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

Harry's Older, But No Less Rough Around the Edges

Harry will never understand women, including his daughter. This is one of the charms of Harry Bosch.

This is an interesting book because it uses real events. Harry is working on cold cases again and pulls out a murder from the LA riots in 1992. I found it very authentic that the higher-ups would not want the murder of a white woman to be the only murder case solved from that time period, though it did seem odd that they would not have pressed harder on it at the time since this was would have international implications, and she was a journalist.

I enjoyed Harry's minimal knowledge of technology and his reliance on his partner to dig up information for him.

I thought the ending was a little too contrived. Without giving anything away, I wondered about the motivation of the person who came to his aid. It seemed that person would have had other cases to investigate.

If there are any more Harry Bosch books, and I hope there are, pu-leeeze get a different reader. What a plodding delivery. I use an MP3 player that I put on fast speed and it was still slow. (I did listen to it at real speed for a while.) I know that Michael Connelly can afford better that that!

Can't take it

If you could sum up The Black Box in three words, what would they be?

As always Harry is great. The reader should be reading a phone book though. I had a great deal of trouble listening to a good story after having waited a long time for it. Re record it and pay the extra to have an animated reader read it.

How could the performance have been better?

Change the reader

Solid Bosch

One of Michael Connelly's better efforts. The narrator wasn't quite as strong as Titus Welliver, or Len Cariou, but strong enough.

Are there no good narrators out there

Can they not find anybody that narrates without sounding like they’re not reading a book. It’s a good story but it’s hard to listen to because I’m having a hard time getting past the reading :•o well one more book with this guy!

Solid story, narrator disappointing

What made the experience of listening to The Black Box the most enjoyable?

Another good Harry Bosch story.

What other book might you compare The Black Box to and why?

Other Michael Connelly books. The character of Harry Bosch.

What three words best describe Michael McConnohie’s voice?

Clear, pleasant, emotionless.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I like some breaks between segments.

Any additional comments?

Michael McConnohie read the book well, but did not narrate it in the fashion of Dick Hill and Len Cariou (the best Harry Bosch IMHO). Most characters sounded the same except the children. Very little emotion. This dialed down the suspense for me.

The best Harry Bosch ever written

Would you listen to The Black Box again? Why?

I love how real Harry Bosch feels. When I am not listening to the book, I miss him. Connolly has developed this character for 20 years. I find myself writing down and following up on the jazz recommendations from every Bosch novel. I spend some time in LA every year and enjoy visiting landmarks and restaurants mentioned in these novels.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Harry Bosch because he feels so real and the world he inhabits is authentic.

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

No

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

No extreme reaction. Just the comfort of visiting with an old friend.

Any additional comments?

Haters are going to hate! This book is excellent and I've enjoyed it thoroughly.

Love all these Books!

I love the whole series. Can’t go wrong with any of them. Go Bosch Go!

One of His Best Yet!

I've been a Harry Bosch fan for years and believe I have read all or most of the series. Despite some of the negative comments from others, I enjoyed this book tremendously. It may be his best yet.

Adjust playback speed

This is a very good Harry Bosch novel. Yes, the narration is different with the new guy but I got a tip from one of the other reviewer's about adjusting the speed of play back. When I put the play back to 1.25 X narration came out really well. I hope this helps.

Really enjoyed it!

What did you love best about The Black Box?

Since we hadn't listened to anyone else read as Bosch, we didn't have the preconceived, "this is what it should sound like", and thought it was a great job by McConnohie. An interesting story line. Really kept us engaged.

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

No.