Trunk Music (Harry Bosch, No. 5) by Michael Connelly Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Trunk Music (Harry Bosch, No. 5)
Book Review: Probably one of the weakest Bosch novels to date
Summary: 2 Stars
With 9 Dragons releasing in a month or so I've been going back and reading all the Harry Bosch novels I missed. Though I still have a couple to get to, I have to say that Trunk Music has so far been my least favorite in the series. The Last Coyote, a great entry in the series that came right before this, actually ended on somewhat of a cliff hanger in certain ways; yet Connelly doesn't even bother to address these questions his readers will undoubtedly have when starting Trunk Music until near the middle of the book. This was mistake number one. Mistake number two was the decision not to break the book into chapters, instead dividing it into 10 parts. This ends up being terrible for the book's pacing and makes it feel very uneven. The writing also just seems to lack a spark that all other stories in this series have had, and almost from the first chapter the mystery presented doesn't feel all that interesting and I never felt attached to either the victims or the good guys. Kiz Rider, a character who comes into play in future books in the series and (in future books,) is actually one of the better officers Harry becomes paired up with, is introduced here but she never leaves much of an impression. Jerry Edgar never seems to do much but be corrected by Bosch, and the characters offer few surprises. We do see the return of Eleanor Wish, but the way this romance is written feels exactly the same as the romances from past entries in the series.
This book also disappointed me in that while Connelly almost always has the ability to surprise (and, in some cases, amaze) with his plot twists, in this book I saw it coming before its reveal, which is always disappointing. The story also has a tendency to rely on coincidences and they (especially the one at the very end of the book,) are often not at all believable. Without spoiling anything, Trunk Music also gives WAY too much credit to its villain, who is (I guess) one of the most intelligent people on the PLANET, because that's the type of person it would take to so flawlessly have been able to plan and execute the book's increasingly ridiculously complex mystery.
It's not a complete waste and there are some cool scenes and nice suspense but overall Connelly seems a bit exhausted here and doesn't seem to have put as much into this book as past books in the series (or many of the books following it.) I found myself very eager for it to end. If you're a Harry Bosch fan you might as well own this to complete your collection but if you're new to the series it's probably best to begin with other ones.
My favorites so far include Lost Light, The Narrows, The Black Ice, The Last Coyote, and The Concrete Blonde.
Book Review: Review
Summary: 4 Stars
LAPD detective Harry Bosch is back. Bosch's new case will have him traveling to "Sin City" Las Vegas as well as seeing old acquaintances. What happens when a Hollywood movie producer is found shot twice and his body left in the trunk of his car? Harry will ask himself these same questions, while trying to solve this homicide. Tony Alisio was found dead and it seems for some people that are just fine with that. The suspect list is long from Tony's wife, Veronica and a stripper by the name of Layla. Plus what does the mob have to do with any of this? While in Vegas, Harry runs into former FBI agent and ex-girlfriend Eleanor Wise. Can Harry close this case or will seeing Eleanor make him run off track.
I really liked Harry Bosch. He is a sharp shooter. You always know what you are going to get with him, whether you disagree with him or not. Mr. Connelly has written a great character in Harry Bosch. I grabbed this book and started reading it and even though it was late at night, I just knew I couldn't go to sleep till I had finished reading it. Luckily for me, Trunk Music moved at a very fast pace that never let go till the end. I found Trunk Music to be a good crime/mystery story. Michael Connelly has been a number one best selling author for years and he deserves to be on top.
Book Review: Tightly Plotted, Full of Twists and Turns
Summary: 5 Stars
"Trunk Music," an early novel by American mystery author Michael Connelly, is the fifth of the writer's Harry Bosch detective series that now numbers fourteen published works. That is, if you don't count in The Brass Verdict, a recent bestselling Mickey Haller-Harry Bosch novel. The series, Los Angeles-set police procedurals, looks at life on the "noir" side; Connelly is a former journalist, a crime beat writer for the Los Angeles Times, who certainly earned his spurs in murder while earning his daily bread. His recent standalones, The Scarecrow, "Brass Verdict," and The Scarecrow, have all been #1 New York Times Bestsellers. Crime Beat: A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers, a non-fiction collection of his journalism, was also a New York Times bestseller, as most of his previous standalones have been, too.
Connelly is a wonderful writer, my favorite among American mystery authors, and I've read all his books save "Scarecrow." (Like many other readers, I imagine, I prefer his series works to his standalones: like many other writers, his mysteries seem more powerful if they are filtered through the sensibilities of his detective protagonist.) At any rate, Connelly's plots drive like Mack trucks; furthermore, they are usually fresh, tight, riveting, complex. His narrative and descriptive writing is terse and witty, informed by his deep, accurate knowledge of police work, after several years on the cop shop beat. His dialog snaps. He explicates his love of jazz as he goes. And his mise en scene writing: well, it's heartfelt, written by a man in love with a city, and it's so precise that a stranger could find his way around LA with a few of his books as guides. His books clearly follow in the footsteps of earlier outstanding hardboiled Los Angeles authors Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald, but add the further ingredients of a police procedural, as they chart the career of Connelly's creation, LAPD Detective Bosch, assigned to Hollywood Homicide.
"Trunk Music," opens with Bosch coming back after a suspension: the first case he catches is that of Tony Aliso, Hollywood producer, found shot dead, execution style, in the trunk of his Rolls Royce Silver Cloud on Mulholland Drive. (The mob, whom everybody suspects of the murder, would describe it as a guy listening to trunk music.) Bosch just about proves it was a mob hit, I certainly believed him; then the detective realizes it can't have been. He comes up with another theory, that I again believed; he then demolishes that one too. The third proves the charm. The book also reintroduces Eleanor Wish, back from the "Black" books after losing her job with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for misconduct on the job, and going to jail. And it's unusually titillating for the serious Connelly, taking a guided tour through the sexual mores of the time. The book just has to be considered a "tour de force," that is, the author showing off a bit, he's so good. Furthermore, it is unusually resonant, and emotionally powerful, for the author, as it centers on the most important relationship known to man, that of mother and child.
If you've come to Connelly through his newer books, you really owe yourself this early one. It sets a benchmark he -- or anyone else--will not easily reach again.
Book Review: Too Coincidental
Summary: 2 Stars
Not one of his best! Events were often coincidental, predictable or unbelievable. Reminded me of a mystery written in the 1940's.Book Review: Trunk Music Review
Summary: 4 Stars
The book is in good condition without any damage. It was delivered ahead of schedule. I would recommend the book, the seller and the process to any of my friends.