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The Concrete Blonde
Written by Michael Connelly
Narrated by Dick Hill
Book Actions
Start Listening- Publisher:
- Brilliance Audio
- Released:
- May 25, 2005
- ISBN:
- 9781596009240
- Format:
- Audiobook
Description
The Dollmaker was the name of the serial killer who had stalked Los Angeles ruthlessly, leaving grisly calling cards on the faces of his victims. Now, with a single faultless shot, Harry Bosch thinks he has ended the city's nightmare.
But the dead man's widow is suing Harry and the LAPD for killing the wrong man-an accusation that rings terrifyingly true when a new victim is discovered with the Dollmaker's macabre signature.
So, for the second time, Harry must hunt down a death-dealer who is very much alive, before he strikes again. It's a blood-tracked quest that will take Harry from the hard edges of the L.A. night to the last place he ever wanted to go-the darkness of his own heart.
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
The Concrete Blonde
Written by Michael Connelly
Narrated by Dick Hill
Description
The Dollmaker was the name of the serial killer who had stalked Los Angeles ruthlessly, leaving grisly calling cards on the faces of his victims. Now, with a single faultless shot, Harry Bosch thinks he has ended the city's nightmare.
But the dead man's widow is suing Harry and the LAPD for killing the wrong man-an accusation that rings terrifyingly true when a new victim is discovered with the Dollmaker's macabre signature.
So, for the second time, Harry must hunt down a death-dealer who is very much alive, before he strikes again. It's a blood-tracked quest that will take Harry from the hard edges of the L.A. night to the last place he ever wanted to go-the darkness of his own heart.
- Publisher:
- Brilliance Audio
- Released:
- May 25, 2005
- ISBN:
- 9781596009240
- Format:
- Audiobook
About the author
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Reviews
As the book opens, Harry Bosch is attending a trial -- the widow of The Dollmaker, a notorious serial killer whom Bosch shot and killed a few years before, is suing the LAPD for wrongful death. Part of her case is that she doesn't believe her husband was the killer, even though evidence found in his secret apartment pointed to him. The widow also has a better lawyer than Harry does. When Harry's boss calls to have him view a newly-discovered body that was buried in concrete, complications arise because the "new" corpse has all the indications of being The Dollmaker's handiwork, but is also too recent to be so. Harry and others in the department must figure out whether he indeed shot the wrong man or whether there are really two "Dollmakers," one still at large. As usual, Bosch breaks a lot of rules, makes some false starts, and eventually gets his man, in a way. In addition, we learn a lot more about Bosch's early life and follow the ups and downs of his relationship with Sylvia Moore, the widow of the police officer whose apparent suicide began Black Ice.
I'm getting pretty darn tired of serial killers in these stories, but the writing is so good I can't resist reading them even when that's the topic. I suppose serial killers are so popular in police procedurals because they are one of the few realistic instances where the police are initially baffled but have some chance of figuring out whodunnit (unlike random gang violence, for example.) So, I'll be reading the rest of the Harry Bosch series, but I really prefer the Mickey Haller books by the same author.
There are quite a few reviews lauding the main character, Harry Bosch, and in my opinion he's a keeper (though his lady-friend seems a bit whiny).
This particular abridged version of the book is entertaining and satisfying, overall. The book has been abridged down to approximately 3 hours. I don't know if it's the publisher (Nova Audiobooks) or just the act of such heavy abridgement, but there are jumps and gaps that leave the listener (me) wondering, "How did he come to that conclusion?"
I think those jumps and gaps are to be expected, and the full-length version will (I assume) fill in the holes. This version is just fine, though.