by Michael Connelly
I had this book sitting on my bookshelf for about two months before I finally decided to pick it up – it’s often the books I most want to read that take the longest to be opened, as I want to make sure that the time is right. Nine Dragons arrived after The Scarecrow, which I am glad of, as The Scarecrow left me a little bit of a bad taste, due to the plot not the style. (Still worth reading though, there was something incredibly addictive about it.)
I always look forward to a Connelly book – not sure why, I think his novels have a mixture of contemporary and noir feel, although to be honest, I think this is more prevalent in his Heller novels.
Harry Bosch, like most fiction detectives, is a little bit anarchic (a bit like doctor House) and will do anything to get the job done. Here, Bosch goes to Hong Kong, in search of the members of a triad gang. It’s always fun to travel somewhere else – even if it is in your imagination…
I’m not sure it’s one of the best written works I’ve read but it did have my heart racing – 9.30 am and I could already feel the stress! And it hadn’t been caused by the delays on the Circle line!
I discovered Connelly when listening to a BBC4 podcast on books, I think it was Open Read, and they were indeed talking about Nine Dragons. Thanks to that programme I now know where to go if I want to read a book that will transport me somewhere else in an instant.
And while I’m at it, let me recommend Lost Light.
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Think Write Draw 