Hard Blonde

Michael Connelly, The Concrete Blonde, 1994
This is the third in Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch's crime novels (which don't necessarily need to be read in order), set in a gritty Los Angeles barely recovered from the Rodney King riots. Harry is on trial for the unlawful shooting of the Dollmaker, a serial killer known for strangling prostitutes and then garishly painting their faces with their own makeup. But as the trial begins and Harry finds himself facing L.A.'s toughest lawyer, Honey "Money" Chandler, a note arrives at the police precinct with the Dollmaker's signature. Did Harry kill the wrong person? Or is there somebody out there imitating the Dollmaker? At times, I felt as if the answer would be very obvious and disappointing - the narrative seemed to be heading down a fairly good but unsurprising court drama, with the occasional police procedure thrown in. But this is Connelly and I should have known that the suspense would go up a few notches towards the end, one or two bodies littering the way. If anything, the only slight disappointment in this fun page turner are the cliche ridden romantic scenes between Harry and his girlfriend Sylvia (they even have sex at one point on a blanket laid out in front of a fireplace). Recommended summer read.