The Black Echo: Harry Bosch Series, Book 1

By: Michael Connelly

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

An LAPD homicide detective must choose between justice and vengeance as he teams up with the FBI in the first novel of the "thrilling" Harry Bosch series (New York Times Book Review).

For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal...because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit. Pitted against enemies inside his own department and forced to make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, Bosch goes on the hunt for a killer whose true face will shock him.

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

©1992 by Michael Connelly. (P)1992 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

fascinating combination of current and past

First Harry Bosch book for the series and for me. Loved it. It is a little dated, but that's okay too.

Everyone questions why Bosch is so doggedly pursuing the investigation into the death of a deadbeat. After all, it seems quite cut and dried. But the deceased is an old Army buddy of Bosch's and he finds inconsistencies at the crime scene.

What makes this so fascinating is the meaning of the title. There are actually 2 references, one current and one past, so we learn Bosch's backstory and his relationship to the dead man. This story is superbly written, and engrossing.

Dick Hill is young here so has not developed the wheezing squeezing breathing of later books, especially the Nathan McBride series. Here, he is excellent, his accents are perfect, and you can see the action in your head.

A thoroughly enjoyable listen.

Excellent book bt Connelly

Even though this was one of his earlier works, it was just as good as every other one of his books I have listened to. It grabbed me right from the start and kept me engrossed the entire way. I couldn't stop listening until I had finished it.

Good listen. Entertaining keeps you listening.

Dick Hill does a fantastic job of narrating this first book in the series. looks like I will begin book 2 right away!

Great Start for a Great Series

Any additional comments?

I was curious about this series so I started with the first book and have been working my way through the series. I think Michael Connelly may be the best mystery writer I've ever come across, and he sets the standard starting with this book. I would highly recommend starting with this book as it lays down a LOT of Harry Bosch's backstory which is the foundation of the character's actions in the later novels. More importantly it establishes the basic formula for how these novels progress and resolve. In certain ways I associate his writing style to that of a greek tragedy in which you have multiple, seemingly unrelated threads heading off in different directions, but which all come back together and resolve in the end. I'm particularly fond of this style of storytelling, so this fits me perfectly. If you read this novel you will be ready for pretty much any of Michael Connelly's novels whether it be Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer), or Terry McCalleb (Bloodwork). Very enjoyable in my opinion and very hard to put down.

Unexpectedly Good

Michael Connelly’s first novel and was published during the early 1990’s. Expected it to be somewhat dated, and it is. I did not expect it to be excellent. Which it is. The book is about a tough police detective who has trouble with authority. He catches the baddies, but his bosses are always angry with the way he gets arrests. The detective’s name is “Harry”. Hmm, sounds familiar.

The narrator, Dick Hill, added to the excellence.

Technical quality lacking

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes

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

Yes

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Narrator did decent job although I still don't like his female intonation that is so low you cannot hear the words and lose parts of the story. Think this is more editor than narrator.

Was The Black Echo: Harry Bosch Series, Book 1 worth the listening time?

yes

Any additional comments?

worst editing I have yet encountered on an audiobook. Hope this does not happen again.

Journeyman's first novel

The author had a very good reputation after some fifteen or twenty years so I thought I would sample it by starting at the beginning. It wasn't bad, just not very surprising. The narrator Hill also did a decent job though I didn't care for his "voice" of the main female character. Based on reviews of later books, I will probably continue with the series but it hasn't risen to a priority for me.

My new fave series

First of all, Dick Hill is one of my favorite narrators of all time. With that said, anything he narrates, I enjoy! It took me awhile to get to this series, but I am so glad I finally gave it a listen. Harry Bosch is awesome. He's a cop, a rule-breaker, a Vietnam vet, and a tough guy, yet you can't help but like him and cheer for him. Cannot wait to listen to the next in the series!

Fantastic

Great yarn, looking forward to others in series.

Why make me write so much why

Harry Bosch is awesome

I started off watching this on Amazon Prime and love the series. So far this is the first book I have listened to and I really enjoyed it. Harry is a great character and I am happy I decided to check out the books.