The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly

Reading Level: Adult Fiction

Submitted by Gerti

This is the third novel I’ve now read by Michael Connelly, and his writing never fails to impress me. In this iteration, I’m reading again about LAPD homicide detective hero, Harry “Hieronymous” Bosch, who is on trial for having used excessive force 4 years before in killing “The Dollmaker,” a local serial killer. His city defense attorney is no match for powerful prosecutor Honey Chandler, representing the victim’s family, which contends that Bosch should not have shot and killed unarmed and naked Mr. Norman Church. The method of his death forces the prosecution to begin attacking the evidence found in Church’s secret apartment, and when another body that follows the Dollmaker’s MO shows up, even Church’s guilt is called into question.

Now I usually don’t read courtroom dramas, and this book spends a lot of it’s time inside the courtroom for this trial. But the fact that Connelly can make even testimony and the give and take of a daily trial sound riveting is a testament to how talented a writer he is. Fortunately, the other half of the book, and of Bosch’s life, is taken up solving the mystery of who killed the concrete blonde. To help him with that, he relies on his former partner, Jerry Edgar, and a vice cop named Ray Mora. Since he was the lead homicide detective on that case, Bosch immediately sees that the note recently left with the cops matches the style used by the Dollmaker, which shouldn’t be possible if Church was that killer. The body called the concrete blonde also matches the Dollmaker’s MO, except for one thing - a Marlboro pack left in the concrete next to her.

This change gets Bosch thinking that perhaps there were 2 killers working simultaneously, and the one still around was imitating the Dollmaker in order not to get caught. He gets some help from a renowned psychologist named John Locke who not only wrote books about serial killers, but also about the ladies of the porn industry. Locke also testifies at Bosch’s trial, which is how the reader is first introduced to his no-holds-barred manner of speaking.

The plots takes twists and turns, as does the trial. It is all so riveting that I tried to read it all (597 pages in LP edition) in one day, but it proved impossible. Several of the early suspects are discounted over time, and when the final killer is revealed, it is quite a surprise. The final murder is also a twist, as Bosch thought he was protecting one blonde target, while a second, more public figure was being executed. The trial’s verdict is also a surprise for those of us used to the happy endings often found in popular media.

I strongly recommend “The Concrete Blonde” to anyone who likes a crime or court story where even the good guys know they are not so good. This story contains plausible plot twists and odd moments of humor, but should not be read by those who find details about those working in the porn industry offensive.