In the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit, not many murder victims die a decade after the crime. So when a man succumbs to complications from being shot by a stray bullet ten years earlier, Bosch catches a case in which the body is still fresh, but any other clues are virtually nonexistent. Even a veteran cop would find this one tough going, but Bosch’s new partner, Detective Lucia Soto, has no homicide experience. A young star in the department, Soto has been assigned to Bosch so that he can pass on to her his hard-won expertise.
Now Bosch and Soto are tasked with solving a murder that turns out to be highly charged and politically sensitive. Beginning with the bullet that has been lodged for years in the victim’s spine, they must pull new leads from years-old evidence, and these soon reveal that the shooting was anything but random.
As their investigation picks up speed, it leads to another unsolved case with even greater stakes: the deaths of several children in a fire that occurred twenty years ago. But when their work starts to threaten careers and lives, Bosch and Soto must decide whether it is worth risking everything to find the truth, or if it’s safer to let some secrets stay buried.
How much do I love Harry Bosch? So very much. I have been reading these books for as far back as I can remember. So far back, that I can’t even remember all the homicide cases that he has solved. Harry Bosch is the epitome of a tough as nails homicide detective, one that almost always gets his man. I thought I had read them all, but I think I missed The Black Box, and I really need to get on that!
As a rule, I usually like my homicide detectives to be women, I guess because I can relate to them better. Women in jeopardy, and all that. From the minute I started reading these books, it didn’t matter one bit that the main character was a man. Harry is smart, and he doesn’t take anything from anyone. He knows he is a good cop, and if he has to skirt the edges of impropriety, he will, if it gets the job done. He’s been through several partners-some have even died-and he has been through the wringer with all the politics of the LAPD.
This time around, he has one year left until retirement. He has been assigned a new partner, one that is new to the job. It’s up to Bosch to mentor her, and teach her the job before he leaves. Lucy was a hotshot(literally) policewoman, who was involved in a shooting, one that awarded her the Medal of Valor from the police department. This jump started her career to detective. She chooses to work in the cold case department. She has her own reasons to pick that department, due to a sad past involving a cold case that she was involved in as a child.
So not only do they investigate the case from her childhood, but they also investigate the case of a mariachi band member that was shot in broad daylight ten years before. It took the victim ten years, but now that he has died, it’s a homicide.
It’s always fascinating to see everything Bosch goes through to solve a case. Working on two cases at the same time is not an obstacle for him. Lucy, holds her own beautifully as well. As usual, these cases get them involved in politics, both police and governmental.
I did have one problem with this book. At times, it almost read as a police procedural manual, which is fine if you want to know all those things. I think a lot of it could have been left out, and it would have made for a much more enjoyable read. It took me about a fourth of the way in before I really got involved in the story, and I think it was due to this. This was unusual for me, and a Harry Bosch book. That being said, it ended up being a good installment of these books, and very much worth the read for all mystery fans out there. I will definitely be getting the next book when it comes out!
The review copy of The Burning Room was purchased by the reviewer.