The Black Ice - Michael Connelly > Reviews (3)

Since no one else has mentioned this book, here is a very quick op.

The Black Ice is the second of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch novels following on from The Black Echo. Whilst the books tell separate stories, it is probably best to read the Black Echo as it introduces many of the characters found in this sequel.
The book begins with the maverick LAPD homicide detective arriving at the scene of an apparent suicide in a rather seedy motel. But this is no ordinary crime – Harry knew the victim Calexico Moore, a detective in the drugs enforcement division who he believed had crossed over. Harry is landed with informing Moore’s wife and an attraction develops between them. So when Assistant Chief Irvine (a play it by the book individual) declares the crime a suicide and a cover-up seems to be in progress, Harry decides to investigate the case as he suspects more sinister motives. This leads him into the world of the black ice – a new designer drug consisting of a mixture of cocaine and heroin. The trial leads to Mexico towards a drugs cartel headed by none other than Moore’s own half-brother. To find out more you’ll have to read the book, as I don’t want to ruin the story for you here and now.
Connelly again manages to make the dark and tormented world of Harry Bosch come to life. Whilst the story moves along at break neck pace, it still manages to maintain realism whilst operates on several emotional levels. The character development, as always, is superb and the story is a page turner. However I would not rate this book as highly as the first in the series (the black echo) as at times the story appears to jump a little, and vast leaps in the case occur all too quickly to completely follow. If you’re like me you’d probably find yourself re-reading some parts to try and completely follow the trial. This does not detract from a great page turner of a book, however, and is an absolutely essential read from fans of the series.
The Black Ice by Michael Connelly is published by Orion books and retails for £5.99 in the UK. However it is also found in the first Harry Bosch omnibus (the Harry Bosch Mysteries) which contains the first three books of the series for a bargain basement £10.99 (that’s only £3.66 a book), but just be aware that the omnibus is a rather bulky item.