
The Black Echo: Special Edition: Harry Bosch, Book 1
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Experience this special edition of The Black Echo, Michael Connelly’s award-winning crime novel narrated by Titus Welliver, star of the Bosch series on Amazon Prime Video - includes an exclusive bonus interview with the author and the actor featuring insider info and more.
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.
"Michael Connelly is the master of the universe in which he lives, and that is the sphere of crime thrillers." - Huffington Post.
- Listening Length14 hours and 54 minutes
- Audible release dateMarch 31 2020
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB085LQQY32
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 14 hours and 54 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Michael Connelly |
Narrator | Titus Welliver |
Audible.ca Release Date | March 31 2020 |
Publisher | Brilliance Audio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B085LQQY32 |
Best Sellers Rank | #3,858 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #76 in Police Procedural Mysteries #92 in Crime Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals) #282 in Suspense (Audible Books & Originals) |
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The Black Echo was Michael Connelly’s debut Bosch crime thriller which, published in ‘92, pre-dates the Prime TV series by more than two decades. In that span of time he added Jack McEvoy (The Poet/‘96), Terrell McCaleb (Blood Work/‘98), and Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer/‘05) as characters in his impressive string of titles. (The Late Show/’17, marked Renee Ballard’s introductory appearance).
But “Echo” set the stage for everything and everyone that followed, and it was a great beginning. Connelly made clear from the start that Bosch was a cop who thought outside the box and pretty much worked the same way. And also quite obvious was that while attempts to control, hinder, or halt him in his pursuit of the ‘bad guy’ might slow his drive they would almost certainly fail (the “dog with a bone” analogy).
The Bosch legacy begins with his investigation into the death of a fellow Vietnam vet that he identifies very quickly as a murder while others are eager to chalk it up as just another junkie over-dose. The story spirals upward into much more: dirty money laundered into a massive cache of diamonds and precious stones stored in a secretive but highly visible bank vault that blows up, literally, in Bosch’s face. And although his past experiences as a Vietnam “tunnel rat” are ones he’s wished to forget, it’s those traumatic memories that eventually ‘save the day’.
It’s a great story that established Connelly as a master of the crime fiction genre. And although I suppose his books can be read in any order, starting with “Echo” and following the series as it progresses does pay benefits i.e., meeting his new protagonists as they make their first appearance eliminates some of the “where the hell did he/she come from?” confusion that may crop up.
Now, after 30 years of reading and enjoying Connelly's books, I've decided to undertake the task of reviewing most of his titles (this lead me to discover that my library was actually missing two of them - since rectified - and his latest due out this November, has been pre-ordered). Maybe my efforts will help introduce another new reader or two to this masterful storyteller, but regardless it will be a fun trip down memory lane.
Highly recommend this book if you’re a crime drama fan.
I’ve already downloaded the second in the series to begin right away.
Top reviews from other countries

Harry is best described as "a detective who would do the right thing no matter what the cost. A man with a sharp worn code of conduct. A classic outsider.".... In The Black Echo we learn about Harry's activities as a tunnel rat during the Vietnam war and how the horrors of this underground hell helped shape him as a detective with the will to survive and a loner's code of justice. When the body of a fellow "rat" Billy Meadows is discovered in a drain outlet, Harry is determined to find the perpetrator responsible and bring justice to his onetime comrade in arms. In this endeavour he is joined by FBI agent Eleanor Wish, a relationship develops that becomes personal and leaves Harry wondering if her intentions are honourable or does she harbor an underlying agenda.
The weakness of the story is the plot; dirty money profits from Saigon laundered as diamonds/precious stones and kept secret in a bank vault in downtown LA. The only way to retrieve the hidden stash is to tunnel deep into the innards of the bank. In contrast the strength of the story is the superb charactization of the main players. Bosch, Eleanor Wish and Deputy Chief Irvin Irving who appears to be on a one man crusade against what he views as underhand tactics by a maverick lone detective.
As always Michael Connnelly is razor sharp in his acute observations of the human spirit....."Sunsets did that here. Made you forget it was the smog that made their colors so brilliant, and that behind every pretty picture there could be an ugly story."....."He was a worn-out old man whose eyes had quit caring about anything but the odds on three year olds"..."I believe that shit happens. I believe that the best you can do in this job is come out even".......

We meet Harry Bosch when he has been demoted after killing a suspect in a serial killer investigation. Called to a routine discovery of a body in a drainage park, he recognises the victim as that of Billy Meadows, a fellow 'tunnel rat,' in Vietnam. Bosch believes Billy was murdered and discovers a link to a bank heist, currently being investigated by the FBI.
This is a crime novel which combines both plot and character equally well. We have the damaged, driven central character and his relationship with FBI Agent Eleanor Wish, his investigation by Internal Affairs, his constant fighting against the system and his wish to bring justice. It took me a while to get into but I was invested about a third of the way in and, despite this not being my usual read, I am sure that I will continue the series.

Short version: I totally recommend this - it's utterly riveting. Get it!
Longer version: Not really a TV person but bc of Prime, occasionally watch pilot episodes of anything that looks interesting. With Bosch, I'm now in the middle of season 5. It's a bit grim but also utterly compelling. So figured I'd check out the first book (written in '92, so no cell phones: Maybe fellow Generation Xers who remember life before the cell phone/tech explosion will appreciate this more than millennials?) and even though things are slightly different (he's never married and Maddie doesn't exist yet) and events that happen in season 3 were sourced from this book, it's still so good!
I won't go into details, but the author's skill is phenomenal. I'm so glad to own this and look forward to working my way through the series and maybe even branching out to the author's other characters.
If you bear in mind this novel series was begun shortly after the 80s ended and don't expect things to be just like in the show, you'll probably get along fine with it.

The book itself follows the well used loner cop with a few personal problems, but the characters are well drawn and interesting. The story itself is well crafted and interesting, and the city is really nicely described. Given the book is now 25 years old, there are some bits of the that make you smile given todays connected world. Of course any Vietnam vets are now far older than Bosch's character, but that did not bother me in the least, and I am happy to have a new series of books to read.
