Title: The Crossing
Author: Michael Connelly
First published November 3, 2015
388 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780316225885 (ISBN10: 0316225886)
Rating: 4.26
Overview
Retired detective Harry Bosch is enjoying his peaceful life away from the LAPD when his half-brother, Mickey Haller, comes to him for help. Haller’s client, a former gang member turned family man, has been accused of brutally murdering a woman in her bed.
Despite the evidence stacking up against him, Haller insists that his client is innocent and has been set up. Though reluctant to work for the defense, Bosch takes the case, determined to uncover the truth.
As he delves deeper into the investigation, Bosch realizes that the killer is not only tracking his every move but is also someone he knows from his time in the police department. With the help of his former partner, Lucy Soto, Bosch must race against time to uncover the real killer before they strike again.
About the Author
Michael Connelly’s passion for writing was ignited during his time at the University of Florida when he discovered Raymond Chandler’s books. He went on to study journalism and creative writing, with novelist Harry Crews as one of his teachers.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly became a crime reporter at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, covering stories on police and crime, especially during the height of the cocaine wars. In 1986, Connelly and two other reporters wrote a magazine story on a major airline crash and the survivors, which was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.
The success of this story led Connelly to become a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, where he stayed for three years, before venturing into writing his first novel featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The Black Echo, published in 1992 and based on a true crime, won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America.
Since then, Connelly has written over 30 novels, selling over 80 million copies worldwide and translated into forty-five languages. He’s won numerous awards, including the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, and Macavity Award.
Connelly was also the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004, and he produces and writes for the TV show, “Bosch,” which streams on Amazon Prime Video. Connelly and his family live in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
Editoral Review
Michael Connelly’s latest thriller, The Crossing, is a gripping page-turner that showcases the author’s mastery of the genre. With his signature style of tight prose and taut pacing, Connelly delivers a hard-boiled crime novel that delves deep into the psyche of his protagonist, Harry Bosch.
For those unfamiliar with Connelly’s work, he is a New York Times-bestselling author of crime novels and police procedurals, featuring characters such as Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller, and Jack McEvoy. His work often takes place in Los Angeles and deals with themes of justice, corruption, and redemption.
The Crossing, published in 2015, is another addition to this impressive oeuvre. The novel opens with Bosch, a retired LAPD detective, taking on a new case as a private investigator.
Tasked with defending a wealthy entrepreneur accused of murdering his wife and her lover, Bosch enters a world of high-stakes politics and dangerous alliances. To unravel the truth, he must navigate a complex web of deception, corruption, and betrayal that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear.
Connelly’s intricate plot is masterfully crafted, and his writing is imbued with a dark sense of menace that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The tension builds gradually, as the novel alternates between Bosch’s investigation and the behind-the-scenes machinations of his enemies.
With each chapter, readers learn more about the case, the characters, and the stakes involved, and the relentless pace never lets up. One of Connelly’s strengths as a writer is his ability to create complex, fully-realized characters that feel like real people.
In The Crossing, he once again demonstrates this skill, eliciting empathy and understanding for both the accused and the accusers. Bosch, in particular, is a magnetic protagonist, flawed yet noble, struggling to do the right thing in a world of moral ambiguity.
In terms of style, Connelly’s prose is lean and precise. He eschews unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, instead relying on strong verbs and nouns to convey his meaning.
This spare approach gives the novel a sense of urgency and immediacy, as if the action is unfolding in real time. If The Crossing has a flaw, it’s that the plot is somewhat predictable, with few surprises or plot twists.
However, this is a minor quibble in light of the novel’s many strengths. By the end of the book, readers will be left breathless, awed by the author’s skill and fully invested in Bosch’s quest for justice.
Overall, The Crossing is a must-read for fans of crime fiction and police procedurals. It’s a captivating, well-written novel that showcases Michael Connelly’s talents as one of the best in the business.
Highly recommended.
