It’s the 18th book in the Bosch series, and, remarkably, this one does something slightly different! Bosch is retired from the LAPD, so this time, he’s pulled into investigating a crime by his half-brother, Mickey Haller. Haller (of Connelly’s other series, The Lincoln Lawyer) is the defense attorney for a man who has been falsely accused of murder, and he needs Bosch’s help to clear him. So for the first time ever, Bosch is working for the defense, rather than the prosecution. It’s still most of the same ingredients that made the previous Bosch books work, but with just enough of a twist to make things interesting.
I’ve heard of the Lincoln Lawyer series, but haven’t actually read it, so it was interesting to get a small glimpse at Connelly’s other recurring protagonist, Mickey Haller. That said, it was also a bit confusing to have him show up in the story as Bosch’s half brother; I don’t recall hearing anything about him in the other Bosch books, so either I missed something (maybe in one of the Bosch novellas?), or their connection is established in a Lincoln Lawyer book, and this is Connelly’s way of getting you to read those books too.
That said, it wasn’t too hard to follow along, and quickly get into Bosch’s typical antics with investigating a crime, turning to his contacts for help, and doing things his own way. It’s a reasonably satisfying read, and it makes me wonder, now that Bosch has “crossed over,” if we’ll see Haller and him interact more in future books in this series?
