The Overlook (Harry Bosch) Reviews

• Take a Deep Breath and Dive In

  
  By AXW444VIV75UF on 2007-05-23
  This book is satisfying on every level and deeply so; besides that, I haven't had as fun a read in a very long time. It is an outstanding work by an author who makes good prose and the creation of better characters seem effortless. In essence, a guy gets shot and Detective Bosch goes after the murderer--he goes after nothing else. Set aside about three hours and take the phone off the hook. And please, don't ruin the book for anyone else by giving away the ending.
  
  Readers of Mr. Connelly are familiar with Connelly's protagonist Harry Bosch to a degree that by now we know the good detective, we know what he is about, we know what drives him and we have learned to trust his instincts. Indeed, Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch is among the most well-developed characters in literature of any genre. His creator has placed Bosch into so many different situations that I was curious as to whether he could continue to keep the character compelling--he can and does. Convincingly so.
  
  The Overlook is driven by plot; it takes place inside a day. Detective Bosch is now at the height of his powers and is no longer given to doubts--he is about the truth, he knows how important it is and what is best about Connelly's writing, the truth is not ambiguous but absolute. It is illuminating to witness Bosch as a mentor with a new partner, a young and gifted detective who has yet to appreciate the clarity of Bosch's vision. In fact, I suspect that new readers will identify quite well with some of Detective Ferras' concerns. But the true depth of this work is in its portrayal of the fact that Bosch's grasp of essential truths is so strong that he cannot be intimidated or distracted by even the most serious of potential threats and consequences. Bosch acts instinctively and as shown in The Overlook, Bosch is at his best when he trusts himself.
  
  Justice is served in a Connelly novel. Justice in general and justice to the reader who shelled out twenty bucks for a chance to journey with Detective Bosch. This was my favorite Bosch yet.
  
  Highest Recommendation
  
  

• A Harry Interlude

  
  By AYT4FJYVCHYLE on 2007-08-15
  This felt like exactly what it was: An expanded serial. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it just felt like it should be the first part of a larger set of stories regarding Bosch. Actually by the time I had finished the book, which takes place over twelve hours, I felt more like I was reading an episode of the television show '24' complete with the terrorist angle to seal the deal. For Bosch fans this is fine to pass a couple of hours until the next big case comes along, but like having a sundae and only getting a scoop of ice cream, it left me wanting more. On a side note, and one that's completely fun, Harry leaves his phone number for another character in the book,and you can actually call it and hear his message machine.
  
  

• Worth reading, but not one of Connelly's best

  
  By A25HYPL2XKQPZB on 2007-08-03
  THE OVERLOOK is the latest Harry Bosch novel released by Michael Connelly. This book, previously released in serial form, is about half as long as a regular Bosch novel. I'm a fan of Connelly and I've only read 5 or 6 of his books but have to admit I'm disappointed in this book. First, considering it's length, you are getting half the novel you usually get from Connelly. Knowing that, the content of the novel has to be judged even more critically, ie. quality, not quantity. In the Bosch books I've read, they've always been short on twists and turns. They've been more like straight forward procedurals that slowly grow on you as the novel moves on. In The Overlook, the novel doesn't have a chance to build up steam, it has to capture you right away. And I don't beleive it does.
  
  Harry is awake, at home around midnight, when he recieves a call. He's a homicide detective now and there's been a murder. Harry calls his new partner Iggy to meet him there. Stanley Kent was murdered at the Overlook, a scenic spot in Hollywood that looks out over the city. Rachel Walling, an FBI agent that Bosch has a history with, also shows up at the scene. The FBI is also highly interested in Stanley Kent. Kent worked in the medical profession with cesium, a highly radioactive material used to treat cancer. Because of the cesium, the FBI believes there may be a possible terrorist angle to the case. Bosch goes to the Kent house and finds his wife, Alicia, naked and hog-tied in the bed.
  
  We learn all that in the opening, and the middle part of the book is what disappointed me. First, since this book is so short, there isn't much room for plot twists and turns. In this book there isn't any. Connelly details the investigation in extreme detail, and unfortunately, none of the details are very interesting. Second, Connelly establishes that the primary conflict in the novel will be jurisdiction. Harry wants the case since it is a homicide. The FBI is more concerned about the national security angle. The novel follows Bosch going back and forth with Walling, backstabbing, playing politics, all in the name of jurisdiction. I'm sure law enforcement agencies have jurisdiction problems all the time, but as a plot device in a novel, it gets old. And it especially doesn't work as the central conflict that drives the novel.
  
  Now, the novel has strong points as well. I've found many Connelly novels to focus on what seems to be boring details, only to have the details come back to matter later. That is true in THE OVERLOOK as well. Every seemingly tedious observaiton Bosch makes in the beginning plays a part in how the case is solved. Bosch fans will enjoy this novel, as I did, because of its brevity and because Bosch is his usual self. I didn't much care for Connelly's commentary on the motives of the FBI in the case, but that really doesn't play a part in the quality of the book. I recommend this to all Bosch fans, but I certainly wouldn't pay full price for a book this short.
  
  
  

• DON'T OVERLOOK THIS CONNELLY OFFERING

  
  By AN3D3M8MJ07BQ on 2008-03-28
  The Overlook is classic Michael Connelly. Featuring Detective Harry Bosch, late of the LAPD's Homicide Special Squad, and his new partner Ignacio (Call me Iggy) Ferras it offers a mystery that contains all the excellent police procedural murder investigation elements that bears Connelly's signature coupled with an in depth look at the nasty little war that goes on between local and Federal government agencies when they are involved in the same case.
  
  It seems that the murder victim in this case is tied to the disappearance of radioactive material suitable for making a dirty bomb, so of course the FBI and Department of Homeland Security come into the picture and proceed to play a nasty little game of hide and seek with a couple of witnesses thereby reeking havoc on Harry's investigation and thwarting him at every turn.
  
  Harry, of course, is not to be deterred in this cat and mouse game and author Connelly succeeds in providing his readers with yet another story that is intricately plotted, filled with clever clues and misdirection and offers a read that is satisfying down to the very last page. 3 1/2 stars for this one
  
  
  

• Short, but very sweet thriller!

  
  By A2SCE4N85TL2DB on 2007-06-01
  This is the 13th in Connelly's Harry Bosch Series and the quality has not wavered. This time out past lover Special agent Rachel Walling is back in Harry's life, and Bosch also has to break in a new partner a character by the name of Iggy Ferras. Physicist Stanley Kent has been murdered at a Mulholland Drive lookout. It is a professional hit. Then Walling arrives on the scene to try and take the case from Bosch in the name of national security, sparks fly! Kent worked at a hospital where some radioactive material has been stolen. She won't share and either will Harry! This is a fun fast read, my one complaint is that it is a very short book, and it ended way too fast. What is there though is excellent! A complex look at threats to National security and how we as a nation must deal with them, all wrapped up in a great suspense story!
  
  
• A quick page turner
  By A23US54A0OILE4 on 2007-05-23
  When you first see the book The Overlook in person you'll wonder if its worth the effort to read because of its fairly short size. Never fear...Michael Connelly delivers on just about any angle you want to look at. Though a quick read, you'll keep licking your fingers.
  
  The body of a physist is found on the overlook near Mulholland DRive. Harry Bosch gets the case but before he can hardly begin he gets FBI interference on the basis of "national security." Fast paced with a somewhat shallow plot, The Overlook, will leave you wanting more. Still a four star read.
  
  
• A "hot" Harry Bosch thriller!
  By A3E8QNDC7CV44 on 2007-06-24
  Having begun life as a 16 part serial for the New York Times, "The Overlook" has a dramatically different flavour than the preceding 12 novels in the continuing, exciting Harry Bosch canon with which Connelly has thrilled his legion of fans. Less grim and foreboding, less atmospheric, less prone to the philosophical meandering that we've come to expect from the angst-ridden backcountry of Bosch's psyche, "The Overlook" is much more of a plot driven novel - a shorter, snappier, purely action oriented police procedural but no less successful and enjoyable for the differences!
  
  
  
  Dr Stanley Kent, a medical bio-physicist who had access to radioactive materials used in the treatment of cancers at hospitals throughout LA, has been found murdered - executed, in fact, with two bullets in the back of the head - on a Mulholland Drive overlook. Bosch, assigned to the murder with his new partner, Iggy Ferras, immediately begins to bump heads with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, called in on the case as a result of the potential terrorist involvement with the assassination. The case is mere minutes old and Kent's body has barely begun to cool when Bosch discovers that the crime also involves the theft of a case of potentially deadly radioactive Cesium-137. That the FBI agent assigned to the case is Rachel Walling, Bosch's love interest who we met in Connelly's last novel "Echo Park" complicates matters immensely but certainly doesn't prevent the inevitable inter-organizational war over case jurisdiction.
  
  
  
  Bosch, true to the mantra "Everybody counts or nobody counts" which we first heard in "The Last Coyote", focuses on people and is intent on finding Kent's murderers. The FBI, not too surprisingly, treats the murder as incidental and is intent on treating the theft of the Cesium as a threat to national security.
  
  
  
  There is no doubt in my mind ... Connelly is brilliant! Even with a purely plot-oriented novel, he has made sure that Bosch loses none of the flavour or depth of character so carefully built up in twelve previous novels. His interaction with Walling is both hot and heated (if you understand the subtle distinction). The jurisdictional squabbling and in-fighting has a definite tinge of realism and, frankly, it is difficult as a reader to sit in judgment in this particular case and take sides. Bosch and Walling, the FBI and the LAPD were all right and wrong at various moments in the novel!
  
  
  
  And what can one say about the ending? There is no way that any reader is going to see this fancy twist coming! If you're a Bosch fan, you're gonna love this one! If you haven't read any of Bosch's previous novels, don't start here ... go back and read four or five of the earlier novels (try to pick them up in chronological order - start with "The Black Echo") so you can get that underlying feel for the character first. Then come back and enjoy this one with the rest of us.
  
  
  
  Highly recommended!
  
  
  
  
• Good Book
  By A1WBIUQTR14CTG on 2007-07-04
  This shortened novel is the completed serialization Connelly did for the NY Times. It is a short but entertaining look at Harry Bosch after Echo Park. New situation, new partner. And it does not fail his readers. Harry's character still acts with his own sense of honor and duty. Never taking his eyes off of the goal - first and foremost a murder - a scientist who was coerced to steal radioactive substances to save his wife's life, is murdered after he comes through with his part of the deal. With a quantity of radioactive materials not accounted for, the FBI and National Security are called in. Piecing together the actions and the facts are what Harry does best, and he doesn't fail us.
  From start to end, the book covers about 12 hours real time - and that was fascinating to see Harry in action under time constraints.
  While this book may not have had the time for the usual complexities, Overlook comes through for us - until we get the next full length adventure.
  
  
  
• `We are all circling the drain'
  By A1DYMH30TSRONY on 2008-05-16
  Harry Bosch is now assigned to Homicide Special: waiting for cases that are politically sensitive, have a level of media interest, or are just too hot for the regular LAPD to handle. Harry's first case with Homicide Special, it quickly becomes apparent, combines all three of these ingredients.
  
  An execution style murder, the theft of significant quantities of a potentially deadly radioactive chemical and the involvement of multiple agencies all place pressure on Harry's capacity to work the murder case effectively. Harry himself is dedicated to finding the murderer while those in the agencies around him are intent on exploring terrorist possibilities. Harry, of course, is not above redefining co-operation to suit the needs of his case and, by following the evidence rather than speculation solves the murder. A case, perhaps, for the straightforward application of `all other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best' (the principle known as `Occam's Razor').
  
  I enjoyed this relatively short Harry Bosch story. While it lacks some of the detailed writing of other Bosch novels, it was a great way to spend a couple of spare hours. While I worked out aspects of the solution before the end of the novel, there were sufficient loose ends to keep my attention until the end.
  
  Jennifer Cameron-Smith
  
  
  
• PRIME LISTENING PLEASURE
  By A3M174IC0VXOS2 on 2007-05-29
  
  Harry Bosch is back with another adventure and who's narrating this can't-put-down tale? Standout Broadway, television and film actor Len Cariou, of course. For many of us Cariou is the one and only voice of the indefatigable Bosch. To my knowledge he's read five of the Bosch books and his reading is tops - spare, tough, determined.
  
  As The Overlook opens Harry gets the call he's been waiting for - his first assignment since joining L..A.'s Homicide Special Squad. We hear: "Hollywood wants you and Iggy to come out and take over a case. They've already caught three today and can't handle a fourth. This one also looks like it might become a hobby. It looks like an execution."
  
  After learning a murder took place on the overlook above the Mulholland Dam and alerting his new partner, Ignacio Ferras, called Iggy, a now 56-year-old Harry moves quickly. The victim, Dr. Stanley Kent, was shot twice in the back of the head. As it turns out Kent was not an ordinary physician but one responsible for transporting cesium 137 between hospitals where it was used for treating cancer. However, it could also be utilized for making dirty bombs. Doesn't take long for Harry to visit a woman's clinic where he finds that Kent had taken 32 tubes of the stuff after receiving a photo of his wife, nude and tied on their bed. He was ordered to bring the cesium to the overlook or she would be killed.
  
  Now, after 9/11 and with all of that deadly stuff unaccounted for what else can happen but panic? Officials tripping over each other, making snap decisions. Then, there are others who'd like to capitalize on the situation to become heroes. Thus, the FBI enters in a joust for control with the local police.
  
  Leave it to Bosch - he knows if he finds the murderer he finds the cesium and the chase is on.
  
  - Gail Cooke
  
  
  
  
• Not Connelly's best but still worth reading
  By AHLZRSA3VPP1H on 2007-06-04
  Dr. Stanley Kent is found on an overlook near Mulholland Drive with two bullet holes in the back of his head. Dr. Kent was a medical physicist with access to every hospital in the area. Harry Bosch is called to the scene by as part of LA's Homicide Special Squad where he meets up with his ex-lover, FBI Agent Rachel Walling who also happens to be on the scene. Highly radioactive cesium is missing from a gynecological-cancer laboratory and Dr. Kent is responsible for taking it. What was an execution-style killing has become a matter of national security.
  
  Michael Connelly is one my top 5 favorite authors. I'd rather read an average Michael Connelly then many other author's best work. I enjoyed the story, but this wasn't one of Michael's Connelly's best efforts. The problem might have been expanding a magazine series into a full-length novel. I found the references to Echo Park in the beginning of the book. Not everyone reading THE OVERLOOK read ECHO PARK, or as in my case, I didn't remember the plot of that book. Connelly has a talent for keeping the suspense level high, and I wasn't disappointed on that front. There are some nice twists and turns to keep the reader interested and the story moving forward. I felt a little frustrated at the ending since we are left-hanging as to the state of Harry's health. We'll know as soon as the next Harry Bosch book is written which I hope will be soon.
  
  
• Enjoyed, but Not Mr. Connelly's Best
  By A22AFCG9CKT5CF on 2007-07-12
  I have always enjoyed Michael Connelly's books. I suppose that The Poet would be one of my favorites. I remember that this book was actually written for the NY Times in chapter segments, so it was good to see that the publisher finally got around to releasing a full novel. I didn't think the story in The Overlook was complicated, thus making it easy to follow. It flowed evenly, with just enough new clues emerging in every chapter to make me want to read more. Even with a purely plot-oriented novel, Mr. Connelly made sure that Bosch didn't lose his depth of character that was developed so skillfully in all the 10 or 12 previous novels. All in all, this was not Mr. Connelly's best effort but I still enjoyed it.
  
  
• Not bad, but not really his best either...
  By A278AF56R7J86 on 2007-07-29
  Michael Connelly is extremely gifted at writing crime mysteries, and has enthralled readers everywhere with his detective series which follows the character Harry Bosch. While I have thoroughly enjoyed Connelly's Harry Bosch series, this recent addition was not quite the best in the bunch (although it wasn't overly disappointing either).
  
  "The Overlook" has Harry Bosch recovering from his most recent escapade in Echo Park (Harry Bosch) -- starting fresh with a new partner, but the same old surly rebel attitude. Bosch finds himself in charge of an investigation into the murder of a local doctor, which was carried out on a remote overlook of L.A. Bosch soon finds himself in the added tangle of a Federal investigation when it's discovered that the victim was an unfortunate casualty of a terrorist organization set to target the U.S. with a dirty bomb full of radioactive material. With the FBI mucking around in his murder investigation, it isn't long before Bosch begins to resort to his rebellious ways (if there's one thing he hates, it's getting pushed around by the Feds).
  
  I was actually entertained by this book (as I am with the entire Bosch series), but I felt this particular novel was a little bogged down with the beauracratic lingo and explanations. The majority of the book (and it was actually one of the smaller ones) was taken up by lengthy explanations about the mechanics of the relationship and differences between the FBI and the LAPD (which of course annoys Bosch to no end). Bosch wanted to focus on the actual murder case -- in his mind, if you find the murderer, you'll find the terrorists. The Feds, however, were less concerned with solving the murder, and more concerned with tracking down the stolen radioactive material (which of course poses a more immediate threat to U.S. citizens). The whole book is pretty much about how the two mindsets clash and cause problems and friction.
  
  Like I said, it's not a bad book, but I feel a bit on the fence about it. I would have rather skipped most of the formulaic beauracratic explanations and gone straight for the good stuff -- but, Michael Connelly rarely let's me down, and I *was* mostly entertained (which is kind of the point of a book), so while I can't give it a rave review of 4 or 5 stars, I'm more than happy to give it a decent 3 star rating.
  
  
• Small, but packs a punch...
  By A39ABKRS1MKFTW on 2007-05-29
  The Overlook by Michael Connelly was originally written as installments for the New York Times Magazine. Although I didn't read The Overlook in the Times, Connelly claims that this novel is substantially "expanded and revised." While small in size, The Overlook packs a mighty punch.
  
  Harry Bosch is a detective with the LAPD and now works for the Homicide Special, part of the city's elite Robbery-Homicide Division. Bosch is called out on a case when the body of Dr. Stanley Kent is discovered at the overlook. Bosch realizes that this is not an ordinary case when FBI agent Rachel Walling also appears at the scene. Bosch and Walling share a past that has been more than professional and always complicated. Kent was a medical physicist in charge of radioactive medical supplies. The fear is that terrorists may have been responsible for his murder, as well as the possible theft of 32 tubes of highly radioactive cesium. While Bosch focuses on finding the killer, Walling and the FBI worry about finding the cesium. But as usual, the FBI tries to cut Bosch out of the case (something that Bosch refuses to do gracefully).
  
  How this case plays out is pure genius on Connelly's part and the plot took me by surprise. But what kept me from giving The Overlook five stars is the length. At a mere 225 pages, it's much too short and we've come to expect more from the author. As I've said before, however, Connelly is still one of the best mystery writers out there and The Overlook still is a masterful book.
  
  
  
• Ouch!! Michael what happened?
  By A2CG2P4757GZZY on 2007-06-05
  First up, I'm a huge fan of Michael Connolly and Harry Bosch. Bosch always reminds me of that dog Harry from the kids books, the terrier aggressively and singlemindedly pursuing his own goal regardless of the opinion of his human family. Sometimes I think Connelly must have harrythedog in the back of his mind when he writes Boschthedetective. Second up I order these books in first edition hardcover when I can because I can't wait for them to be released in Australia. Credentials established: I'm keen.
  
  I've read everything in the series, plus Connolly's other writing, I admire the man for what he has put into contemporary crime writing. I appreciate that he appreciates James Lee Burke. BUT... to The Overlook. Basically, it reads like he serialized it (which he apparently did for a New York publication) and then stuck it together while he had his mind on something else. Bingo, book, bucks. I don't know. It had potential, it did NOT descend into homeland-security-as-flavor-of-the-month. And praise God Harry didn't end up saving the world from a cesium flavoured radiation disaster. It just lacked life. This book just wasn't three dimensional. It was disappointing. There was a distinct lack of character development with Bosch's new partner 'callmeIggy' and follow up on the new chief and Rachel Walling (Bosch's old squeeze). Kiz Ryder is mentioned in a coupla lines and Jerry Edgar is definitely on the outer as usual. Ex-wife and child are still in Hong Kong. Brief reference to Harry's Vietnam past. It's like Connolly needed to brush his fingertips across the landscape of Bosch which we avid fans desperately want to SQUEEZE!!!
  
  So, fellow appreciators of Michael Connolly, I would say read it to keep up with Bosch, we will all forgive him anyway because the series is 5 star, but lets hope he's back on form for the next one. And God let it be soon. We're a dedicated audience and it would take a mess of Cornwall-like proportions to stop most of us continuing with the series. ps. DON'T PLEEEEAASE ever write in the first person Mr Connolly again, you're observations of Bosch in the third are far pithier and more lively.
  
  
• "Men of rank often fought battles with enemies that were inside."
  By A2MF2QVSCUI27G on 2007-05-26
  
  The LA landscape has changed radically for Harry Bosch (Echo Park). Now part of the city's Homicide Special squad, Bosch is teamed with a new partner, the decades younger Ignacio Farras, who is continually flummoxed by Harry's refusal to call him "Iggy". But Harry considers their relationship on this special squad too formal to tag his partner with a diminutive, giving some insight as to the nature of the senior partner and the seriousness with which he views his job. This bone of contention runs throughout as Harry takes the initiative, hoping to teach Farras the finesse of good police work. Still wet behind the ears, Farras is reluctant to take chances, even when an ongoing LAPD investigation is overrun by the FBI and the rest of the alphabet soup that defines federal agencies. At issue is an execution-style murder on the scenic overlook on Mulholland Drive, the cityscape below a mass of twinkling lights. Bosch arrives on the scene ready to treat the crime scene as a homicide.
  
  Unfortunately, the FBI steps in to complicate and usurp, a technique at which they have become adept since the advent of terrorist attacks and the rise of the Office of Homeland Security. But Bosch has played this game before, intent on thwarting the fed's intent to keep him out of the loop. Holding on to one key piece of evidence, Bosch refuses to be denied, frustrating the FBI and Rachel Walling, one of the agents assigned and Bosch's former lover. Thus begins a cat-and-mouse game between Bosch and the feds, including Walling, when the dead man's identity leads to more serious connection; constantly at odds about the context of the murders and potential threat to the good citizens of LA, both sides play hardball, Bosch barely dodging the federal interference. It is to Connelly's credit that he doesn't fall into what has become the ubiquitous pall of terrorism that hangs over thrillers since 9/11, crafting a taut and thoughtful thriller that reminds us to take a step back from the obvious when the call to save the world is more seductive than reasoned police work. Luan Gaines/2007.
  
  
  
• "Who will be running the show?"
  By AC1K4OQOZ90RS on 2007-06-10
  Michael Connelly's "The Overlook" brings back veteran homicide detective and confirmed cynic, Harry Bosch, who is now working out of Homicide Special. Harry's supervisor calls him at midnight and instructs him to drive out to the overlook above the Mulholland Dam in Los Angeles. There lies the body of forty-two year old Dr. Stanley Kent, a medical physicist who handles nuclear material used in the treatment of cancer.
  
  Before long, the feds are in the picture, trying to take over. Among them is Harry's former lover, Special Agent Rachel Walling, of a shadowy FBI unit known as Tactical Intelligence. The federal authorities believe that the killers may be terrorists who stole cesium pellets that had been in Kent's possession. This radioactive substance would be deadly if it were placed in an improvised explosive device and detonated in a populated area.
  
  Harry is in an awkward position. Although he was assigned to investigate Kent's homicide, Rachel and her partner are shutting him out. Bosch fears that he may end up a spectator rather than a participant in his case, and he is determined to do whatever it takes to solve the murder his way. Assisting Harry is his new partner, Ignacio Ferras, who is more than twenty years younger and a straight arrow. Ignacio is uneasy with the older man's freewheeling style, his irreverence, and his tendency to ignore orders when it suits him.
  
  "The Overlook" was originally a sixteen-part serial that was published in the New York Times Magazine, and this relatively brief novel has a sketchy quality. Connelly's novels are usually more complex, with multi-layered plots, sharply delineated characters, and even a bit of philosophy thrown in. This is a standard police procedural that feels a bit formulaic, with its done-to-death themes of warring law enforcement agencies, bureaucratic ineptitude, and a possible terrorism angle.
  
  However, Michael Connelly still scores with "The Overlook" because Harry Bosch is so intelligent and relentless in his pursuit of the truth. The veteran detective uses his superb powers of observation, his knowledge of human nature, and his decades of experience to see connections that everyone else has missed. Harry manages to turn the entire investigation on its ear, and once again he redeems himself just when it appears that he has burned all his bridges behind him. Harry is a keeper, one of the good guys, a pessimist who feels the pull of the darkness but, as he tells himself, "the important thing is to fight it." As long as Harry is out there doing what he does best, his fans will be following along with him.
  
  
• Harry Bosch manages to 'do a Jack Bauer' in half the time.
  By A20VXF9DYI0I6H on 2007-06-24
  The Overlook, as most reviewers have pointed out, is leaner than a typical Michael Connelly novel, and as such, there are fewer curves in the road for Harry Bosch to navigate. The entire novel plays out in just over 12 hours and not a page is wasted. This is not Michael Connelly's most substantive work, but it is a fast paced, entertaining page turner.
  
  The twists and turns at the end of the novel are apt to make you roll your eyes a little. The killer(s) (I don't want to give anything away here) make a mistake that is a little hard to believe and Harry solves the crime with some pretty flimsy evidence but it's nothing that can't be forgiven.
  
  This is a well written, fast paced thriller. Harry Bosch manages to `do a Jack Bauer' in half as much time. I recommend the novel; as long as you aren't expecting The Concrete Blonde.
  
  
  
• Checking in with Hieronymus
  By A2F4ADOINJUXKR on 2007-06-28
  Hieronymus Bosch is a great character developed by Michael Connelly over the years. Connelly has been quoted to, in effect, state that he will keep writing about Harry Bosch as long as he can continue to develop the character as an individual. While this book is short, which USUALLY connotes a writer under contract to pump out books of dubious value, here the writing is up to the authors general high standards for both plot and character development. Bosch is just beginning to age but is as clever and crafty as ever. And incorrigible. His eclectic tastes and unusual tactics are always a pleasure to read about.
  
  The book is short but we always want to check in on our old friend Harry. Connelly again proves why he is not only a best selling writer but one of the true masters at the genre. Read this book, in fact, read them all. I have yet to find one I did not enjoy and, perhaps sadly, I have read them all.
  
  
• Harry Bosch Returns - Another Page Turner
  By A25E44CFFC4B7T on 2007-07-18
  Stanley Kent is a medical physicist. A dead one. Two bullets in the back of the head, execution style on the overlook above Mulholland dam in LA. Harry Bosch is assigned the case. While at the crime scene he is joined by an old friend, FBI Special Agent Rachael Walling who also has an interest in Mr. Kent.
  
  Walling is a member of the FBI Tactical Intelligence Unit. She quickly educates Harry to the fact that what appears to be a murder may be a part of a terroisim plot. Kent, in his line of work has access to radioactive materials. The kind that can be used to build a dirty bomb.
  
  A visit to Kent's home finds his wife naked, gagged and hog tied. She relates a story of two masked men breaking into the home, sending Kent an E-mail containing a picture of his wife and instructions to obtain as much cesium as is available to him and to bring it to the Mulholland overlook or else his wife will be killed.
  
  Kent's activities are traced and it is clear that he has done as requested. The Feds are now looking for terroists who may be intent on buillding and setting off a dirty bomb. Bosch is still looking for the murderer, figuring that if you find one, you find both.
  
  Tensions develop between the FBI unit and Bosch's investigation. Serious ones.
  
  To tell you more about how this all plays out would be to spoil a very good story. My only complaint about the book is that it is a bit short, having been originally written in serial form for the NYT Sunday Magazine and rewritten and expanded into this book.
  
  Michael Connelly remains an author worth reading and the novels invoving Harry Bosh remain his most entertaining.
  
  
• Reviewed for Midwest Book Review
  By A2JNW9NNS7KKVS on 2008-07-01
  LAPD detective Harry Bosh has a new job in the Homicide Special division, which handles murders with political, celebrity or media connections, or those called hobby cases, which are difficult to solve and take much time. His first call out involves a doctor killed at an overlook above Mulholland Dam. Bosch and his new partner, Ignacio Ferras, are surprised when the FBI shows up at the crime scene. The dead doctor worked with radioactive materials and the FBI thinks his murder is tied to a terrorist plot to build and activate a dirty bomb in Los Angeles. When they learn that radioactive material has been stolen from the doctor, the case shifts to investigate the terrorists who took the substance instead of who killed the doctor. But Bosch thinks there's more to this murder than what's obvious.
  
  Harry Bosch is once more at odds with the FBI and his own police department, but this relentless detective will not back down and pursues his own investigation in his own way. Bosch is an edgy man with a rebellious streak, a detective whose skills continue to keep him in good standing with the upper echelons of the police department, although he always manages to alienate most of those around him. Although this mystery is relatively easy for the reader to solve, the plot is tight and suspenseful, and takes place within a 12-hour time span.
  
  
  
  
• Not his best, but still an entertaining beach read...
  By AIECMFJLADH66 on 2007-06-20
  As already pointed out by others this book is too short, with no time to get into the angst riddled soul of Harry Bosch. The short chapters and simplicity of the story itself reminded me of a James Patterson novel, which is fine but not what I expect from Connely. The story was an easy read which flowed nicely. There are some plotting flaws I found hard to believe (I won't go into them here as I don't want to spoil your read). Overall a good beach read but nowhere near this authors best.
  
  
• Did Michael Connelly write this??
  By A1A8NGPZCOV2N3 on 2007-07-18
  I thought I was reading a different author. Bosch does not act like Bosch, and Connelly inserts his PC views, even when it comes to terrorism, in this novel. His worst book ever. I hope this trend doesn't continue.
  
  
• Did Connelly Need Another House?
  By AJ2JGTKMEVP0C on 2007-07-18
  I don't suppose that Connelly owes me or any of the rest of us anything and The Overlook proves that he would agree. Whether this started as a magazine serial or a doodle, publishing it as part of the Bosch series suggests an interest in a payday and disrespect for those who have shelled out to escape into another adventure w/ Harry Bosch - adventures characterized by compelling plots but even more by Bosch's damaged but heroic psyche. It's not so much that it was short (like a chapter from the seminal Black Echo) but that it had no depth. Sir; you know what you did and I'm hoping you won't do it again. There's too many good writers out there to make room for one that no longer respects his audience.
  
  
• Suspenseful
  By A2PWUIQG57O1AZ on 2007-10-02
  This is a short and punchy read, focusing on the execution style murder of a physicist and the theft of radio active material which had been meant for the treatment of cancer patients. The prospect of terrorists being responsible for the theft, with the horror of the material being used to create havoc, sends the police into shock so, when Harry Bosch is sent to investigate and runs into Federal Agents, headed by persons from his past, both sides try to seize control. It's very cleverly written and I must admit to being caught in total surprise at the ending. If you enjoy a suspense thriller which can be read in a night's sitting, this is just for you!
  
  
• Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled
  By A35DI28HRSEEP6 on 2007-05-25
  Some reservations have been expressed concerning this new Harry Bosch novel because of the fact that it was first published in serialized form. Not to worry. The revised and expanded version is utterly seamless and the plot arc is solid, unpredictable, and plausible. Harry is in fine form, tilting with the FBI, dealing with an old flame and breaking in a new partner. The novel is not as long as the usual Michael Connelly but it is certainly long enough. Interesting tidbit: many have noted how unrealistic 24 is in representing L.A. traffic. In the 6th season finale Bill Buchanan was told to intercept Jack Bauer and did so in about two or three minutes--the length of time it would take to back out of your driveway. Connelly uses L.A. traffic as a key plot element and represents it realistically (without becoming tedious in the process). As always, his sense of place is exquisite. The area in the Hollywood Hills, near Madonna's previous residence, is represented beautifully and plays a key role in the plot. Bravo, Michael.
  
  
• Connelly on long Sabbatical
  By A2J3OUZ3G0ZJVM on 2007-06-04
  What to do, what to do? The bills still need to be paid, but no good story lines are coming to mind. Ha, just resurect some old stuff, put a new name on it and pay the bills for a few years...problem is, it don't work. The Overlook was no good as a serial and a rip off as a book. The plot is so transparent that the last half is a speed read. The worst part of all is how an FBI agent could have done things that insure failure.
  
  Before this was Crime Beat, a resurrection of news paper articles from over 20 years ago, some of which had been turned into true crime novels by some good writers
  
  
• Another Really Good Harry Bosch Tale
  By A1CDNTB7377YH2 on 2007-06-06
  Connelly does his usual great job of presenting a fresh Harry Bosch tale that holds the reader's interest until the end. This one takes some of the recent events of the Department of Homeland Security's involvement in terrorist related events to bring Harry's old flame and frequent case companion, FBI Agent Rachel Walling into the story. What looks like a murder to obtain radioactive materials brings to the fray the clash between LAPD and the FBI as to how the investigation is to go.
  
  Harry as the surly detective who seems to always clash with authority never seems to get boring and never seems to run out of interesting partners (Ignacio or Iggy is his new partner who replaces Kiz Rider who was injured in the last novel). Harry has been transferred from his prior "closer" role back to homicide investigations.
  
  My only complaint about the book and reason for not giving it five stars is that is seemed too short and I finished it in just under two full sittings.
  
  
  
• Do Not Overlook This One Because It Is Short!
  By A3P9D22KDEXVMN on 2007-06-17
  The Overlook, by Michael Connelly, is the author's 13th novel featuring the enigmatic LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. Bosch is one of fiction's most developed and fully realized characters. Though this novel is shorter than most, as it was initially published in 16 parts by the New York Times, the story and mystery here are vintage Connelly.
  
  I had the opportunity to hear Mr. Connelly speak at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, and he described what a departure it was for him to write for the New York Times serial. He explained that each part was to be limited to 3,000 words, so it was difficult for him to wrap up each part with a mini-cliff hanger. It is a testament to the author's writing skills that he was able to develop this story, and to flesh it out for the purposes of this novel. Certainly this novel is not as deep as the other Bosch books, but it is sure worth taking the journey.
  
  This story deals with a murder on the Overlook on Muhalland Drive in Los Angeles. The victim is on the FBI person of interest list. This brings the return of FBI Special Agent Rachel Walling into the picture. The complicated relationship between Bosch and Walling is very compelling. Bosch also has a new partner since Kiz now works for the Office of the Chief. Bosch tries to investigate the murder with a suspicious eye towards the FBI and their secretive ways. Bosch serves up some pretty funny one liners describing how the Feds work with the locals. The murder turns into a homeland security investigation and becomes a race against the clock.
  
  This is Connelly's version of 24, although this entire story takes place in 12 hours. Some will complain that this book is shorter and not as intricate as most of the Bosch series. Look at it this way, some Bosch and Connelly is better than no Bosch and Connelly. This is a quick and enjoyable read. Enjoy it for what it is, an entertaining story with great characters by one of the best authors writing today. I highly recommend this book and give it a strong 4-star rating.
  
  
• A Minor Effort from Connelly
  By A16QQ78I8J29PA on 2007-08-02
  I'm a big fan of Michael Connelly, who is probably the best crime writer working today. THE OVERLOOK, though, is a pretty forgettable effort.
  
  THE OVERLOOK is Connelly's effort to do a novel like the 24 TV show. The book takes place over a twelve hour period, and Bosch is working with the FBI to foil what looks like a terrorist plot. As usual, Bosch makes a lot of enemies during his investigation, due to his irascible manner.
  
  This is a relatively short book, with more of a focus on pacing than character development. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I prefer the longer Connelly books where he spent more time on characterization and creating a sense of place. There are certain characters in THE OVERLOOK, for example, who are pretty much portrayed as two-dimensional buffoons, which no nuance whatsoever. I'm not a big fan of this type of cartoonish characterization, and I think Connelly can do much better than this.
  
  There is also a twist at the end of this book that Connelly has used before in previous novels. In fact, a lot of the scenes in this book struck me as kind of recycled from Connelly's earlier work. Other than Bosch's relationship with his new partner, there is very little in this novel that struck me as original.
  
  This book is fun, but I must admit I expected a little more from it. Worth reading, but not one of Connelly's best.
  
  
  
  

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