The Black Box

Harry Bosch, Book 16

By: Michael Connelly

Narrated by: Michael McConnohie

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

In a case that spans 20 years, Harry Bosch links the bullet from a recent crime to a file from 1992, the killing of a young female photographer during the L.A. 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, "one of the greats of crime fiction" (New York Daily News), into one of his most fraught and perilous cases.

©2012 Michael Connelly (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Love this narrator!

Great story made better by this narrator. I put off the Harry Bosch series for years but have been thoroughly enjoying listening to them. I wasn't thrilled with Len Cariou but really liked the Harry Bosch novels so I kept listening. Michael McConnohie has made it so much more enjoyable. Thank you!!

Always love Bosch stories.

Always love Bosch stories. Connelly never disappoints. Looking forward to my next read of Connely.

Suspense

I can’t speak enough on how much I enjoy the Bosch series. Looking forward to all of them.

Great story

The story was very good and intriguing. I couldn’t put it down. One of his best.

Can’t get enough of the Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly.

Another thrilling unsolved crime, this time from the early 90s. Bosch faces many obstacles in his pursuit of the truth, and the twists and turns are fascinating. Can’t wait to listen to the next book in the series.

Another good one

Great story, well told. Connelly is a master storyteller. I recommend it.
Xxx xxxx xxxx.

Harry Bosch working Cold Cases from his own Past

Love Harry showing his vulnerability but take no prisoner’s attitude.
Did not enjoy the reading since it felt like reading. I stuck it out because I love the series.

Welcome back Harry Bosch

Once again Audible has made it possible for me to listen to the newest release from one of my favorite authors almost before the ink has dried on the pages of this great book. Michael Connelly has a habit of turning out these excellent books featuring Harry Bosch and mores the good fortune it doesn't look like he's about to stop. In this book Connelly uses actual historical events to set up an imaginative scenario for a story that he goes on to tell in his usual superlative manner. Once I started listening to this book, that was it, there was no way I could have possibly have stopped before I got to the very end. It seemed to me that Connelly is really beginning to develop Maddie Bosch's personality while at the same time he keeps building the character of Harry Bosch. I can see at some time in the future Connelly putting out books featuring first Officer and then later on Detective Maddie Bosch, daughter of the legendary Detective Harry Bosch. Besides being an excellent book in and of itself The Black Box also does a great job of beginning to set that up. The only downside of this selection is having Michael McConnohie as the narrator. He isn't Harry Bosch, Len Cariou is.

Harry Bosch Another Good Book

20 years after Anneke Jespersen was murdered in an alley during the infamous riots in Los Angeles, Harry Bosch, who is working in the open unsolved unit at LAPD, gets a chance to gather evidence and make an attempt to finally solve her murder. Michael Connelly's book, The Black Box, is number 16th in the Harry Bosch series. The novel revisits the crime scene, then follows Harry while he pieces together everything that he is able to learn and find regarding the case. One key piece of evidence that he finds is a bullet casing, ignored during the initial investigation, which leads him to several suspects. Of course, Harry, who is on the verge of retirement (he is working for five more years due to the DROP - deferred retirement option plan at LAPD and could be fired at any time), is a nonconformist, who shuns modern technology and solves his cases the old fashioned way, with hard work and perseverance. In this novel, he's in trouble with either his bosses or someone at the top of the food chain, and he works much of this case on his own time under the radar. Harry's philosophy has always been to stand up for the victim, since he believes every victim matters, so this murder from 1999 has been on his mind for years and he is determined to find the perpetrator.

Connelly is in true form in The Black Box, and the book will not disappoint Harry Bosch fans. Bosch is a unique and amiable character and throughout the series, has almost become a real-life hero who not only battles killers, but also inward demons that come up in his life. Readers can definitely relate, and those unfamiliar would benefit from reading the series starting with the first. Connelly, however, writes his novels, The Black Box included, so that they are enjoyable as stand-alone books; they move fast, contain plenty of action, and by the time the novel has ended, leave the reader yearning for more.

Some listeners did not like Michael McConnohie delivery of the story. Almost made me think twice before buying the book. Well I found his delivery of the story very good and I am glad I bought the book..

Worst narration EVER!!!!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Black Box to be better than the print version?

No, the narration was so poor it was laughable.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I love Harry, but this was not an edge of your seat book.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The guy had such a dull, flat monotone he could have been reading the yellow pages. His attempts at giving the characters unique voices was a complete failure. At one point Jerry Edgar sounded Latino and in another place as if had a slight speech impediment. Madeline sounded like one of the guys from the office. Really, really poor performance. Who picked this guy?

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

Yes, the narration was so horrible I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Any additional comments?

I am going to buy the book and read it and will never buy another audible book read by this guy.