A review by lesserjoke
Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

3.0

Like the other titles in its series, this is a reasonably solid procedural crime thriller -- albeit a little heavy on coincidences, such as the protagonist encountering an old flame / new potential suspect while pursuing a lead in a different city or later spotting another person of interest while on vacation somewhere else again. As with a lot of the 'copaganda' genre, it's also far too charitable towards police misconduct, most egregiously here in the detectives ignoring arrestees asking for their lawyers and joking that the problem in the Rodney King brutality case was the presence of a camera. Even Bosch himself takes part in some of this, and his response to the homophobia, sexism, and racism (including slurs) in the department around him is similarly disappointing, generally confined to looking vaguely disapproving but offering no outward comment. It may be realistic, and as timely now as upon publication in 1997, but I want better from my fictional heroes.

The plot, which stems from the investigation of a corpse discovered in the trunk of an abandoned car, has a few twists to it, although I think I'm mostly surprised to discover that the TV adaptation of this storyline turns a minor figure from the novel into the ultimate culprit and vice versa. But it's fine even without that wrinkle, and while it may not be the best showcase for the setting or the characters overall, readers this deep in the franchise should know what to expect and will probably leave satisfied. There's enough development in Harry's personal life to suggest not skipping this one, too.

[Content warning for gun violence and mention of child rape.]

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