Friday, July 6, 2012

Vulture Peak - John Burdett (Sonchai Jitpleecheep #5)

After enjoying the first four in this Thai detective series, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Burdett had published a fifth in the series.  Bangkok murder investigator, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, is put in charge of attempting to put an end to the illegal trafficking of human organs.  His investigation takes him all over the world - from Hong Kong to Dubai - as he becomes enmenshed in the world of creepy identical Chinese twins who are mastermining the endeavor.  Along the way, Sonchai's Buddhist principles are tested, and his ex-prostitute wife is back at home driving him insane with worries of infidelity.  One part mystery, one part spiritual guide, Vulture Peak, is yet another clever suspenseful novel filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of Bangkok - I guarantee it'll make you crave a plate of pad thai and a little enlightenment of your own.

The Narrows - Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #10)

This installment of the Harry Bosch series kind of threw me off on my Connelly reading.  It doesn't feature journalist Jack McAvoy, but it focuses on the case he covered in Connelly's novel, The PoetThe Narrows takes place years after LAPD claimed the Poet had been shot and killed.  But FBI Agent Rachel Walling knows that he's still out there.  She receives the call that he has resurfaced.  Coincidentally, a case invesigated by Bosch as a faked suicide brings the two together to finally bring the Poet to justice.  I like the books that reference cases from other books, and bring characters together.  It's like finding old friends in a new situation (the general reason people like to read books in series, I suppose).  The Narrows was more suspenseful than most in this series, and I did find myself glued to it late in the night.  It did include the typical Bosch frustrations of jumping to the wrong conclusions and trusting and mistrusting the wrong people, but in the end all the ends ties up tightly and I was excited to move on to the next mystery.

Lost Light - Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #9)

I've been on a kick to finish of all of Michael Connelly's novels...mostly because I really enjoy them and I haven't tired of reading one after another, especially these days when my focus isn't the sharpest.  But, of course, there is always the sad prospect that I will run out of his books!  In #9, Bosch, the king of the cold case, finds himsel haunted by the unsolved murder of a Hollywood production assistant.  Bosch is convinced that the murder is linked to the disappearance of $2M from a movie set, but as usual the powers that be don't want Bosch poking his nose into their business and discovering the truth.  Typical Bosch/Connelly - entertaining and a fun way to pass an evening.