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City of Bones  By  cover art

City of Bones

By: Michael Connelly
Narrated by: Peter J. Fernandez
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Publisher's summary

On New Year's Day, Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch fields a call that a dog has found a bone - a bone that the dog's owner, a doctor, feels certain is human.

That chance discovery leads Bosch to a shallow grave in the Hollywood hills, evidence of a murder committed more than 20 years earlier. It's a cold case, but it stirs up Bosch's memories of his own childhood as an orphan in the city. Digging through police reports and hospital records, tracking down street kids and runaways from the 1970s, Bosch finds a family ripped apart by an absence - and a trail, ever more tenuous, into a violent, terrifying world.

As the case takes Bosch deeper into the past, a rookie cop named Julia Brasher brings him alive in the present in a way no one has in years. Bosch has been warned about the trouble that comes with dating a rookie, but no warning could withstand the heat between them - or prepare Bosch for the explosions when the case takes a hard turn.

Drawing on the "precision-tooled twists" and "wellspring of authentically lurid detail" (Los Angeles Magazine) that have made him one of the fasted-selling novelists at work today, Michael Connelly has written a riveting, hard-edged, and unforgettable thriller.

Don't miss Detective Harry Bosch on the case in these Michael Connelly crime fiction novels.
©2002 Hieronymus Inc., All Rights Reserved (P)2002 Time Warner AudioBooks, a Division of the AOL Time Warner Book Group

Critic reviews

"Dark and angst-ridden...crackles with energy." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Hard-boiled cop fiction at its most gripping." ( Booklist, starred review)

Featured Article: Best Mystery Series—Listens That'll Take You Right to the Crime Scene


While a standalone mystery is great when you're in the mood for a one-and-done, sometimes you want to feed your craving with an entire mystery series—knowing there's a world and characters you can keep coming back to for the satisfaction of solving crimes. With audiobooks, you get the added bonus of sinking deeper into the setting, clues, and suspects as the story is performed for you, so you'll feel like you're alongside detectives, ready to bust a case.

What listeners say about City of Bones

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    5,138
  • 4 Stars
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Performance
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    419
  • 2 Stars
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    27

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good

The book was a good listen, but the ending was a bit odd. Harry's girlfriend turned out to be very odd, which I didn't expect. Other than that, it was good, and the unexpected twist really woke you up.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not my favorite reader.

Reading the books in order, so have had 3 readers so far. This was not my favorite. His voice doesn't fit my concept of Harry Bosch. I much prefer Dick Hill's performance. He seems to be 'telling' the story not 'reading' it. Quite an art!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

okay story

I enjoyed the story, albeit a little predictable. I miss Dick Hill as the performer.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Better narrator than the last book

After the jarring switch in narrator from Dick Hill in the first 6 books, this one once again has a new narrator. He's more of a neutral sounding guy, which is fine with me. I'd rather have that than someone who suddenly changes everything about the main characters voice, like what happened in A Darkness More Than Night.

The story was good but I didn't feel the twist(s) were as shocking as usual. I know some people think the books are predictable but that's not always the case with me. This time it was fairly unpredictable but just didn't have the same oompf reveals as in the past.

Still it's worth it to keep listening, it's a great series. I just wish they'd stop changing the narrators so often.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent as always.

I couldn't figure this one out. I really like the reality of the characters. Well done.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great story. we really like the Harry Bosch books.

we are looking forward to hearing all the Bosch series. on to the next book!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Book

I've read many of Connelly's books. This is a good book that shows how important some cold cases become to detectives. I was not surprised that Harry became involved with someone as a result of the case, and it does not surprise me that it was another officer. Connelly keeps referring back to the officer so, to me, the importance of her character is evident in the end. I like that Harry's character is not willing to accept the easy answer to a case. He thinks he knows the conclusion, but something doesn't add up so he keeps going until he finds the right answer.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love Harry

I love the book series. I liked the narrator of the first set of books more than this one. He doesn’t give Harry the gruff voice I expect and he does not do Edgar well either.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sad but realistic.

The purpose and integrity of Harry Bosch makes the story meaningful. It is a little sad of the isolated and lonely life he lives but at the same time it seems that he is content with it. Loved the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best Narrator in a while

I really enjoyed this reading. Sad he won't be reading the next book. Well written story!

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