The Black Ice - Michael Connelly

Installment #2 of the Harry Bosch series - In this one, Bosch responds to the apparent suicide of one of his fellow officers. Suspicious of the circumstances, Bosch begins investigating a string of seemingly unrelated murders all linked by a deadly drug - black ice. I am thrilled my friend Rob turned me on to Connelly's books because they really satisfy my frequent craving for good suspenseful detective fiction. I like Bosch as a protagonist - he is the requisite loner who can still manage to attract women with his inability to either communicate or commit. But, what I found strange in this one is that despite Connelly's description of Bosch as someone who is unwilling to trust anyone, and never takes anyone at face value, he sure was quick to share information about his investigation with anyone who would listen. Even after it became clear (like from the beginning) that Internal Affairs was involved, and that a possible police cover-up was going on, Bosch had no problem leaving an outgoing message on his answering machine informing the world that he was taking a clandestine trip to Mexico - or confiding in the first Mexican police officer he meets. His poor counter-surveillance techniques would not be approved of by John Rain (my other favorite thriller protagonist). Yet, despite his flaws, Bosch always solves the crime and leaves me eager for the next one in the series.