It’s thirty years since Harry Bosch burst onto the best seller lists with The Black Echo and the publication of the latest Bosch blockbuster, DESERT STAR sees the veteran detective command the stage of crime scenes and suspense as fresh as ever, albeit with the layers of experience that have made him more despairing but nevertheless more determined.
In a series that has seen him retire, resign, reassigned and generally resurrected, hardened Harry Bosch knows the dark engine of murder would never run low on fuel.
In DESERT STAR, Bosch is back with Ballard, working on Unsolved Cold Cases. Departmentally, their primary case is the murder of a local politician’s sister, but personally, Bosch is fixated on the massacre of an entire family, butchered and buried in the Mojave many years ago.
This is a case that has continued to haunt, and Harry is intent on exorcising, deep diving into the murder book – the dossier of the initial investigation – delving into the detail. The devil is in the detail and Bosh desires to come face to face with the devil.
Where there was only silence in the library of lost souls, Harry Bosch is determined to make a big noise, raising the gods of guilt and the better angels of justice, creating page turning pandemonium in a police procedural without peer.
DESERT STAR continues Connelly’s reputation as one of the great stars in the crime writing firmament. As ever, it is rich in detail, strong on character, with plot pivots that are fascinating and function on several emotional levels.
Centered in Los Angeles, DESERT STAR allows Bosch to spread his investigative wings with the action spreading to Chicago and Florida.
Pathos, pace, twists and a savage sense of purpose, DESERT STAR weaves a wicked web with the assurance of a seasoned professional.
DESERT STAR by Michael Connelly is published by Allen & Unwin
