List Price: $7.99 Our Price: $6.39 You Save: $1.60 (20%)

Product Description

In his first case since he left the LAPD's Open Unsolved Unit for the prestigious Homicide Special squad, Harry Bosch is called out to investigate a murder that may have chilling consequences for national security. A doctor with access to a dangerous radioactive substance is found murdered in the trunk of his car. Retracing his steps, Harry learns that a large quantity of radioactive cesium was stolen shortly before the doctor's death. With the cesium in unknown hands, Harry fears the murder could be part of a terrorist plot to poison a major American city. Soon, Bosch is in a race against time, not only against the culprits, but also against the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI (in the form of Harry's one-time lover Rachel Walling), who are convinced that this case is too important for the likes of the LAPD. It is Bosch's job to prove all of them wrong.

Customer Reviews:

• Commentary on today's crime fighting
  The Overlook is the 13th story in the Bosch series. In this one we are treated to a regular hard-boiled murder mystery being solved by a dedicated cop who does not mind doing things not exactly by the book while also getting a loaded social commentary.
  
  The mystery is that a physicist that handles nuclear materials is murdered in execution style and a whole lot of nuclear material (Cesium) is stolen. The threads and hints strewn all around the case point to this being an emerging terrorist attack on Los Angeles and so the FBI, and many other federal agencies jump in to get involved. Speak about internecine warfare! The FBI involvement also kicks in a special unit of the LAPD that is more of a slaptsick comedy outfit than a real police force, and also one that is more akin to the FBI in wanting to keep all the glory for itself rather than think the case through and approach things logically.
  
  Bosch keeps thinking that he sees a murder mystery and wants to handle this as a standard homicide and all this additional attention creates many distractions and obstacles to the case's solution.
  
  Bosch is also reunited with his love interest in the FBI - Rachel Walling - but it is never clear if they will work together, or at cross purposes. There is enough lying and deceit between the two of them that you wonder if they'll ever get back together again as a couple.
  
  Bosch is also training a rookie cop in his ways and some of the fun of this book is watching the rookie watch Bosch and draw conclusions that are different than what Bosch wants him to get.
  
  The action is very fast-paced and the whole story is resolved in a matter of 13 hours. The way the case breaks is somewhat hoky, but logical - although I suspect that if I researched it, I would find the science behind it as being wrong, or at least accelerated.
  
  This is a fun read that takes you away from the day to day cares and is great beach or airplane material!
  ...more info
• A Great Overlook!!!
  This current Harry Bosch offering by Michael Connelly is just as exciting as all his other Harry Bosch offerings. Michael is an expert in writing detective novels, as he was a Crime Reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Harry is a Detective for the Hollywood Special Homicide Division and his first case from being transferred from the Cold Case Unit, has him finding a body on the Overlook over Hollywood. With his young partner, Iggy, they, along with the FBI, attempt to track down the murderer of a Phycisist working with Cesium, a radioactive isotope used for treating ovarian -uteran Cancer. Along with murder, Harry is thwarted by the FBI, who wants Harry out of the loop, since a heist of this isotope by known terrorists makes this a National Security issue. With a few plot twists and turns, this makes for an outstanding who-donut. If you can handle the few bad words, this is a great novel. Since I was born and raised close to LA, there are places very familiar to me. If you want to learn more about how Homicide works and all the politics between the divisions and between the locals and the Feds, you'll enjoy this offering and the rest of the Harry Bosch books. Michael's new one with Harry comes out in a few days. I highly recommend this page-turner, as it takes you straight to the last page to resolve the case.
  ...more info
• The latest fast paced Harry Bosch mystery
  This short tightly written follow up to Connelly's earlier " Echo Park" concerns twelve hours in Harry's hectic LA life, his crackling repartee, his Boschian tiffs with the FBI and a tutorial on cesium and radiation. More Connelly fun and games. ...more info
• Readable but a bit flat
  I am a huge Harry Bosch fan but I found that this book was too short and as it had been originally aimed for a serial audience, the flaws of that format shone through in this book.
  
  Everything seemed to be too rushed and light. The basis of the storyline (terrorism) just doesn't seem to be a strong suit of Michael Connelly's and it makes this book appear a Michael Crichton wanna-be.
  
  Besides my reservations, it is a readable novel....more info
• New case, old problem
  Harry Bosch is back on the homicide squad - and even though the call he goes out on seems like it might be more related to Organized Crime, he is loathe to give up his first fresh case in years. Contradictions quickly arise - as they always do in these books - showing that the murder victim, who appears to have been the victim of a mob-type "hit" has no ties to organized crime - but he did have access to radioactive material from just about every hospital in the LA area. The FBI show up - including Rachel Walling, one of Bosch's former lovers - and want a piece of the action - preferably the biggest piece.
  
  While Harry tries to solve the crime, being thwarted on almost every side, a deadly danger could be menacing LA. Can he find the answer in time?
  
  Great story - lots of action and suspense. A definite recommend....more info
• Good, but not his best
  Connelly is a master at not telegraphing where he is going and actually injecting some genuine "whodunnit" in his "whodunnits." Unfortunately, he was not able to completely escape the constraints that the NYT magazine placed on him when he originally authored this story as a serialized 16-chapter version for their periodical. This one just doesn't quite have the cadence and sense of being propelled that are characteristic of Connelly's other novels.
  
  Don't get me wrong - it's worth reading - but it just isn't one of his best. It's also a bit shorter than usual - I polished this one off in a single evening.
  
  Classic Connelly is to tell us whoddunit about three-fourths of the way through the book, and then provide an unexpected twist in the last few chapters. It's a sort of double crescendo that Connelly fans know and love. We don't get much of that here. It's a fun read, but without that tried and true recipe that Connelly so masterfully employs in most of his other books. Here, we encounter an older, but only slightly more mellow Harry Bosch as he unexpectedly meets up with his old flame, Rachael Walling of the FBI, at the crime scene. Bosch is back with the LAPD as a homicide detective and together he and Walling form an uneasy alliance to pursue first an execution-style death, and then some missing radioactive material that is connected to the victim.
  
  While a decent read, it was a bit like watching a widescreen movie on my 4:3 aspect ratio TV. It can be made to work, but you know it wasn't intended originally for that medium.
  
  I'm hopeful his next effort will be better, because it won't likely be encumbered by the same constraints. Connelly succeeds here, but it is in spite of the original medium he was writing for, not because of it.
  
  ...more info
• Connelly phones it in.
  I have read everything Connelly has written and consider myself a big fan. This book is a huge disappointment. Much of what I valued in the Bosch character had to do with his existential musings, his self-consideration, his revealed ideas about his role as a cop and his place in the world. Little of that to be found here. Perhaps this is the end of the Bosch franchise, which is probably not a bad thing at this point.
  
  It's as if Connelly bought some software whereby you enter the names of characters and a few nominal plot points, then it filled the rest in for him. I also felt he exploited our current fixation on terrorism to sell some books.
  
  Sad to see Harry Bosch go out with a whimper, rather than the other way......more info
• One of the weaker Bosch books
  Like we couldn't figure out less than half way through that this wasn't a terrorist plot but a murder done to look like one. Who would want to murder the Dr.? Wifey of course, she acted wierd from the beginning anyway. How could she murder Dr. and stage it to look like terrorism? With the help of yet another "gone bad" law enforcement officer.
  
  The book is little else than Bosch and the FBI running around chasing false clues.
  
  Two things about Connelly's writing that I am getting really tired of seeing: 1. use of the word "nodded" people are nodding constantly sometime three or four times a page, 2. Cop or ex cop turned killer. I think he has used this in quite a few books now, enough already!
  
  I will not be buying any more Connelly. I will be getting them all from the library. If he is turning into another Robert Parker, then I am not interested....more info
• Harry Bosch as Jack Bauer
  Originally published as a serial, Harry Bosch's latest case is like a plot out of 24, as it involves a terrorist network and a case of missing radioactive material. The fact it happens within a 12 hour time frame makes it hard for me to escape the comparison.
  
  Much to my delight, Bosch's foray into the counterterrorism genre isn't contrived as he tries to stubbornly focus on the murder of a physicist rather than trace the missing cesium (the radioactive material). Here, we see him butt heads with the FBI and Homeland Security regarding the priority of the case. Of course, there is the obligatory twist on the culprit but I found it not as contrived as The Closers or Echo Park.
  
  It is briskly paced and clearly written, the only complaint is it is too short. Translating it to a full-pledged novel, Connelly could've added a few more details on the war on terror to flesh out the book. Still, the overall plot is certainly most refreshing especially in the context of the Harry Bosch universe. Highly-recommended!
  ...more info
• Suspenseful
  This is a short and punchy read, focusing on the execution style murder of a physicist and the theft of radio active material which had been meant for the treatment of cancer patients. The prospect of terrorists being responsible for the theft, with the horror of the material being used to create havoc, sends the police into shock so, when Harry Bosch is sent to investigate and runs into Federal Agents, headed by persons from his past, both sides try to seize control. It's very cleverly written and I must admit to being caught in total surprise at the ending. If you enjoy a suspense thriller which can be read in a night's sitting, this is just for you!...more info
• Skeletal
  I know this was originally published as a serial, but it still feels like it hasn't been fleshed out enough. The Overlook is my introduction to Harry Bosch. As a new reader, the constant referrals to the previous novel in the series got old quick. It made me feel like I shouldn't have been reading this book, even though it clearly stands alone. Likable book, even if it was a bit sparse.
  
  Harry, so far, is an enjoyable character. I'll most likely be back for more....more info
• Great book --- but
  This is a great book to get on CD. It does have one small problem. At the end of every chapter they play music. I found the music got in the way of enjoying the last few lines of each chapter. I also kept thinking it was time to change CDs.
  
  However, the voices were great and it is a book you can get into within mins.
  
  ...more info
• OK, but too short
  I enjoyed the story line as it is very much vintage Connelly. Also liked the part about Harry and Rachel Walling teaming up again. However, at 225 pages (hardcover edition) you could hardly call this a novel. It's more a novelette. The buyer should be warned in advance that you are not getting a novel for the money you are paying....more info
• Bare Bones Bosch
  Michael Connelly fans know Harry Bosch. He's the kind of scrupulously honest, clever, always-ready-to-break-the-rules-to-solve-the-case kind of detective you would want on the trail, assuming you're a good guy. Having read several Bosch novels, I was able to fill in the blanks a lot here, for the characters, several of whom appear in earlier works, are not well developed.
  
  The plot centers on a Connelly staple: the tension between the feds (Foolish Bureau of Investigation?) and the locals. There's also the classic bit about the grizzled veteran breaking in the new partner.
  
  The big mystery is the cold-blooded murder of a man who is carrying a large amount of radioactive cesium. It seems the cesium was stolen by terrorists.
  
  The first fifteen chapters read like something Connelly could have written in his sleep. But, fortunately, it heats up, and the last eight chapters build to an exciting climax.
  
  One thing I've found from Connelly's books: pay attention, particularly when Bosch is sniffing around. Connelly doesn't clutter his work with meaningless leads.
  
  I haven't rated any of the other Connelly books that I have read, but I believe they were all solid fives. However, this book needs more depth, more detail. So, holding this work up against the high standards of other Connelly novels, I have to give it a four....more info
• "12, not 24"
  "12, not 24 "
  
  With the same intensity of the popular TV series 24, this Harry Bosch story moves with high tension compressed into twelve hours of non-stop action. When Bosch is called to investigate a murder at 1 a.m., he is drawn into a theft of radioactive material by the victim. The FBI and Homeland Security involve themselves in the murder probe, and Bosch finds himself pitted against government agents intent on taking the case away from him. His experience and intuition lead him to see through devious misdirections by the killers, and he must use all his skills to save his job and track down the perpetrators of an ingenious crime. A thrill-ride well worth the reading.
  ...more info
• The latest Harry Bosch is a radioactive thriller...
  Wow! If nothing else, The Overlook by Michael Connely is an education in radiation detection, dirty bombs, and high-tech anti-terrorism. Our old friend Harry (Hieronymus) Bosch has been called to a late-night crime scene. Physicist Stanley Kent has been executed at an overlook on Mulholland Drive and missing from the scene is a container that is presumed to contain stolen radioactive material from one of the many hospitals where he has privileges.
  
  Enter Rachel Walling, tough FBI agent and Bosch's former lover, from whom he parted badly in the last book (Echo Park). He has to fight with everything he's got to keep the case once the Feds arrive and he uses some artful tricks that give him short-term results but might entirely derail his resurrected career in the long run.
  
  Something's rotten with the whole thing and unlikely people end up as the target of the FBI's anti-terror squads. Is this the plot of a group of people who have escaped the federal radar or are the Feds wildly off-mark? Bosch thinks that things aren't what they seem but how to solve this case, keep his job, and maybe thaw the ice at least a little with Rachel. It's a big order and this book is up to the job. Nice read....more info
• 12 hours
  When his lieutenant phones him after midnight, Harry is still awake. Arriving at the scenic overlook above Mulholland Dam, he finds a man dead in an execution style shooting. The victim's a medical physicist with daily access to dangerous radioactive substances, and it soon appears that he has been forced to supply a large quantity of cesium to terrorists. FBI agents show up almost immediately, and the competition to solve this case begins.
  
  Connelly incorporates characters familiar to his readers from earlier Bosch novels, as well as a new and personable young partner, Iggie Ferras. It takes some fancy footwork on Harry's part to buck the system and untangle disparate threads. Not one of the edgier Bosch novels, but fun to watch him grapple with problems he has never had to face before. Still living up to his Nam nickname, Harry Kari.
  
  The Overlook was originally published in serial form in the New York Times. ...more info
• Not so bad
  Other reviewers seem to be disappointed devotees of Connelly and his detective. This is my first acquaintance with them so I do not have the adverse comparisons to make . It is a short, fast moving detective story, and I for one did not anticipate the ending. If you want an easy, exciting read for your flight or vacation I can recommend it as a topical crime thriller. It will entertain but not stretch the mind. ...more info
• The overlook
  I always like the way that Michael Connelly has to approach the description of crimes and love his Harry Bosch character. Unfortunately, this last book is way behind his standard. ...more info
• Short, Sweet Harry
  I'm a fan of Michael Connelly's Bosch series. While this is not one of his best books, it certainly holds its own. I enjoyed the fast paced sotry telling with plenty of Harry's craziness slapping me in the face!
  Thumbs up!...more info
• Good, short introduction to Harry Bosch
  I started reading The Overlook in the New York Times back in 2006. For various reasons, I stopped reading the weekly installments. Later, Connelly revised the story, making it more the novel it wanted to be rather than sixteen sections of equal word length. I read the novel and quite liked it.
  
  In The Overlook, Harry Bosch is with a special unit of robbery homicide and he gets the call around midnight. Like many times throughout his books, Bosch is asleep in an easy chair, fully dressed, ready for a case. He gets one, a murdered man out on the overlook over Mulholland. He's breaking in a new partner, a kid half his age, and the crotchety self of Bosch comes out. That's the least of his worries as FBI Special Agent Rachel Walling, old flame and fellow adventurer of previous books (including The Narrows), shows up and pulls federal rank. Bosch doesn't like that--natch--and the case is on.
  
  The Overlook is short, unlike nearly all of Connelly's books. That feature alone makes it a nice introduction to Bosch. He's all there, at least as I can tell from the four previous books I read. Knowing some of the detail that Connelly brings to his books, it's a nice break to have a lighter book with a straightforward plot. I can only imagine how many readers first read the story in the New York Times and proceeded to buy more Bosch books. He's a great character. He ages in real time. He gets hurt and, well, it hurts him. He's not above it all, although he thinks he is some of the times.
  
  Connelly's writing style is, to me, of the Elmore Leonard School of Writing. Leonard, like Connelly, gets out of the way as much as possible when he writes. You actually forget that Connelly is the one writing the book. Unlike, say, Don Winslow or Ken Bruen--you read a few sentences and you know, right off the bat, who the writer is. That's cool for them. Connelly's different. You take any one paragraph out of any of his books and, chances are, you'd be hard pressed to name the writer. That is a great trait to have, in my opinion. It does not get in the way of the story.
  
  Another aspect of Connelly's style that more obvious to me is what I like to call the Put-Every-Detail-In way of writing. Leonard has stated that he likes to start a scene as late as possible and get out before the scene ends. Connelly writes everything: what the characters eat, how they dress, every detail is laid out, scene by scene. I do think this is an effective way to write and I tend to be of this variety more often than not. My critique group likes to excise stuff that, upon re-reading, I see I don't need.
  
  A word about the audio: Len Cariou is a good reader for the older Bosch. Dick Hill, the reader for a lot of the other Bosch books, is a good reader, too, but Cariou was especially effective for The Overlook. Cariou's gravelly voice gave Bosch's dialogue readings an edge to them especially when Bosch was irritated with the youth and inexperience of his new partner.
  
  The Overlook provides a unique opportunity to learn from a professional writer in his prime. That is, if you have access to the novel as well as the original New York Times version. I have both and I read a few chapters, side by side, and made comparisons. It was fascinating. Things Connelly left out of the NYT piece (because of word count constraints) he fleshed out in the novel proper. There were passages where only one word was changed. I actually got the impression that the NYT version was a rough draft. Much like Springsteen does in his concerts, he sometimes considers the album versions of his songs to be rough drafts. If anyone wants to compare the two, go on over to the New York Times website and conduct a search for it. It's still there. Put both versions side by side, examine and study the differences, and ask yourself why Connelly made certain changes. It's a wonderful insight into the mind of a professional author and it's surely will help you become a better writer. It has for me. (excerpted from http://scottdparker.blogspot.com)...more info
• A minor entry in the series, but still worthwhile
  This is a shorter and faster read than one generally expects from Michael Connelly, but it still delivers.An execution style murder soon develops into a harrowing case of stolen radioactive substances. Bosch as usual knocks heads with the LAPD brass, the FBI, and his new partner.Rachel Walling is back in Bosch's life to complicate matters.One conflict with an overly zealous FBI agent and a later conflict with a wrong-headed police captain seem a bit over-the-top even for Bosch, but they are still fun reading. A more realistic conflict is between the older and experienced Bosch and his capable but youthful partner who still has much to learn if only he will realize it. This has the wit, the action, and the suspense but not quite the depth of the previous books. Still one to read and enjoy. ...more info
• Short with a Punch
  I liked this Harry Bosch novel very much and, unlike some reviewers, had no problem with the 12-hour time frame or the fact that this novel is shorter than most of the other Bosch books. This time Harry is investigating a murder that has links to terrorism, a timely subject and a good device for author Michael Connelly to use to illustrate the one-up-manship and undercutting that goes on among the various law enforcement agencies that get called in on a big case.
  
  There is a good kicker at the end of the story too, and one that I have to admit I didn't see coming. The Overlook is a good addition to the Bosch series and I recommend it for anyone who likes an entertaining read that is also well written and features interesting characters....more info
• Phoning it in
  I didn't fully comprehend this phrase until reading this book. It's as if Mr. Connelly, usually an excellent writer, turned this over to some high school wannabe. It's dull, the plot is tired, the characters are shallow and the writing is simply silly. I can't imagine how Mr. Connelly can tolerate this book out there with his name on the cover. In addition, the audio version is read by someone who must be an old friend of the family. How else to account for the sing song voice, inability to add drama or tension to the story and inconsistent accents. A high school drama major could have done a better job! What a disappointment for fans of this author. ...more info
• never mind
  The author is apparently tired of inventing plots, so he fills the pages with endless pissing matches.
  ...more info
• Hollywood what are you waiting for?
  I've read all of Michael Connelly's novels and to me he just gets better each time out. If I could go back and re-rate all my previous reviews I'd give them all 5 stars. I've realized all his books are highly enjoyable and that all the other authors I've been exposed to who write this kind of crime-fiction don't come close. There's many I can't finish.
  
  In the "Overlook" I really did feel I knew who the killer was early on, and it didn't bother me I was right at the end. I wonder if Connelly wanted it that way?
  
  I keep wondering who should play Harry in a movie??? Maybe Tommy Lee Jones. Linda Fiorentino as Rachel Walling. C'mon Hollywood! ...more info
• Great Reading
  Like all Michael Connelly books this is great reading. I enjoyed it from the very beginning to the very end. I highly recommend it....more info
• Bosch By Numbers
  "The Overlook" is Michael Connelly's eighteenth novel, his thirteenth to feature Harry Bosch and was first published in 2007. Orphaned at twelve when his mother was murdered, Bosch's teenage years were spent in and out of orphanages. He enlisted in the army and served in Viet-Nam, before returning home and joining the police force. Once a member of the LAPD's elite RHD (Robbery-Homicide Division), he was demoted to the Hollywood Division after an Internal Affairs investigation. After more than ten years in Hollywood, he was notified of a 'promotion' back to RHD - however, he chose to quit the force instead. He left the LAPD with an armful of Hollywood 's open-unsolved cases, tool out a private investigator's licence and continued to 'speak for the dead'. However, a couple of persuasive phone calls from a former partner from his Hollywood days saw him return to the LAPD - working out of the Open Unsolved Unit, at the Parker Centre, rather than at Hollywood . Any cases that would have a high media prolife or would appear to be a time consuming, long running case get passed over to Homicide Special by the local police departments. "The Overlook" opens with Harry picking up a case from the Hollywood Department - Harry's old stomping ground.
  
  Stanley Kent's body found was found close to Mulholland Dam, overlooking a house that once belonged to Madonna. He seems to have been the victim of an assassination - forced into a kneeling position, he was shot twice in the back of the head. However, Harry has barely arrived at the scene before the FBI also turn up - in the form of Rachel Walling. (Bosch isn't too upset - he's worked with her a couple of times before, and has also enjoyed her company on a more intimate setting). While Bosch has only been able to gather the most basic information about the victim, Walling knows a great deal more about him. Kent worked as a medical physicist, and had access to nearly every hospital in LA County - and all the radioactive material used in the treatment of cancer. Naturally, now that he's turned up executed, the automatic assumption is terrorism...
  
  By Michael Connelly's standards, "The Overlook" was hugely disappointing. It first appeared in serial form in the New York Times, which may account for something - but it almost seemed that Connelly was trying to write the book equivalent of a Greatest Hits' package. The whole terrorism thing was ticked off with "Lost Light", while the "Echo Park" case was talked about far too often. Kent's body was found at Mulholland Dam - where Bosch's first case in "The Black Echo" began - while the opening is a sanitised version of a classic Bosch pose. (In the early books, Bosch suffered from insomnia and would have spent much of the night smoking, drinking and listening to jazz. Nowadays, he's quit smoking and there's no mention of any beer). There was an entirely pointless meeting with Jerry Edgar - one of Bosch's ex-partners at Hollywood - and several phone calls to Kiz Ryder, his other ex-partner. Even the 'swimming pool incident' - when Bosch heard of his mother's death - is wheeled out again for no real reason. Rachel Walling's appearance really stank of laziness : she and Bosch only met for the first time "The Narrows", but they have now teamed up so often Connelly should just have her transferred to LAPD. (The LAPD could do with her - even though that Bosch has no trouble in either reading or bluffing her, and that her interrogation technique is clearly on the wrong side of average. Bosch's actual partner - Ignacio "Iggy" Ferras - appears to be little more than an errand boy). Given the suspicions of terrorism, I'd have thought Bosch should have been kicked off the case the second Walling arrived. However, it's possible there wasn't time for the paperwork to come through - given that the whole thing was solved in only twelve hours. One of the book's genuinely 'new' characters - Captain Don Hadley - really made me shudder. I can only hope this guy was just a very bad caricature and that there aren't really cops like him in senior positions. Overall, hugely disappointing for a Bosch book - I can only hope the next instalment isn't serialised and that Connelly puts more effort into it....more info
• A great addition to the "Harry Bosch" series!
  I became a fan of the "Harry Bosch" novels by Michael Connelly late in life. I think it was the movie, Blood Work, starring Clint Eastwood and based on one of Connelly's other books, that caused me to buy The Narrows when it came out in paperback. I read that and found myself immediately hooked on the Bosch character. I've since gone back and purchased the other novels in the series (thirteen in all) and have loved each one of them. The Overlook is the newest one out in paperback and please don't confuse it with the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's greatest horror novel, The Shining. There's no relation between the two.
  
  The story begins with a murder at night on a bluff off of Mulholland Drive, overlooking (hence the title of the book) the city of Los Angeles. The victim, Stanley Kent, was shot twice in the back of the head, and LAPD Homicide Detective Harry Bosch is called out to investigate. Several things then happen in a relatively short period of time. The first is that Harry's ex-lover, FBI agent Rachel Walling, shows up within a few minutes of him getting to the crime scene, and she makes it clear from the start that Kent's death is now a matter of national security and that the FBI is taking over the case. It appears that the victim was a doctor with access to radioactive materials such as cesium, which is used for the treatment of cancer. Kent and his wife, Alicia, had apparently been warned sometime back by Walling and her partner that they could be the focus of Middle Eastern terrorists because of the doctor's ability to get cesium at the local hospitals. The cesium could then be used to create a radioactive bomb. When Harry and Walling visit the Kent's home to break the news to Alicia of her husband's death, they discovered her naked and bound in the master bedroom. It seems that two men with Middle Eastern assents entered the home and tied her up, then called Stanley and told him to steal a supply of cesium, if he didn't want them to kill her. The victim did as required and was then murdered on the bluff. As the FBI pursues the investigation with the belief that terrorists could be planning to set up a bomb in Los Angeles, Bosch refuses to be kept out of the loop and diverts his attention to primarily solving the murder. It's his belief that either all count, or no one counts, and he won't allow the death of Stanley Kent to fade into the background of the bigger picture.
  
  The Overlook was originally published as a serial in The New York Times Sunday Magazine, and then as a hardcover and now as a paperback. The book is shorter than the others in the series and that certainly makes for a faster pace. In fact, I read this in just two days. I quickly got caught up in the murder investigation, Bosch's newest partner, Ignacio "Iggy" Ferras, who seems to fight his mentor every step of the way with how he chooses to do things, the tension between Bosch and his former lover, Agent Wallings, the struggle between the LAPD and the FBI, and the question of whether or not the death of one person should be forgotten in order to stop the possible deaths of thousands. Connelly has definitely created one of the finest characters of police procedurals during the last half of this century. Harry Bosch is the kind of guy you want covering your back when you go through the front door of a dangerous situation. And, if you go down the hard way, Bosch will make sure that justice is delivered one way or another, no matter what the rules are. I have to also state that the author captures the beauty and desolation of Los Angeles in ways that stay with you long after the novel is finished. On one side of the coin, it's a place where dreams can come true, while on the other side it's a city filled with crime and death and people who will do whatever it takes to get what they want, no matter how many individuals are hurt in the process.
  
  In terms of how good a novel The Overlook is, I would rate it in the top five of the "Harry Bosch" novels. I definitely enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in reading the series.
  ...more info
• Commuting The Sentence and Paragraph
  THE OVERLOOK may not be a great book but it is a great book for commuting which is where and how I read it, on my way to and from work. Connelly knows how to tell a good story and, let's face it, the guy can write. Because it is part of a popular series you're bound to find those who liked it better than others or conversely, didn't. Hey, we all have our favorites which is why Baskin & Robbins has more flavors than vanilla.
  I'm a Harry Bosch fan so I won't bad mouth the book especially when it is a well written piece of work with a good storyline. And come on! The Title, The Overlook? How fitting for a whodunnit where the evidence is there but overlooked.
  Got a plane trip coming or just taking the bus or train to and from work? Then pick up THE OVERLOOK and see if you can figure it out before you get to the final chapters or say, before the fat guy next to you falls asleep on your shoulder.
  ...more info