I always have at least two books going at all times: one in print that I read in either paperback or hardcover, and another in audio that I listen to on my iPod during my daily 30-minute morning walk. I usually try to listen to something light and fun while I’m walking, so I thought another Michael Connelly book would be perfect. I’ve listened to one of his other books in the past (The Lincoln Lawyer) and I remember always looking forward to my walks so I could continue the story. I’d heard some excellent things about the Harry Bosch detective series and decided to start right from the beginning with The Black Echo. Here’s my review.
Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Harry Bosch is a veteran detective in the Hollywood Homicide Division. His current position is actually a step down from the one that he previously held in the more prestigious Robbery/Homicide Division of the LAPD, but that’s what happens when you have as many run-ins with Internal Affairs as Bosch does. You see, he’s one of those characters that fits every single cliché readers and moviegoers have come to associate with so-called “hardboiled detectives.” Think of any Bruce Willis movie where he stars as a cop that doesn’t play by the rules and you’ve got Harry Bosch down to a “T”.
As this novel opens, Bosch gets a 4am wakeup call from headquarters. An anonymous caller dialed 911 to report a dead body in a drainpipe near the Mulholland Dam. Bosch needs to get out there to investigate.
Once Bosch arrives on the scene, he realizes that every cop there is ready to pass the death off as an overdoes. The victim looks like a vagrant and has definitely used before, plus the drug paraphernalia in the drainpipe makes for a pretty convincing case — at least at first glance. But when Bosch takes a closer look, he realizes that he actually knows the victim. His name was Billy Meadows and he served with Bosch in Vietnam. Bosch then becomes even more interested in the scene and discovers several inconsistencies that he’d like to follow up on. The other cops think he’s crazy, but hey, that’s what we expect from a loner like Bosch.
After doing more research into Meadows’ past and getting the autopsy results, Bosch uncovers some interesting details that could tie Meadows to a bank robbery that was pulled off a year ago. In that job, the perps actually tunneled their way under the vault and came up through the floor during a 3-day holiday weekend. They then drilled into numerous safe-deposit boxes, walking off with untold millions in loot. They were never caught.
Meadows was not only tied to the crime because of a jade bracelet that turned up in a pawn shop, but also because of the entry method. Meadows had been a “tunnel rat” in Vietnam, a guy who searched through the thousands of miles of underground tunnels to root out the enemy. Bosch knew that Meadows was comfortable underground and could definitely have pulled off a bank job of that caliber if he had the right help.
Because Meadows was now connected to a bank robbery, the FBI had to be involved. Bosch refused to get locked out entirely, so he’s temporarily assigned to work with an FBI agent name Eleanor Wish. Together, the two of them follow leads, interview witnesses, and try to stop another heist that they believe Meadows and his crew were working on when Meadows got killed.
There are several twists and turns along the way, all leading to what’s supposed to be a surprise revelation at the end. However, anyone who pays the smallest iota of attention during the course of the novel can see the “surprise” coming from a mile off.
My Reaction: I’ve gotta say that I was expecting a lot more from The Black Echo. As I mentioned above, I’d heard so many good things about the Harry Bosch series that I figured this one would be a can’t-miss, but that wasn’t the case at all. The tunnel caper was cool in and of itself, but I found that it was far too coincidental that Meadows would get found by Bosch, the only person in the whole world (probably) who could have provided a positive ID and then investigated the case thoroughly.
Aside from that, I found the story lacking in several other areas. For instance, I could have done without the whole subplot of the IA goons following Bosch around the entire time. I know they were needed for that scene at the bank vault towards the end of the book, but their presence at other points just slowed the action to a standstill. And could Connelly possibly have indulged in any more clichés? Good lord, I’m not even going to bother recounting them here.
I also want to make mention of the scene where Bosch confronts one of the bank robbers in a tunnel. This was one of those eyeroll-inducing pieces of crap that give detective novels a bad name. You know the kind, where the villain keeps talking and talking and talking about the whole plot even though he/she knows full well that the police are in full pursuit. Moreover, the villain has a gun trained on the hero and could ensure a clean getaway just by pulling the trigger. Of course, that doesn’t happen so help arrives and the hero lives to fight another day. Gimme a break!!!!
Overall, I give The Black Echo 5.0 stars out of 10. It just came off as a very average novel to me, and I truly can’t see what the fuss is all about. Perhaps Connelly (and Bosch) get better with age, so I’ll probably try a couple of books written later in the series before giving up on this author altogether.