laurenjodi's review against another edition
5.0
The Concrete Blond
5 Stars
Detective Harry Bosch gained national fame when he shot and killed a serial killer known as The Dollmaker. Now Harry is being sued by the killer’s family for wrongful death and their case is being bolstered by the appearance of a new victim bearing all of the marks of the Dollmaker’s macabre signature. Did Harry make a mistake or is their a copycat on the loose?
The serial killer plot alongside the court room scenes make for a gripping and balanced mix of police procedural and legal thriller. The investigation is compelling with several red herrings to lead the reader astray. The final showdown with the actual killer is intense although his identity and motivation do feel contrived.
As with the previous books, Harry’s characterization is a highlight as more of his past is revealed. The developments in his relationships with Irving and Edgar are intriguing although the romance is rather weak mainly due to Sylvia’s contradictory attitude and behavior. It appears that Harry and Sylvia’s relationship is not actually going anywhere.
Connelly’s writing has improved with each successive installment. The action scenes are tighter although he still has the same difficulty that many male authors of thrillers encounter - they know how to write suspense and action, but struggle with expressing the more intimate and romantic emotions.
In sum, this is the best book in the series so far and I look forward to finding out what happens next with Harry and company.
5 Stars
Detective Harry Bosch gained national fame when he shot and killed a serial killer known as The Dollmaker. Now Harry is being sued by the killer’s family for wrongful death and their case is being bolstered by the appearance of a new victim bearing all of the marks of the Dollmaker’s macabre signature. Did Harry make a mistake or is their a copycat on the loose?
The serial killer plot alongside the court room scenes make for a gripping and balanced mix of police procedural and legal thriller. The investigation is compelling with several red herrings to lead the reader astray. The final showdown with the actual killer is intense although his identity and motivation do feel contrived.
As with the previous books, Harry’s characterization is a highlight as more of his past is revealed. The developments in his relationships with Irving and Edgar are intriguing although the romance is rather weak mainly due to Sylvia’s contradictory attitude and behavior. It appears that Harry and Sylvia’s relationship is not actually going anywhere.
Connelly’s writing has improved with each successive installment. The action scenes are tighter although he still has the same difficulty that many male authors of thrillers encounter - they know how to write suspense and action, but struggle with expressing the more intimate and romantic emotions.
In sum, this is the best book in the series so far and I look forward to finding out what happens next with Harry and company.
bhumi_19's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
philantrop's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
»“I didn’t know, Sylvia,” he said. “I hoped.”«
I didn’t know either but had hoped for a good Bosch novel and got even more than I expected.
In Michael Connelly’s “The Concrete Blonde” we’re revisiting Harry’s “white whale” case, which is, of course, “The Dollmaker”’s. Harry shot that guy in self-defence four years ago but it left an ugly stain on his already rather grey vest. Harry was de facto demoted and at the time of the “Concrete Blonde” he’s being sued over that shooting when another body is found that has all the marks of a Dollmaker victim…
What ensues from this point on is part courtroom drama but, to a much larger extent, a very suspenseful, exciting and smart police procedural which managed to fool me at every turn. As always, Harry investigates this at high stakes and takes great risk and, thus, we sometimes cross over into the realm of thrillers which is a very welcome aspect here.
As implied by the opening quote (which is the final sentence of the novel), we get to know Bosch a lot better yet: His budding relationship with Sylvia from the last novel goes to full bloom here - and keeps evolving. It’s unusual to read this much personal information in a non-”cosy” police procedural but it’s just one more way in which this novel works brilliantly: By not only showing Harry’s professional rough cop side but also his convictions and ethical values, he becomes much more of a believable, sensitive person.
»The anchor christened the killer the Dollmaker. After that, the killer was called that by everybody, even the cops.
But Bosch always hated that name. It said something about the victims as well as the killer. It depersonalized them, made it easier for the Dollmaker stories that were broadcast to be entertaining instead of horrifying.«
Harry even knows his Nietzsche and sees and recognises the danger he’s in of becoming as bad - or worse - than the people he’s hunting.
»‘Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you….’«
That Harry is aware of this danger, though, as well as his “moral compass” prevent him from becoming a monster.
»Bosch drove over to Central Division and found an open parking space at the front curb. For a while, he sat in his car looking at two trustees from the lockup washing the painted enamel mural that stretched along the front wall of the bunkerlike station. It was a depiction of a nirvana where black and white and brown children played together and smiled at friendly police officers. It was a depiction of a place where the children still had hope. In angry black spray paint along the bottom of the mural someone had written, “This is a damnable lie!”
Bosch wondered whether someone from the neighborhood or a cop had done it.«
Everyone keeps growing in this one - even Irving, now promoted, comes around and grows a personality beyond just gnashing his teeth to cow his detectives. He even starts respecting Bosch both as a cop and a human being. Shockingly, Irving even has a sense of humour…
»“Somebody put a cigarette butt in my pot,” he said. “That yours, Harry?”«
Some fresh blood, Hans “Hans Off” Rollenberger, is also around and Honey “Money” Chandler makes an appearance as one of Bosch’s adversary’s (albeit cut short by an event I wasn’t prepared for after seeing the TV show…).
Ultimately, I very much enjoyed this novel and will undoubtedly read on in this series.
Five out of five stars.
»Bosch drove over to Central Division and found an open parking space at the front curb. For a while, he sat in his car looking at two trustees from the lockup washing the painted enamel mural that stretched along the front wall of the bunkerlike station. It was a depiction of a nirvana where black and white and brown children played together and smiled at friendly police officers. It was a depiction of a place where the children still had hope. In angry black spray paint along the bottom of the mural someone had written, “This is a damnable lie!”\
Bosch wondered whether someone from the neighborhood or a cop had done it.«
marco5599's review against another edition
3.5
Raises the question which world is the dirtiest; L.A.'s porn scene or its judicial system. Harry Bosch would probably pick the latter. Book 3; a courtroom drama and serial killer mystery with a touch of psychology. About monsters, how some become one and how to recognize them. Quite the guessing game, all that profiling.
Result? Another captivating trip through different layers of L.A. with two seedy cases that make your coffee get cold and a detective made out of relatable strengths and weaknesses. Harry Bosch once again is awesome. Two other characters are noteworthy too. The enthusiastic Professor Locke, who provides some, eh, thoughtful insights about sexual predators, and Honey Chandler, a snake-like attorney. They both add flavor to an already tasty meal.
Can't say I was evenly pleased with how things turn out with the final victim and the perp. Perhaps a jaw dropper in the nineties, but by now I've read too many of those endings. One of the reasons why me and serial killer thrillers don't get along so well anymore. Me and Harry are still doing great though, so onto the next!
Result? Another captivating trip through different layers of L.A. with two seedy cases that make your coffee get cold and a detective made out of relatable strengths and weaknesses. Harry Bosch once again is awesome. Two other characters are noteworthy too. The enthusiastic Professor Locke, who provides some, eh, thoughtful insights about sexual predators, and Honey Chandler, a snake-like attorney. They both add flavor to an already tasty meal.
Can't say I was evenly pleased with how things turn out with the final victim and the perp. Perhaps a jaw dropper in the nineties, but by now I've read too many of those endings. One of the reasons why me and serial killer thrillers don't get along so well anymore. Me and Harry are still doing great though, so onto the next!
d_audy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
disastrouspenguin's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite of the first three novels, probably at least partially because Harry acts like less of a sexist pig, and the female characters are more believable.