The Lost Light Fantastic (Lost Light - Michael Connelly)

Name: samueltyler

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Product:	Lost Light - Michael Connelly
Date:	23/04/08 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great characters, good mystery

Disadvantages: Half way through a series of books

If you take a saucepan full of sea water and let it boil slowly you will notice that water starts to evaporate. As the water level falls there will appear a crusty white (or greyish) residue that sticks to the bottom of the pan. Eventually all that will be left is this solid; all the liquid will be gone. Congratulations you have just produced sea salt. You have managed to distil sea water down to what you really want - salt. I would not recommend eating this salt as who knows were that water has been, but I would highly recommend Michael Connelly 'Lost Light'. In this book he has distilled a Harry Bosch tale until it is reduced to what fans really want - more Bosch.

Harry Bosch has finally left the police and is now trying to enjoy his retirement at home. Unfortunately for Harry not having the badge any more does not mean that his sense of justice is also gone. During his time on the force there were cases that he failed to solve and one particular killing still haunts him. After being asked by a bed ridden friend to look into it Harry once more sets out as a lone wolf on the trail of a killer. Little does he know that his investigations go far deeper than one murder - there is millions of dollars at stake and perhaps even terrorism.

The key to 'Lost Light' compared to earlier Bosch novels is the fact that Bosch is now retired. Previously he acted as loan wolf, but from within the police force. This meant that he was constantly under the eye of others and had to dodge the internal politics as much as try to solve the crime. By ridding Bosch of his badge Connelly has managed to make a book that solely concentrates on Bosch and his demons. It is a testament to the character that this proves to be a good thing. The more I learn about Harry the better. He is a troubled man who has led an imperfect life, but despite everything his sense of justice remains intact. This description is typical gumshoe fiction, and it is, however Connelly is such a good judge of dialogue and pace that it is the peak of the genre.

The story in 'Lost Light' is also very typical of the PI genre with Bosch being pushed from pillar to post as soon as he loses his badge. Watching him trying to solve a murder whilst no longer having the power is very interesting. I also liked the way that Connelly reintroduces Harry's old friends and had them tell him to back off as he is now a none person to them. The character study works because it is in a great mystery. You truly want to discover who the culprit is. This is not made easy as there are three separate cases that Harry runs into, a murder, a robbery, and potential funding of terrorism. Connelly skilfully balances all three cases so that they interact perfectly. With the use of clues and red herrings the reader is kept guessing till the very end.

Connelly also writes some of his best action and police procedural fiction so far in 'Lost Light'. The vast majority of the book is a very well written investigation were Bosch follows the paths to a killer. On this path he comes across many obstacles and in doing so highlights the friction between law enforcement agencies. This area of crime books can be very dry and boring but Connelly is able to make it exciting and fun. To add to this procedural fiction is a great finale action set piece, up their with the very best Connelly fiction.

I have no problem at all recommending this book to anyone, be they fans of crime fiction or not. It stands on its own as great writing and an excellent character study. Personally I would suggest starting the Bosch books from the very beginning, but starting here is not an issue. I would rate 'Lost Light' as the best in the series so far, at least as good as the brilliant first two books. With a fantastic central character it is a bonus that the actual story is also of top Connelly quality. With various well thought out threads including suspects, red herrings and politics, any reader is in for a master class in crime noir. After the disappointing 'Chasing the Dime' it is a joy to read Connelly once more at the top of the crime writer pile.

Sammy Recommendation

Author: Michael Connelly
Price: amazon uk - £3.49
play.com - £2.49

Summary: A great Harry Bosch novel - Connelly at his very best