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Connelly's detective, Harry Bosch, is the same stereotype we've seen for decades. Nothing creative here. The whodunnit plot follows the usual path: crime, suspect, surprising twist or two, dramatic and personal near-disaster in which our hero hopes to save the girl, a bigger twist and the dramatic conclusion in which the whole thing is revealed for those who didn't keep up as it unfolded. Several plot elements are completely implausible. For example, about 1/3 of the book is spent on an early suspect based only on a hunch and a cursory investigation. This adds pages but no substance to the story. The plot involves a courtroom element throughout, and this is well-presented. All my criticisms aside, I found that I just had to know what would happen next, and kept on turning pages, even as I laughed at the many implausibilities. It's a mediocre detective story patterned after the "classic" Chandler novels, and the fact that I like it is more a complement to the genre than to Connelly.

I have only read the first three of these (savouring my way through the series) but so far, this is far and away the best! This is a corker of a book.

Connelly hand;es the parrallel plots (investigation into the new Dollmaker body and the court case) with the skill of a master.

Both the plot twines are superb, and so well plotted and written. They are full of tension and surprise. The legal-thriller side of the book is even more compelling than Grisham. It rings with authenticity and is exciting and tense. I loved following the case, and trying to decide which way the veridct would go, what else would happen during the course of the trial, etc.

The investigation into the new Dollmaker body is also great. It is puzzling, intriguing, suspenseful, exciting, and a whole load of other adjectives. Due to both the plots running next to each other i just couldn't stop turning those pages. The book always felt fresh and readable because of the fact that the focus on plot kept switching between the court and the Dollmaker case.

Harry Bosch is a great character. And i do wish he and Sylvia would work it out. She is a good match for him, and they would be a good couple. Bosch needs a bit of romance in his life to stop his character from getting stagnant....

The plot is so well devised and drawn that i was amazed. It is so completely original. I have never read anything quite like it. Intriguing, different, exciting, compelling, taut. I couldn't wait to find out how everything was going to resolve itself.

And, boy, was it a cracking resolution! I loved the ending, and the solution to whodunnit. I never saw it coming, evne though by rights i probably should have. Also, the final death is quite upsetting to the reader, because even though the victim has been against Bosch for much of the book, she is still quite a likeable character, and you can sense that Bosch likes her and respects her too.

A great book.

(For all who like Michael Connelly, i have to reccomend Ian Rankin to you. He is the Scottish Michael Connelly. (Actually, to be more accurate, Michael Connelly is the American Ian Rankin, as Rankin has been writing for longer.) Rankin's novels are very similar in mood, plot, sense of place, and character. Bosch is very like Rankin's lead character Rebus. Bosch was in Vietnam, Rebus was in the SAS. Rebus is flawed, as is Bosch. They are both somewhat unsucessful with women, and can't seem to keep a relationship going for long. Connelly's LA shimmers with life, and Rankin's Edinburgh literally breathes and pulses like an entity. The plots are also similar in style. If you are a fan of Connelly, you should really like Rankin.)

Detective Harry Bosch as a character is totally believable. Mr. Connelly's knowledge from being a crime reporter show beautifully in his novels. Very realistic.

I wish he had better taste in women. He like them sexually desirable, but shallow and self-centered. They always end up dumping him for cold, selfish reasons. They claim to understand the seriousness of his work, and also understand his commitment; but they leave him at his neediest, because only threir (lesser important) needs take precedence. Disgusting.

Hope he figures out he needs to find a real women to build a life with, not just a doll to screw.

Overall, an excellent read!!