The Drop
"...Bosch is a firm favourite of mine..."
Synopsis:
Harry Bosch is facing the end of the line. He's been put on the DROP - Deferred Retirement Option Plan - and given three years before his retirement is enforced. Seeing the end of the mission coming, he's anxious for cases. He doesn't have to wait long. First a cold case gets a DNA hit for a rape and murder which points the finger at a 29-year-old convicted rapist who was only eight at the time of the murder. Then a city councilman's son is found dead - fallen or pushed from a hotel window - and he insists on Bosch taking the case despite the two men's history of enmity. The cases are unrelated but they twist around each other like the double helix of a DNA strand. One leads to the discovery of a killer operating in the city for as many as three decades; the other to a deep political conspiracy that reached back into the dark history of the police department.
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Review:
Despite Bosch working in the Open Unsolved Department for older cases at the request of a leading politician, one of the cases I found disappointing as the original case Bosch was dealing with was of much more interest to me and a lot less political. Also, where as I found the original case moved at a fast pace and had a slightly unpredictable ending, the second case dragged a little and was somewhat of a damp squib. However, Bosch is a firm favourite of mine and if/when he does retire from the force I would like to see him return in some other capacity, possibly as a private detective, as I think he is too good a character to lose. Maybe too sanctimonious and judgemental at times, and he is not one to forgive easily. Connelly has a good split between the stories and the personal elements give enough information to get to know the characters without detracting from the plot itself. As always this was a well written novel but I would have preferred less of the political influence.