45. – 508.) Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly – Harry Bosch takes on the investigation of the murder of a Chinese liquor store owner in a black neighbourhood. The investigation swiftly focuses on a tong enforcer who would have been at the store around the time of the killing. After arresting the enforcer, Chang, Harry receives a video from Hong Kong showing his daughter, Maddie, has been kidnapped. With no means of getting any answers from Chang or the tong Harry flies to Hong Kong where he meets his ex-lover, Eleanor Wish, and they pursue leads on where Maddie is being held. It was amazing how Harry is able to get information from a window reflection on the video through complex technical enhancements. The hunt for his daughter is violent and shocking. As he pursued the kidnappers I kept wondering why a tong would risk the attention that would descend upon them by kidnapping the daughter of a police officer to gain the release of a low level member. In the end Connelly, as he always does in his books brings together the threads and provides a realistic solution. The entry of Maddie into Harry’s life provides a new series of personal development as he will have to balance a family with work. It will be intriguing how a teenage daughter will be fitted into his life. No woman has sustained a long term relationship with the cop obsessed with his work. I am reminded of the mysteries of Gail Bowen and Anthony Bidulka where family members are active participants in the stories. I enjoyed the book but the standard of several earlier works was higher. Hardcover. (Nov. 23/09)About Me
- Bill Selnes
- Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada
- I am a lawyer in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada who enjoys reading, especially mysteries. Since 2000 I have been writing personal book reviews. This blog includes my reviews, information on and interviews with authors and descriptions of mystery bookstores I have visited. I strive to review all Saskatchewan mysteries. Other Canadian mysteries are listed under the Rest of Canada. As a lawyer I am always interested in legal mysteries. I have a separate page for legal mysteries. Occasionally my reviews of legal mysteries comment on the legal reality of the mystery. You can follow the progression of my favourite authors with up to 15 reviews. Each year I select my favourites in "Bill's Best of ----". As well as current reviews I am posting reviews from 2000 to 2011. Below my most recent couple of posts are the posts of Saskatchewan mysteries I have reviewed alphabetically by author. If you only want a sentence or two description of the book and my recommendation when deciding whether to read the book look at the bold portion of the review. If you would like to email me the link to my email is on the profile page.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
45. – 508.) Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly – Harry Bosch takes on the investigation of the murder of a Chinese liquor store owner in a black neighbourhood. The investigation swiftly focuses on a tong enforcer who would have been at the store around the time of the killing. After arresting the enforcer, Chang, Harry receives a video from Hong Kong showing his daughter, Maddie, has been kidnapped. With no means of getting any answers from Chang or the tong Harry flies to Hong Kong where he meets his ex-lover, Eleanor Wish, and they pursue leads on where Maddie is being held. It was amazing how Harry is able to get information from a window reflection on the video through complex technical enhancements. The hunt for his daughter is violent and shocking. As he pursued the kidnappers I kept wondering why a tong would risk the attention that would descend upon them by kidnapping the daughter of a police officer to gain the release of a low level member. In the end Connelly, as he always does in his books brings together the threads and provides a realistic solution. The entry of Maddie into Harry’s life provides a new series of personal development as he will have to balance a family with work. It will be intriguing how a teenage daughter will be fitted into his life. No woman has sustained a long term relationship with the cop obsessed with his work. I am reminded of the mysteries of Gail Bowen and Anthony Bidulka where family members are active participants in the stories. I enjoyed the book but the standard of several earlier works was higher. Hardcover. (Nov. 23/09)
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Bill - Thanks for the thoughtful review. One of the things that I respect about Connelly is his willingness to try new thing, strike out in different directions and experiment. And I agree with you that having Maddie in Bosch's life is going to add several new dimensions to the story. It'll be interesting to see what Connelly does with their relationship.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. I need to be reminded that I do like to see change in the lives of characters even if it is not always done as well as earlier books in a series.
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