This, the third book in Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series, is without a doubt my favorite so far. Having met and fell in love with Harry in Connelly's first book, The Black Echo, I am always thrilled to begin those first few pages -- it's like meeting up with an old friend you haven't seen for awhile. This old friend is a Vietnam vet still traumatized by going through enemy tunnels while on duty as a tunnel rat in "Nam". Now he's an LAPD homicide detective so he's still being traumatized on a daily basis.
This thriller finds Harry not only on the streets solving crimes but also in the courtroom defending himself in a civil suit brought by the widow of a serial killer known as "The Dollmaker". She feels that her "serial killer" husband's civil rights were denied when Harry shot him to death without cause. At the time, Harry thought the alleged perpetrator was reaching for a weapon -- it was later revealed that he was just reaching for his toupee. This "dollmaker" nickname came about because the killer had a practice of putting makeup on his victims, making them look like painted up dolls. Now, years later, this widow is painting Bosch out to be a vigilante with a dubious past of his own hiding behind an LAPD badge and shooting people without reason. Bosch feels justified in killing the Dollmaker four years ago but, when a copy cat body shows up and associated letters resembling those that the Dollmaker used to send begin to appear, even Harry has his doubts. The courtroom scenes are compelling and the new copycat investigation is more than routine.
If you're into the mystery/thriller genre and want to sink your teeth into a series with a great protagonist and even greater writing and storylines, try Connelly's series featuring Harry "Hieronymus" Bosch. To find out what really makes Harry tick and to find out where he got the ridiculous name of Hieronymus, you should read the books in order starting with the first one, The Black Echo, continuing on to The Black Ice and then rewarding your efforts with this one, my personal favorite, The Concrete Blonde.
