In a case that spans twenty years, Harry Bosch links the bullet from a recent crime to a file from 1992, the killing of a young female photographer during the LA riots. Harry originally investigated the murder, but it was then handed off to the Riot Crimes Task Force and never solved. Now Bosch's ballistics match indicates that her death was not random violence but something more personal and connected to a deeper intrigue. Like an investigator combing through the wreckage after a plane crash, Bosch searches for the "black ...
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In a case that spans twenty years, Harry Bosch links the bullet from a recent crime to a file from 1992, the killing of a young female photographer during the LA riots. Harry originally investigated the murder, but it was then handed off to the Riot Crimes Task Force and never solved. Now Bosch's ballistics match indicates that her death was not random violence but something more personal and connected to a deeper intrigue. Like an investigator combing through the wreckage after a plane crash, Bosch searches for the "black box," the one piece of evidence that will pull the case together. Riveting and relentlessly paced, The Black Box leads Harry Bosch into one of his most fraught and perilous cases.
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This is Harry Bosch?s 18th foray into murder. This case occurred in 1992, during the LA riots following the ?not guilty? verdict given to the LAPD officers who beat a motorist, Rodney King. The beating was televised, incensing the population.
Within hours of the verdict, South LA erupted into flames. There were so many deaths that detectives were barely able to get to one crime scene before they were called to another.
This case had some unique features. The victim, Anneke Jespersen, was a Danish photo-journalist who was shot execution-style in a dark alley. Why was a white woman in South LA while things were so dangerous? What happened to her film and camera equipment?
Because of the short shrift given to this case, Harry promised the woman that he would look for her murderer in the future. Near the 20th anniversary of Anneke?s death, Harry is working in the Open-Unsolved Unit. Suddenly, he gets a break; the gun used in her murder has also been used in other murders. Harry goes on the hunt!
The title comes from Harry?s partner, David Chu. He once made a comment that every case had a ?black box.? It was the one clue that could help a police detective pry open the case.
At times, during the early part of the story, the pacing seemed to drag a bit. When I thought about it, I realized that it is hard to create a sense of momentum in a case that has been cold for 20 years. In the second part of the book, Michael Connelly hits his stride and things move to a remarkable conclusion.
