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Dec 15, 2018PimaLib_ChristineR rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I really dug the Bosch/Ballard combo. This second Ballard really shows the difference in the characters as well as their workloads. Following Ballard means all sorts of different cases all the time. Connelly does a good job of coming from a woman's perspective as well. "Murder was murder, and Ballard knew that every case deserved the full attention and effort of the police department. But Ballard was always struck by the murder of a woman... [There was] something unfair that went beyond the general unfairness of death at the hands of another. She wondered how men would live if they knew that in every moment of their lives, their size and nature made them vulnerable to the opposite sex." Ballard helps Bosch with the open-unsolved case of the murder of the daughter of an addict he met undercover in his last outing. I find that Bosch is more likeable as he ages, more likely not to make assumptions, more empathetic, and more willing to admit his own mistakes. For a suspense procedural, this was also a very thoughtful and at times heartbreaking novel. Connelly may have signed a deal with satan to get these out so quickly but I want to reassure him, it was worth it.