Nine Dragons

By: Michael Connelly

Narrated by: Len Cariou

Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

LAPD Detective Harry Bosch is off the chain in the fastest, fiercest, and highest-stakes case of his life.

Fortune Liquors is a small shop in a tough South L.A. neighborhood, a store Bosch has known for years. The murder of John Li, the store's owner, hits Bosch hard, and he promises Li's family that he'll find the killer.

The world Bosch steps into next is unknown territory. He brings in a detective from the Asian Gang Unit for help with translation--not just of languages but also of the cultural norms and expectations that guided Li's life. He uncovers a link to a Hong Kong triad, a lethal and far-reaching crime ring that follows many immigrants to their new lives in the U.S.

And instantly his world explodes. The one good thing in Bosch's life, the person he holds most dear, is taken from him, and Bosch travels to Hong Kong in an all-or-nothing bid to regain what he's lost. In a place known as Nine Dragons, as the city's Hungry Ghosts festival burns around him, Bosch puts aside everything he knows and risks everything he has in a desperate bid to outmatch the triad's ferocity.

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

We're thrilled to announce that our premier Audible Live event on Facebook will be a chat with best-selling author Michael Connelly. On November 3 at 7pm (ET), you'll be able to ask him questions about Nine Dragons, Harry Bosch, his favorite audiobooks, and more! RSVP Today

©2009 Michael Connelly (P)2009 Hachette

Critic Reviews

"Terrific....Connelly never stops doling out the suspense as action leads to counteraction....His thriller is an addictive read that, once it grabs you in those first few pages, won't let go of you....High-grade entertainment." ( Boston Globe)

Ordinary at best

Connelly is just going through the motions here. I think he wrote this one while concentrating on something else. Barely held my interest. Not bad enough to stop listening but I was happy to hear it end.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Okay but not up to Bosch standards

I never got into this one. I was really eager to start it and the story was interesting but something was gone from the old Harry Bosch. He actually gets along with his boss in this book which is the first time I believe. THe Chinese dialogue by the narrator was not very good. That I believe was the main problem I had with the book. Since it is Connelly and Bosch I would recommend it, but to me it was not the usual Connelly "couldn't put down" quality.

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

IS THAT HARRY?

This audible book was as entertaining as it was preposterous. Harry outwitting Hong Kong in a day? I think not, even with his triad toughened, eyeball-missing sidekick along for the ride. The book was not the problem for me in this case. It was the narrator. Len Cariou doesn't cut is as Harry. Not broody enough, even wimpy, and he sould not attempt to sound female.
He made Harry sound NORMAL, and that is just WRONG!

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Disappointing

I've read others in the Harry Bosch series and enjoyed them. He's never perfect, but solid, well-intentioned, and very committed to solving the case. But in this one, he just seemed too... blustery, or overbearing, i guess. And worse yet, he made stupid mistakes that even a civilian would know not to make, let alone a cop. I'll probably stop with this series after this one.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Will the real Harry Bosch please stand up?

I've listened to Bosch books by Cariou and by others. I've enjoyed them all, but for some reason the Harry Bosch I know and love seemed to be missing. I thought it might have been the narration that put such a different spin on the character, but I'm not so sure. Bosch has always been headstrong and independent. He gets results with his no nonsense approach, but all of his redeeming characteristics were missing. Before I was halfway through the book I was ready to stop listening because Harry was just coming across as a racist, conceited overly self-involved jerk.

I was very disappointed with him. The story was interesting enough for me to actually finish it. It was a great story, with the exception of Harry.

The one true bright spot of the book was a cameo by one of our favorite lawyers. I'd love to hear more from him and the REAL Harry.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Len Cariou Makes Bosch Boring When He's Not

I thought I had read or listened to the entire Bosch series, but having just finished seasons 1 & 2 of the TV series (via Amazon Video, a must see for Bosch lovers), I realized had skipped this one.

The reason I skipped it was the narrator. I couldn't finish it. Actually when Connelly came to Greensboro promoting The Overlook, I asked him if he had any input of who narrates his novels. "A little", he answered and asked why. Cariou reads with no emotion and his voice doesn't have the tone and range to distinguish between characters. His feminine voices are just awful. If you doubt me, listen to Burt Reynolds read Angels Flight or Titus Welliver's work on more recent novels.

Having said that, 9 Dragons is a fascinating and suspenseful novel on its own. It is also an essential edition to the Bosch series. It represents a key turning point in Bosch's personal life.

A couple of other fascinating tidbits from the Connelly visit... After the success of the first few Bosch novels Connelly noticed from book signings at least half of his readers were women. This was contrary to his publisher's opinion. Connelly wanted covers that would attract both sexes. The publsher insisted on masculine covers and simply would not be convinced otherwise. It was only after his series became so successful they had to listen to him that Connelly got the covers he desired.

About the jazz fetish Bosch is so consumed with, Connelly said that came from his writing habits. He said he was always more of a rock and blues fan, but those genres were distracting his writing. So he listens to jazz as he writes and his jazz knowledge grew from that.

Should you purchase this? Only if you don't have the time to read it for yourself.

14 of 17 people found this review helpful

Transition book?

It seems to me that this is a transition book to enable Connelly to continue his story line now that Harry is getting older. The addition of his daughter to the plot line, and the comments by Mickey Haller lead me to believe a new series of books are on the way. This is not Connelly's best, but it is still better than most. I love the China aspect. The ending is a bit abrupt.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Fabulous!

Connolly's mastery of the genre and his lean, energetic writing render one heckuva book. He doesn't waste time with extensive scenic descriptions and there's not much "he said she said I said" either. The story is told in the first person by its protagonist, Detective Harry Bosch.

I've read other reviews saying Harry, usually the model of sang froi, comes totally undone. He does indeed fall out of his tree, in a totally believable manner that is consistent with the character.

There are plenty of plot twists and I didn't see the ending coming at all. Pay attention, and if you think you missed something, rewind. I repeated a few minutes here and there to make sure that I didn't miss a thing.

Grab this book and settle in for a rocking good read.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Not Harry at his best.

In my opinion, a very poor Bosch outing; Harry came out looking his worst. I love Harry, warts and all, but this was just not up to standard.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Ruined by narrator

I should have known better than to purchase a book with this narrator. He uses the same intonation for almost every sentence, which makes the dialogue sound very unnatural. The narration spoiled the audio experience for me.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful