The Overlook

Starred review from April 2, 2007
Bestseller Connelly's dazzling 13th Harry Bosch novel (after 2006's Echo Park
) reunites Bosch with his former flame, FBI agent Rachel Walling. Bosch must break in a new partner, rookie Iggy Ferras, when they're called to look into the execution of physicist Stanley Kent on a Mulholland Drive overlook. When a special FBI unit, headed by Walling, arrives and tries to usurp his case, claiming it's a matter of national security, Bosch refuses to back down. Walling's focus on the potential theft of radioactive material from the hospital where Kent was lending his expertise to cancer treatment and her unwillingness to share information only make Bosch more determined to solve the case. This is a quick read, almost half the length of Connelly's previous novels, but he spares no punches when it comes to complexity and suspense. The scramble to investigate threats to national security, justified or otherwise, is a timely subject and one on which Connelly puts a brilliant new spin.

April 1, 2007
This short novel began life as a 16-part serial in the New York Times. Despite being expanded somewhat for book publication, the storys roots as a plot-driven serial remain visible: readers familiar with Connellys celebrated Harry Bosch seriesAnd what hard-boiled fiction fan isnt?will notice less character development and less psychological texture here than in any of the full-length Bosch novels, but that isnt to say the story doesnt pack a wallop. In the wake of the controversial events at the conclusion of Echo Park (2006), Bosch has a new assignment, with LAPDs Homicide Special Unit. He lands his first case when a body is found on the overlook near Mulholland Drive. The victim, Dr. Stanley Kent, turns out to have had access to radioactive materials stored at hospitals throughout L.A. As the clues point toward a terrorist plot, Bosch must contend with various crime-fighting bureaucracies, including the FBI and Homeland Security. Bosch reacts to bureaucratic interference (even from former lover and FBI agent Rachel Walling) like the body reacts to radiation, so the sparks begin to fly immediately. Unlike other Bosch novels, which effortlessly mix action with the heros inner struggles, this one unfolds like an episode of 24, pounding its way relentlessly to a surprising conclusion. Treat The Overlook like a tasty hors doeuvre: down it in one quick gulp, and look forward to the next Bosch entr'e.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)