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THE BURNING ROOM (AUDIO)
by Michael Connelly, read by Titus Welliver
Blackstone Audio, November 2014
Unabridged pages
$29.95
ISBN: 1478984473


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Harry Bosch can hang onto a case, but in Michael Connolly's long-running series about the Los Angeles detective, it has long been clear that Harry changes partners frequently. The latest investigator to team up with Harry is Lucia (Lucy) Soto, a twenty-eight-year old Mexican-American, who was hailed as a hero for taking down some members of a street gang. She was then booted up the ladder into the Open-Unsolved Case Squad.

Harry wonders why Lucy didn't choose homicide or something more exciting than tracking down old DNA and ballistics. But when they catch their first case, he soon discovers Lucy's ulterior motives. Orlando Merced, a mariachi, was shot and paralyzed years earlier in an open plaza where the players gathered each Saturday in search of work. After that, he was wheeled on stage by a mayoral candidate to demonstrate the price of senseless violence. Now that Merced has died as a result of the bullet lodged in his spine, Harry and his protegee, Lucy, can investigate his death.

But Harry catches Lucy rifling old files that belong to other detectives. The other case has to do with an arson at a building complex that led to the smoke inhalation death of several children. Lucy has a personal interest in this tragic incident.

With only a year to go before retirement, Harry should really stick to the case at hand, but he can't resist poking his nose into the arson. He sees hard-working Lucy as his successor. Perhaps because he has failed with so many partners—or has had so many partners fail him—he needs Lucy to succeed.

The two crimes inevitably wind up related in a contrived way, and the evidence takes the pair of detectives to the California desert and the Mexican border in search of answers. There isn't a lot of action or suspense along the way, and long-time fans may find themselves a bit bored by this latest entry in the Bosch saga. Lucy is an interesting character, but since Bosch's last partner was the Chinese-American Chu, it's starting to look as if the passenger seat of the squad car is being used for some diversity quota: Lucy never emerges as ethnic in more than name.

Some noted audio performers have taken on the role of Harry Bosch. Len Cariou was the graveled voice of the detective for many years, finally to be replaced by Michael McConnohie, who also gave a stellar performance. Audiophiles will be disappointed by the work of Titus Welliver. He is not a novice and has recorded a few other well-known authors, most notably Robert Parker. However, he is the first man or woman I have come across in a long time to read the book aloud, rather than to perform the characters. Each sentence is uttered at almost exactly the same pace and in the same tone. He makes little effort to alter his voice for female characters, nor does he individuate the men. It was a disappointing and tedious listen, and many will prefer the print version.

Harry and this series seem tired. All the action seems to be going the way of Harry's half-brother, Mickey Haller, the "Lincoln Lawyer." Harry needs some action, maybe a hot love interest, definitely some new mojo, and a different voice to speed him on his way.

§ An avid audiophile, Karla Jay is a retired professor of English and Women's & Gender Studies. She is a frequent contributor to this site.

Reviewed by Karla Jay, December 2014

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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