Suicide Run

Three Harry Bosch Stories

By: Michael Connelly

Narrated by: Len Cariou

Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Here is LAPD Detective Harry Bosch as we've never seen him before, in three never-before-collected stories.

In "Suicide Run", the apparent suicide of a beautiful young starlet turns out to be much more sinister than it seems. In "Cielo Azul", Bosch is haunted by a long-ago closed case: the murder of a teenage girl who was never identified. As her killer sits on death row, Bosch tries one last time to get the answers he has sought for years. In "One Dollar Jackpot", Bosch works the murder of a professional poker player whose skills have made her more than one enemy.

Whether investigating a cold case or fresh blood, Bosch relentlessly pursues his quarry, always on the lookout for the "tell". In this first collection of Harry Bosch stories, Michael Connelly once again demonstrates that he is the master of fast-paced, brilliantly plotted crime fiction.

Impressed? Ace detective Harry Bosch is also on the case in exciting Michael Connelly crime-fiction novels.

©2011 Michael Connelly (P)2011 Hachette

Critic reviews

"Harry Bosch is back on the case, and not a moment too soon." ( Chicago Sun Times)

Narrator sounds like he has VERY loose dentures…

While the stories are solid, the narrator is atrocious. His constant “shhh-shhhh-shhhh” sound in almost every word is so off-putting & ruins the experience. If anyone has trouble listening to someone eating loudly, or problems w/other “mouth noises”, then you do NOT want to listen to this particular recording - I’d recommend reading it w/your eyes, rather than your ears. The narrator truly does sound like many patients I’ve had whose dentures were very loose-fitting, & they were constantly trying to hold them in w/their tongue…& tended to let loose a lot of spittle. I felt deep empathy for my patients who couldn’t afford better dentures, but a narrator should be chosen by what s/he adds to the story, not what s/he can take away from the story. Besides that, his voice is much too old for Bosch at this point in his life; perhaps if there was a book w/Bosch at 98, looking back on his life…

Love Harry Bosch!

Well-written, as always. I enjoy the experience and grittiness of the character. Only drawback of this book was that Titus wasn’t narrator for Harry.

Compact, compelling and well-constructed.

If you could sum up Suicide Run in three words, what would they be?

Succinct, satisfying and solid.

What other book might you compare Suicide Run to and why?

This feels consistent in quality to Connelly's other crime novels. For some reason, Bosch seemed more accessible in this… perhaps because his energies were directed productively, not in locking horns with his coworkers.

Have you listened to any of Len Cariou’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. I find his gravelly voice somewhat distracting - find myself somewhat short of breath hearing the effort forcing the voice beyond his chest. At the same time, I think he gives a good characterization of Bosch.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Actually, as these were short stories, I engaged more on an intellectual level than a visceral one. Connelly tends to build mood over time. Nevertheless, these moved quickly and concluded cleanly. I love how the care with which the author builds his narratives.

Any additional comments?

I felt this was well worth my time… I recommend it to anyone who wants hour-long entertainment - 3 of them, in fact.

great but small dose of Bosch to tide you over

These terrific stories will hold Harry Bosch fans until the next full-length novel is released. I was delighted to see that Len Cariou had returned as narrator. This is a perfect match of material and narrator. Cariou is a little rough, and for those who like the smooth, effete banality of a Scott Brick, this won't be for you. But Cariou sounds exactly what I've always imagined Bosch would sound like — gruff and tough, no BS. The stories are of course only hors d"oeuvres but they're fun. And the best news is that Cariou reads a preview of the first couple of chapters of the next Harry Bosch book, meaning, I assume, that he will read the full novel. Can't wait. Bosch is the best continuing character ever.

Excellent

3 good short to the point stories. gives you a chance to enjoy good work in a limited amount of time. Great narrition keeps your intrest level up..

Excellent Short Stories

These are three or four short stories of about 30 minutes each. They’re very good I really did enjoy them.

Engaging

short story's. well done. Shows off good detective thinking and detective work. I'm happy I bought it.

More grist for the Harry Bosch mill!

More good cases solved by Bosch, but shorter and sweeter in 3 stories. Good writing as usual but Len Cariou is having a tougher time reading in these stories. He once was the best but now is still good but strikes me as fading. Still good Bosch stories, just not as long and involved as the usual stuff.

Real Bosch stories, not artsy short stories

Any additional comments?

If you like Connelly, get this. The price is excellent for the value, especially if you wait for one of the half-price sales. The three stories are full-fledged Harry Bosch stories that are just solved faster than the novels — each about an hour long. The middle story includes the Terry McCaleb FBI-profiler character and brings up a topic that is also addressed in more detail in the book "A Darkness More Than Night." All that said, this collection isn't quite as good as the other Connelly short story collection called "Angle of Investigation."

wonderful taste of the Harry Bosch series

this is a wonderful introduction to the world of Harry Bosch... A few different snippets of a few different stories... Enjoy