The Black Box

The Black Box
by Michael Connelly
Little, Brown and Company, 2012.  403 pgs. Mystery.

During the Los Angeles riots of 1992, much of South Central L.A. was a crime scene, and in Michael Connelly's latest, Harry Bosch and his team are moving at breakneck speed from homicide to homicide gathering only the most essential information and evidence and then moving on to the next shooting.  But one murder stands out for him--a Danish journalist, shot to death execution style in an alley somewhat removed from the worst rampaging. Harry does as much for her as he can, as quickly as he can, but then must move on and leave the case to others.  Twenty years later when the L.A. cold case division is asked to look into homicides from that era, Harry picks out Anneke Jesperson's file and revisits the crime scene he once so hastily secured. Few contemporary writers do
police procedurals as well as Michael Connelly, and The Black Box is no exception. Harry's patient but relentless fitting together of the puzzle pieces of Jesperson's death is deeply satisfying, and though a host of lucky coincidences lead to the story's  unlikely ending, this is still a terrific book, great escape fiction for the dark of the year.

LW