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The Drop (Harry Bosch #15), by Michael Connelly

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The Drop by Michael Connelly My rating: 5 of 5 stars What’s better than a novel you don’t want to put down? Well, one that actually makes you take time off from your job in order to keep reading. I did, because it was so irresistibly great. In ” The Drop ”, Harry Bosch is back at “Open-Unsolved” with his new partner (after Ignacio Ferras completely fulfilled his potential in the previous novel (sorry, Belle! ;) )), David Chu, whom you might remember from the previous instalment in what’s quickly becoming my favourite series of all time. This time, Harry investigates why a child’s blood (and, thus, DNA) was found on the body of a murder victim. Just when he and his partner start picking up the case, Harry is called out to a very recent body: George Irving, son of Bosch’s old nemesis, Irvin Irving, now a city councilman, has been found dead below the window of his hotel room. His father requests Bosch for the investigation. True to his motto - everybody counts or nobody counts - Harr...
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The Lincoln Lawyer (The Lincoln Lawyer #1), by Michael Connelly

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The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly My rating: 5 of 5 stars Michael Connelly's “ The Lincoln Lawyer ” is probably the most convincing legal thriller I’ve ever read. Mickey Haller’s world comes alive on the pages - his “office” the back seat of a Lincoln, his (sometimes questionable) clients, and his approach which is an exquisite mix of street-smart savvy, courtroom elegance, and hard-earned cynicism. Each twist lands, every setback ratchets up the tension, and Mickey’s voice carries the narrative with wit, weariness, and surprising vulnerability. He is far from the “white-knight” lawyer - constantly dancing on the edge between pragmatism and principle - but it is the flashes of conscience and dry humour that give Haller real depth. » My greatest fear had been realized, realized for two years but I hadn’t known it. Not until now. I had been presented with innocence but I had not seen it or grasped it. Instead, I had thrown it into the maw of the machine like everything else. N...
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Sincerely, Carter (Sincerely Yours #1), by Whitney G.

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Sincerely, Carter by Whitney G. My rating: 1 of 5 stars Oh, wow, this was ridiculously bad. Carter and Arizona have been friends since fourth grade. They are the closest of platonic friends - until they, as is most convenient for the plot, both suddenly at the same time realise how insanely hot they are for each other. With all the language skills of a teenager and the sensitivity of a butcher, Whitney G. spins a tale as coherent as a fever dream and as inventive as a rerun (this novel contains not a single original thought). Arizona sneaks routinely into paid cooking lessons, and, in doing so, manages to get a full scholarship at “the second best culinary school in the world” in France and plans to move there. The remaining two weeks until her departure, she spends nearly every waking moment and every night with Carter. He, in turn, is so great between the sheets, he sexually awakens her, and Whitney G. writes smut like this: » “Oh… Oh...Oh god…”. I felt him . “Ahhh… Ahhh…” « And tha...
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Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch #14), by Michael Connelly

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Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another read, another Bosch. A better Bosch than the previous one and, yet, still not back to old form. It begins interestingly enough when Bosch is called out to a liquor store he knows from way back, the owner of which has been murdered. Just as usual, this sets off a police procedural with Harry Bosch at its front and centre. Ignacio Ferras, his latest partner, also makes some appearances, but only attains any kind of significance at the very end. What comes next, though, is in several ways a complete departure from earlier paths: Maddy, at this point 13, is abducted in Hong Kong. Bosch is contacted and is told in no uncertain terms that he’s to stop looking into things. This is where a completely different part of the novel begins. Bosch, of course, travels to Hong Kong to join forces with his ex-wife, Eleanor Wish, to rescue their daughter. This part is basically a wild manhunt through the city and its seedier districts. T...
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Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, by Christina Lauren

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Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren My rating: 3 of 5 stars Phew… Once more, I was looking for a fun romance and despite recent disappointment, I chose to go with Christina Lauren's “ Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating ”. This first sentence of the blurb accurately sums up the essence of this entire novel: “ Just friends. Just friends. JUST FRIENDS. If they repeat it enough, maybe it’ll be true… ” “ Hazel ”, the same blurb goes on to tell us, “ knows she’s a lot to take ”. Absolutely, and Hazel does it so well, it leads to a string of boring, horrible, humiliating, and/or confusing double dates on which Josh and Hazel set each other up. Through these ordeals, which they go through about nine times, they and the reader suffer, but Josh and Hazel realise only very late they were actually going out with each other. This reader, on the other hand, would have had the chance to learn through pain and DNF this… novel. (He didn’t.) Josh — well, guess what: ...
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The Overlook (Harry Bosch #13), by Michael Connelly

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The Overlook by Michael Connelly My rating: 3 of 5 stars Ugh… I didn’t expect this. A bad Bosch novel! Well, bad is, of course, relatively speaking: “ The Overlook ”, instalment 13 of the ongoing Bosch series by Michael Connelly , isn’t outright bad. It’s just surprisingly and significantly mediocre. For the first time in his new job in Robbery Homicide Division (RHD) at Homicide Special as a senior investigator looking into cases that might require long-term engagement, Harry is called out to the eponymous overlook where a murder took place. Soon it becomes clear the case might not solely be a murder, but also a case of terrorism, and so the FBI is called in. Rachel Walling is first among them. If you remember the previous novel’s outcome with respect to Harry and Rachel, you might wonder at the tension between them. There’s a bit of it, but not much. “Not much” is, in fact, something that can be said about many aspects of this novel as well as the novel in its entirety. Harry is...
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Love and Other Words, by Christina Lauren

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Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren My rating: 3 of 5 stars Isn’t it the worst act of treason when a book disappoints? I was looking for a fun romance by one (or actually: two) of my favourite romance authors. That’s how I came across “ Love and Other Words ” by Christina Lauren and, sadly, and unusually, it turned traitor quickly! Macy and Elliott have been friends since childhood. They’re perfect for each other and they both know it. They even get together until one day, Macy breaks off contact for a whopping 11 years. The reasons? They do make sense, but eleven years? I’m not sure I can suspend my disbelief that much. This is where “Love” starts: Macy is now a resident physician. Elliott is, probably, some kind of author. Either we don’t really get to know, or I already forgot. He seems to pretty much have all the time in the world. Once they meet again, things start moving inexorably to the inevitable happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, despite many nice ideas, “Love” tells u...
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