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The Black Echo: A Novel (A Harry Bosch Novel Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 43,442 ratings

An LAPD homicide detective must choose between justice and vengeance as he teams up with the FBI in this "thrilling" novel filled with mystery and adventure (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.
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Connelly, a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times , transcends the standard L.A. police procedural with this original and eminently authentic first novel. Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch--former hero cop bumped from the L.A. homicide desk to the lowly Beverly Hills squad--gets the call on a drug death at Mulholland Dam. Harry recognizes the corpse as that of a fellow soldier in Vietnam; both were "tunnel rats" who searched for Viet Cong in the network of burrows beneath Vietnamese villages. Investigation connects his old pal to an unsolved bank job--the vault was tunneled into from the storm drains below--and Harry takes his information to the FBI. The Bureau alerts the LAPD, which reactivates internal affairs surveillance (the previous IAD episode is explained throughout the narrative), only to have the FBI backtrack and request Harry as liaison on the case. Paired with beautiful FBI agent Eleanor Wish, Harry makes sense of the Vietnam connection to the bank job--a discovery that puts them both in danger from deadly ex-Marines and a powerful insider from either the LAPD or the FBI itself. Police higher-ups are somewhat cliched, but Connelly avoids L.A. stereotypes and delivers this front-page story with military precision.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Harry Bosch likes order, contends that there are no coincidences, and keeps meticulous records in his ``murder book.'' When the body of a former ``tunnel rat'' from Vietnam is found in a drainpipe, Harry is the detective on duty and is called to the scene. His identification of the body begins an investigation that leads to more murder, bank robbery, heroin, diamonds, and betrayal. Connelly's descriptions of autopsies, murder scenes, and police procedure are vivid and realistic. The use of acronyms and police jargon puts readers in the middle of the action. A real page turner with gutty realism and an unusual twist.
- Debbie Hyman, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000SEVYSA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (January 1, 2002)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2002
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 19.1 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 385 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 43,442 ratings

About the author

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Michael Connelly
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Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than forty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty-nine million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly's 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include The Waiting (2024), Resurrection Walk (2023), Desert Star (2022), The Dark Hours (2021), The Law Of Innocence (2020), Fair Warning (2020), and The Night Fire (2019). Michael is the executive producer of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee. He is the executive producer of The Lincoln Lawyer, streaming on Netflix, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, "Sound Of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story' and 'Tales Of the American.' He spends his time in California and Florida.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
43,442 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book's readability and complex plot. They find the characters well-developed and realistic, with a flawed main character. The writing quality is detailed and well-crafted. Readers describe the detective story as excellent and well-crafted. They consider it part of a great series by Michael Connelly. Overall, customers find the book interesting and compelling.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

1,050 customers mention "Readability"1,050 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it thrilling and excellent, similar to the TV series. The book is praised as high-quality and first-class.

"...I do highly recommend this book. Cheers to Michael Connelly 🥂..." Read more

"...The Black Echo is a fun, fast read, and Connelly's characterizations of the main players makes them seem like real people in real situations...." Read more

"Interesting book, takes you back to tbe ninties when it was written before cell phones and every piece of information at the tip of your..." Read more

"...Solid research evident in the PD and Vietnam descriptions. Good book. Jumping on the next." Read more

848 customers mention "Storyline"787 positive61 negative

Customers find the storyline engaging with good twists and turns. They describe it as a compelling, credible mystery with plenty of action. Readers recommend it for mystery fans, especially Michael Connelly fans. The storyline tracing Bosch back to Vietnam is fantastic and captivating.

"...The story is very engrossing and hard to put down it’s so edge of your seat suspenseful...." Read more

"...The storyline tracing Bosch back to Vietnam was fantastic. The personality of Bosch is hard not to like...." Read more

"...Although there are other murders and shootouts, they are not overly graphic or violent...." Read more

"...of characters with there own motivations which makes for some good twists and turns." Read more

362 customers mention "Character development"339 positive23 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters in the book. They find the main character realistic and flawed, making him easy to sympathize with. The characters come alive in the story, which is well-acted and produced.

"...Highly recommend. Bosch is an old school, very intriguing character and I really appreciate the author’s (Michael Connelly’s) ways of drawing the..." Read more

"Just moves along quite nicely. Crisp characters with dialogue to match. Solid research evident in the PD and Vietnam descriptions...." Read more

"...I thought it was well acted and well produced, but the story just depressed the hell out of me and didn't hook me at any point...." Read more

"...This is a novel about a character, his personality, his gut and his determination...." Read more

339 customers mention "Writing quality"290 positive49 negative

Customers find the writing quality detailed and well-crafted. They appreciate the thorough explanation of characters and the author's ability to weave several stories together seamlessly. The book is described as an easy, fast read that keeps you hooked until the end.

"...Very well written and I’m already looking very forward to continuing and finishing off the entire book series. I do highly recommend this book...." Read more

"...Connelly is an excellent writer and I'm going to read other titles by him right now." Read more

"...Michael Connelly is a gifted writer, as he is able to weave several scenarios together in an exciting and believable story...." Read more

"...Crisp characters with dialogue to match. Solid research evident in the PD and Vietnam descriptions. Good book. Jumping on the next." Read more

279 customers mention "Detective story"279 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the detective story. They find it engaging, with an interesting detective and well-crafted police stories. The book is described as a brilliant crime/mystery novel with a well-told story of a criminal network.

"...Bosch is an old school, very intriguing character and I really appreciate the author’s (Michael Connelly’s) ways of drawing the reader into Bosch’s..." Read more

"...Bosch, however, is a very accomplished and meticulous detective, and finds clues that the FBI missed in the months prior to him being assigned to..." Read more

"Mr. Connelly writes a great book. I’ll look forward to continue reading his work with great expectations. I highly recommend this one." Read more

"...saves him from getting drummed out of the LAPD, is that he's a brilliant detective...." Read more

196 customers mention "Series"196 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the series. They find this book a great addition to the series and one of the best Harry Bosch novels by Michael Connelly.

"Simply, just fascinating cover to cover. Best Michael Connelly Bosch book. Twists and turns...." Read more

"...Think of it as the opposite of Dune. That was a great epic book which was turned into a horrible movie." Read more

"Totally different than the TV show. Captivating for sure, loved the flow of this book. Keep them coming, slow and steady." Read more

"Love the TV series and this book was just as thrilling. I'm going to read the entire series. Love Bosch" Read more

117 customers mention "Interest"103 positive14 negative

Customers find the book engaging and entertaining. They say the story is compelling, credible, and satisfying. The writing is fast-paced and exciting, with no dull moments. Readers appreciate the believable character and thoughtful mindset. Overall, they describe the book as gritty and entertaining.

"...He is stubborn, arrogant at times, but with great instincts. It's appealing because we all admire people like Bosch...." Read more

"...writer, as he is able to weave several scenarios together in an exciting and believable story...." Read more

"...every nook and cranny of a case, and though the details don't become tiresome or boring at any point, they weren't really thrilling, either...." Read more

"...elements, suffice to say that it's compelling, credible and more than satisfying.)..." Read more

133 customers mention "Pace"88 positive45 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it fast-paced and engaging, with crisp dialogue and a fluid writing style. Others feel it progresses slowly at the beginning but overall is still enjoyable.

"...The Black Echo is a fun, fast read, and Connelly's characterizations of the main players makes them seem like real people in real situations...." Read more

"...The book’s details are at perfect volume and the pace is pretty smooth even for a detective novel. I can’t wait to read more books in this series." Read more

"...Love the Harry Bosch series. The book, however, was very slow. I gave it 6 chapters and then decided to lay it to rest. So disappointed 🙁..." Read more

"Totally different than the TV show. Captivating for sure, loved the flow of this book. Keep them coming, slow and steady." Read more

Great Book - Some Printing Issues
4 out of 5 stars
Great Book - Some Printing Issues
Love the novel, but there's 60 pages in the middle of this book that for some reason are printed in a different font and it really messed with my eyes for some reason.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2024
    I love the Harry Bosch series both book and TV show. Highly recommend. Bosch is an old school, very intriguing character and I really appreciate the author’s (Michael Connelly’s) ways of drawing the reader into Bosch’s world and into his insightful mind. Bosch is upstanding as a detective and how I believe I would have been if able to pursue this dream of mine before becoming permanently disabled. The story is very engrossing and hard to put down it’s so edge of your seat suspenseful. I read this first book in the Bosch series within two days it drew me in so well. I truly appreciate the worthy distraction the author has given me as a momentary reprieve from the every day pain and suffering I live with due to my permanent disability as he helped to get my mind involved in the world of Harry Bosch. Very well written and I’m already looking very forward to continuing and finishing off the entire book series. I do highly recommend this book. Cheers to Michael Connelly 🥂
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2025
    At certain points there was too much detail but once you finish you think, well, actually, that was just about right. The storyline tracing Bosch back to Vietnam was fantastic. The personality of Bosch is hard not to like. He is stubborn, arrogant at times, but with great instincts. It's appealing because we all admire people like Bosch. He believes in himself and take chances to prove his hunches. Connelly is an excellent writer and I'm going to read other titles by him right now.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2013
    Michael Connelly's hero, Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch is introduced in The Black Echo where he has recently been demoted and moved to Hollywood Division because of a scandal caused when he shot a murderer who reached under his pillow to get what Harry believed to be a gun, but was actually a toupee. Internal Affairs, with the help of Irvin Irving, the big boss, who hates Harry, pushed the demotion through and Harry is perennially in trouble no matter what he does to redeem himself.

    The story begins when Bosch is called to the scene of a dead body discovered in a large pipe near the Mulholland Dam. A street kid witnesses the dump and calls Homicide. When Harry arrives, he finds he knows the victim, Billy Meadows, from his Vietnam days where they were both tunnel rats. Even though it looks like a heroin overdose, Harry finds discrepancies in the overdose theory, and against the wishes of everyone at the scene and his bosses, insists that it be processed as a homicide. His partner, Jerry Edgar, who does only the bare minimum and is usually busy with his real estate business, isn't really willing to help much, since he has an open house that he is hosting, so once again Bosch is unpopular. As the story unfolds, Bosch finds the kid who called in the body and also discovers a pawn ticket in Meadows' apartment that ties him to a bank vault robbery that occurred almost a year prior. Bosch calls the FBI and is paired up with Eleanor Wish; beautiful, of course, and very willing to sleep with Harry. Eleanor's boss doesn't like Harry nosing into an FBI case, but is forced to let Harry and Eleanor work on it. At the same time, Irving keeps two Internal Affairs officers on Harry to find a way to get him fired.

    During the course of the novel, Harry and Eleanor come close to being killed in a hit and run, are involved in several shootouts, and are generally in danger throughout the entire book. Of course there is corruption inside the police departments and federal agencies, which causes additional problems for Bosch. Bosch, however, is a very accomplished and meticulous detective, and finds clues that the FBI missed in the months prior to him being assigned to the case. He believes "There are no coincidences," which, with that point of view, helps him think outside the box and resolve the problems.

    Michael Connelly is a gifted writer, as he is able to weave several scenarios together in an exciting and believable story. Although there are other murders and shootouts, they are not overly graphic or violent. The Black Echo is a fun, fast read, and Connelly's characterizations of the main players makes them seem like real people in real situations. Bosch is not a team player, and has very strong feelings for the victims, which sets him apart from his colleagues and bosses. He is a hero who is likeable, albeit difficult; he chain smokes and drinks to excess, is a real loner, and loves jazz. It is recommended that this book be read first, as an introduction to the subsequent Harry Bosch novels.

    This book was purchased with personal funds and no promotion of the book was solicited by the author or publisher.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2025
    Interesting book, takes you back to tbe ninties when it was written before cell phones and every piece of information at the tip of your fingers.

    The main character isn’t perfect thats what makes the book so enjoyable. You wouldnt want to be friends with Harry but as you read you admire him for his seeking the truth. The supporting cast is also made up of characters with there own motivations which makes for some good twists and turns.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2025
    Just moves along quite nicely. Crisp characters with dialogue to match. Solid research evident in the PD and Vietnam descriptions.

    Good book. Jumping on the next.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2023
    I've been curious about the Bosch series for some time now, though I lost some enthusiasm when I wasn't thrilled with the first season of the Amazon show. I thought it was well acted and well produced, but the story just depressed the hell out of me and didn't hook me at any point. I'd already downloaded this book and a few others at that point and didn't know when I'd ever get to them. When I found the special edition audiobook version read by Titus Welliver, that's when I decided to give it a shot.

    The story follows every aspect of and explores every nook and cranny of a case, and though the details don't become tiresome or boring at any point, they weren't really thrilling, either. I'm more of a Jack Reacher fan than a Harry Bosch fan, but Bosch is interesting just the same.

    Two personal notes that connected me to the story: I actually met Titus Welliver at a special screening for the movie The Town and got a picture with him. He was very deadpanned but friendly enough to let me get that moment in. I cherished that memory, long before I knew him as Bosch.

    Also, the painting "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper is mentioned in this book, and Harry sees himself in one of the people in the painting. It has always been my favorite work of art, and I actually have a print of it hanging in my basement, and I was right next to it when I first heard it mentioned in the book. When I was able to look right over and know exactly what Bosch was talking about as he was describing the painting, it was a very neat moment.
    9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Laurie Jacques
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, Wow, Wow!!!
    Reviewed in Canada on November 12, 2024
    My first read of a Harry Bosch novel, and I can hardly wait to start book #2. Connelly is the consummate storyteller, and a master word crafter. Great job, Michael…looking forward to reading more about Harry.
  • Claus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inconclusa
    Reviewed in Mexico on July 29, 2024
    No la he terminado pero hasta ahora va muy bien, muy entretenida
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Black Echo
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 19, 2024
    Brilliant. Have been reading Michael Connolly for years. Never disappoints.
  • Martin Gaedt
    5.0 out of 5 stars Skin like a salty shell
    Reviewed in Germany on April 14, 2024
    This book offers rich storytelling. It`s full of emotions, sounds, smells. I`m tasting the salt: “The warm winds and the dream had made him sweat. Then the wind had dried the moisture on his skin like a salty shell.”
    The story starts with a dead body in a tunnel. “I heard the car coming before I saw it. Cause the guy has no lights on.” The Black Echo goes back to the Vietnam War. “The corruption within the Saigon police department was orchestrated or controlled by a triad called the Devil`s Three.” To get all their stolen money out of the country, they chose diamonds to start a new life in L.A. “No way in two days unless it was greased. This guy already had approval. He was connected.” The connection was hidden since April 1975 when Saigon fell until Harry Bosch is connecting the dots 16 years later. The enemy is always close behind and even besides him.
    Meanwhile the detectives Wish and Bosch are getting closer. Bosch is having a crush on the FBI agent: “He watched Eleanor Wish. Her eyes darted that way but quickly went back to the photograph.” Not much time left for romance, when their only witness, a young boy has been murdered. “They want us to know they did it. They are laughing at us.” Some more dead people, and “his share is growing larger. Would he say, ‘My share has gone up’ or would he simply say, ‘It’s all mine’? Bosch’s gut feeling was he would say the latter, unless there was still someone else sharing the pot.”
    “Bosch did as they wanted. Because it was what he wanted.” “His head down and his hair blowing a hundred different ways.” “I could have just buried you in paper. But I didn`t.” Bosch has been a star on TV, now many colleagues are after him trying to proof him being a criminal. “We’re going to toast your ass right this time.” “One more notch on our barrel.”
  • Joanna
    5.0 out of 5 stars Emocionante
    Reviewed in Spain on May 21, 2023
    Una novela de detectives bien escrita. Muy recomendable.

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