The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly’s

Reviewed by Gerti

For Michael Connelly’s protagonist, former LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the coyote is a metaphor for himself. He is one of the lone survivors in the terrible urban landscape of LA, trying to get by on his cunning and stealth. This is true when he tries to live surreptitiously in his cantilevered house, which has been condemned after the latest earthquake, but which he refuses to leave. He has been left behind by his previous girlfriend, who went to Europe, and now has been suspended from his job and forced to see a police shrink because he attacked his commanding officer. To watch this rebel and loner navigate this treacherous situation and come out on top at the end is what makes “The Last Coyote” (despite the wacky title) one of Connelly’s best novels to date.

Lucky for Hieronymous “Harry” Bosch, he knows how to work the system. He knows that you don’t have to be a cop to act like a cop, and until they take away his badge and gun (and even after they do, actually) he works to crack a case ignored for decades – the murder of his prostitute mother. For true Bosch fans, this book will be a delight, since there has been so little background information given out about their favorite LA cop. We have seen snippets in other books by Connelly, but not until “The Last Coyote” do we get to see the true story of Bosch’s mother, including finding out who killed her and changed (I wouldn’t quite say ruined) Harry’s life forever. Like the coyote, he faces trouble and survives.

Like all great mystery and crime stories, there is misdirection as Harry follows the clues that ultimately lead him to a criminal he did not suspect. There is for him also the bittersweet joy of discovering who his mother’s true friends (and enemies) were, and of course overcoming the natural obstacles put up by trying to solve a decades old cold case. But if anybody can do it, Bosch can. He even figures out why so little effort was put into solving the murder case initially, and he gets to meet the man his mother loved, and planned to marry.

If you’re a Bosch and Connelly fan like I am, you won’t be able to put this book down, and I couldn’t, even though the 512 page it takes to tell the story seem like a lot. Stylistically, it’s classic Connelly, with a clear-cut, no-nonsense style you just never want to stop reading. And in terms of the plot – it’s his usual non-stop, heart-pounding action as curmudgeon-y detective Bosch takes readers through his process, knocking corrupt cops and two-timing friends out of the way as he goes toward his goal. Connelly shows his maturity as a writer, and “The Last Coyote” delivers a treat to his legion of fans, with us seeing the softer side of hard-nosed Bosch, and learning what it is that made him the man we love. The book is just that – a way for fans to spend a long evening with Bosch over a bottle of wine and some smooth jazz, listening to him slowly tell the sad tale of his life, and crying with him over the heartbreak of lost chances and double-dealing friends. One of Connelly’s best, and well worth the read.