Echo Park, by Michael Connelly - Large Print Reviews

Large Print Reviews

Echo Park
By Michael Connelly
Read by Len Cariou

Echo Park
By Michael Connelly
Read by Len Cariou
Hachette Audio, (2006)
An Unabridged Recording on 9 CDs or 7 Cassettes. An abridged edition is also available, on 5 CDs.
ISBN: 1-59483-589-6 (CDs)
ISBN: 1-59483-587-X (Cassettes)
ISBN: 1-59483-585-3 (Abridged Edition)
Genre: Mystery - Crime Drama

Reviewed by Sheldon Ztvordokov - November 15, 2006

Michael Connelly is back with yet another outstanding Harry Bosch thriller. In Echo Park, LAPD Detective Bosch returns to a case that he never closed. Back in 1993 a young woman disappeared. Bosch was never able to determine her fate, and he's never been able to let the case go. Now assigned to the Open & Unsolved Police Unit, the case of Marie Gesto once again comes to the forefront when Reynard Waits, a serial killer, confesses to her murder. It falls upon Bosch to determine if the man's confession is valid, and if it is, to figure out how he missed catching the killer back in 93.

As the case unfolds, Bosch determines that the man's confession is indeed valid, and that Bosch and his partner overlooked a vital clue during the initial investigation. Had they noticed it, they would have been able to wrap up the case immediately and put a killer behind bars. Their failure, however, has meant that a serial killer has been on the loose - and Bosch feels personally responsible for each and every murder that he carried out after Gesto's death. Beset by guilt, Bosch begins to question why he is a cop, and what, if anything he can do to rectify an untenable situation.

The audio edition of Echo Park is eloquently read by Len Cariou, an acclaimed actor who has also worked as the read on several of Connelly's books that have been released on audio. Cariou clearly brings Bosch's pain to the surface, and he does a incredible job of giving voice to the depravity and evil inherent in a serial killer.

Part mystery and part psychological crime thriller, Echo Park is a welcome addition to the Bosch series. Especially compelling is how Connelly makes Bosch bond with the killer. For it is only by knowing just who he really is, what his motivations are, and how he thinks that Bosch can get to the truth behind Gesto's murder. The story is also infused with many roadblocks that prevent Bosch from easily getting at the truth - from bureaucratic infighting to Bosch's own feelings of self-doubt.

Echo Park is a compelling and dark story that is a strong edition to the Harry Bosch series. Five stars!

Related Reviews:

City of Bones, by Michael Connelly.
Los Angles Police Department Detective Harry Bosch finds himself trying to solve a murder that took place over twenty-years ago. The only clue he has when he first gets the case is a human bone dug up by a dog. The bone turns out to have been from a ten-year-old boy, and Bosch must find his killer before someone else dies...
The Closers, by Michael Connelly.
LAPD detective Harry Bosch is back! Now after two years of retirement he is working on cold cases with his former partner Kiz Rider. Their first case is the murder of a school girl with new DNA evidence.

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