at times. A little more copyediting may have tightened it up to be more smooth running. On the other hand, it has power and the ring of truth. Overall, an entertaining outing in the Los Angeles area.
The Black Echo
by Michael Connelly
© 1992
Little, Brown & Company