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Nueve Dragones (2010)

by Michael Connelly(Favorite Author)

3.91 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

849918183X (ISBN13: 9788499181837)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Roca

series

Harry Bosch

review 1: Can't believe I forgot to review this one. Let me quickly sum up.Nine Dragons had a great beginning, with lots of little clues dropped around the murder to get a reader speculating. Once again, Connelly does his usual trick of hinting that the mafia or something greater may be involved, but he handles the outcome of that question differently than in previous novels.Minor spoiler: this book takes a detour to Hong Kong. Sometimes section departures don't gel properly with me, but in this case everything flowed very well. Not only that, the feel of Hong Kong reads convincingly. It was a great addtion and twist to the usual formula.There are also some pretty important things that happen to Bosch in this book, so definitely worth a read for those interested in his story... more arc.
review 2: Making things personal is a favourite trope of the thriller film, but it does not always lead to the best crime novels. I have read many long running detective series over the years and there always appears to be one book that deals with the family/girlfriend issue. Detectives seem unable to have a happy home live and work life, therefore the author goes about creating a mystery that brings crime closer to home. ‘Nine Dragons’ is that book for Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch, a seemingly normal shooting in a convenience store leads to links to the Yakuza and a threat to his ex-wife and daughter.Bosch is rightly seen as one of the best modern crime characters and Connelly a master of the genre, but here he has gone a little off piste. Bosch is such a good character because he is driven, thorough and willing to bend the rules if it gets the job done. He spends a lot of time shouting at colleagues for doing the wrong job or if they go in too hot headed, which is incredibly hypocritical seeing what unfolds in this book. With his daughter in danger Bosch goes all ‘Dirty Harry’ and seeks justice by any means.As a nameless thriller this is all well and good; the sections of the book set in Hong Kong have good pacing and are thrilling, but this is meant to be a Harry Bosch novel. Gone is the method, replaced by the madness. Connelly has taken the character to a place that will be hard to return from, how will Bosch criticise others in the future when he himself acted extremely selfishly? The book just does not feel like it fits in with the rest of the series, far more action and less intelligence. The book would have worked better as a one off with new characters, or least with one of Connelly’s more impulsive creations. As it is, ‘Nine Dragons’ is a solid thriller, but I am not sure how much it counts as part of the series. less

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