Angels Flight: 6 (Harry Bosch Novel)

I love intelligent, well written, engaging police procedural stories and not one of the books in the Harry Bosch series that I have read to date has disappointed me in this regard. However, this book, the sixth in the series, is one of the best in my opinion. In fact, I found it hard to believe that it was first published approaching twenty years ago, in December 1998. Harry is put in charge of a case no detective in the LA police force wants to handle. The murder victim, Howard Elias, is a prominent lawyer who is bringing a civil case against the police for the violent way in which they handled the interrogation of his client, Michael Harris, who had been acquitted for the rape and murder of a 12 year old girl. Elias believes he has sufficient evidence to not only bring down the guilty cops but also to expose the real murderer of the young girl. What I particularly enjoyed was the way the story unfolds. It starts with the discovery of two bodies in one of the cars on the Angels Flight cable railway in downtown Los Angeles and Harry being ordered to take charge of the case. From then on you follow the investigation through the eyes of Harry and his team, as if you are a fly-on-the-wall. You are present as they sift and uncover evidence and develop possible motives for a number of different suspects. As they hunt for the truth, you empathise with their concerns, their fears of being swayed by their own feelings for the earlier case and their increasing frustration as they sense they are being manipulated for political purposes. You can easily read and enjoy this book as a standalone novel, but I think you will appreciate it all the more if you have read the previous books in the series as a number of characters who appeared in the earlier books play a prominent part in this one. It also helps if you know about the politically charged atmosphere in the USA in the early-to-mid nineteen-nineties as this is an important backdrop to the story. There are plenty of twists and turns to the story and the ending caught me by surprise. I should say however, that some readers may find one or two of the scenes or some of the subject matter a little unsettling. But as a police procedural novel, this one is outstanding.

Angels Flight Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch is back, fighting crime in Los Angeles, and for once he finds himself almost a part of the establishment, although naturally, Bosch being Bosch, things prove to be far from straightforward. The novel opens with Bosch being called in the middle of a Friday night in 1999 by the Deputy Chief of Police for Los Angeles, demanding that he gather together his team and proceed, as soon as possible, to Angels Flight, the landmark funicular railway in Bunker Hill, downtown LA. Having arrived, he learns that there has been a double murder, and that one of the victims is prominent lawyer. Howard Elias had made many enemies (mainly cops) during his successful career that revolved around suing LAPD officers and detectives over claims of police brutality, racism and corruption. His latest case, charging four LAPD detectives with the torture of an African American suspect being held on suspicion of murder, was scheduled to start during the following week. All too conscious of the rioting and mayhem that had followed the clearing of the officers charged with beating up Rodney King, the Deputy Chief asks Bosch to lead the investigation, and to keep him advised of every new development. Feeling that he is being set up to fail in the glare of extreme public and media scrutiny, Bosch is reluctant to take the case on, but is given no room for manoeuvre by the Deputy Chief. As if to add insult to injury, aware that suspicion is bound to land on rogue police officers, the Deputy Chief orders Bosch to work alongside four detectives from Internal Affairs Division, including john Chastain, who had twice investigated disciplinary charges levelled against Bosch himself. As if these factors were not enough to leave Bosch feeling sorely tried, his marriage to former FBI agent Eleanor Wish is also facing difficulties, and she seems to have gone AWOL. Michael Connelly’s talent lies in his tight plotting and creation of highly plausible characters. In this novel there is greater consideration of the political context against which the plot unfolds, but this never intrudes to the detriment of the books, there is lots of action, although this time there a fair amount of political intrigue is adept at keeping the plot moving, and he does just that here.

It's what you would expect from MC, a great depiction of Harry Bosch, as he changes as he moves through life but never loses his razor sharp ability to see obscure but essential things most people miss, it's just a great read.

LAPDと対峙するやり手の人権派黒人弁護士が居合わせた女性と深夜のケーブルカーで射殺されたところから物語はスタート。殺された弁護士はごく近いうちにLAPDを相手にした裁判を控えていた。 しかも、殺人に使用された拳銃は刑事の通常使用するモデル。当然、警察内部の殺人関与が疑われる。LAPD、FBI、IADそれぞれの思惑と面子、組織内政治関係、複雑な人種問題とアメリカの司法と検察が絡みながら捜査が進みます。 殺人捜査のリーダーを命じられたボッシュですが、調べて行くほどに上司のアーヴィンが目指している落とし所が事件の真相と異なり、黒人の部下との間で事件捜査の進め方に悩みます。全体に暗いストーリーの運びですが、ボッシュの許を離れて行こうとするエレノアとの確執がより小説に暗い影をあたえています。 事件発生から終わりまでわずか約3日間の出来事を描いた作品ですが、これでもか、という程のエピソードがつめこまれていて最後までページをめくるスピードが緩むことがありません。 中でも、 ケーブルカー殺人事件が別の事件を呼び起こしていくくだりは本当に意外性にあふれたものですし、真犯人にたどり着くまでの推理とその後の復讐劇はスリリングの一言。さすが、当代きってのストーリーテラー、コナリーですね。

Another Connelly gem!

A very exciting novel. But the superman Har ry Bosch seems to be able to work just about without sleep and to eat.

I was intrigued whilst reading the book. Gripping yet the author seems to be honest enough to state the cover up in the LAPD for the high and rich as also the politics of police . Unlike many he does not sift pedal the matter and is realistic in stating the matter . All in all I did enjoy this book like I have done many of Connelly.

One of my favourite flawed characters. Another great read from a first-class author !