Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Connelly digs deep in ‘The Wrong Side of Goodbye’
It’s hardly a revelation that book titles aren’t just random choices but have a connection to the story. This has always especially been true with Michael Connelly’s engrossing novels.
“The Wrong Side of Goodbye” (Little, Brown, $29) — his thrilling 23rd novel about LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch — is fraught with meanings for the characters,
In each novel, Connelly has dug deeper into Harry’s psyche, as he skillfully does in “The Wrong Side of Goodbye” by showing how Harry transitions to a new role. Without the authority of his LAPD badge, Harry has had to reinvent himself, which he does as an unpaid reserve investigator. That also means he has to prove himself again — to the younger officers who just think of him as the old guy and to his new supervisors who aren’t convinced he’s a good fit for their small town. The investigation for Vance also leads to a personal connection that Harry wasn’t expecting as he remembers his years during the Vietnam War. Connelly continues to do justice to his most famous character.
Although the plot succumbs to some predictability, Connelly provides enough surprising twists to keep the suspense high and the story believable as well as intense character studies. Connelly’s melding of the police procedural, private detective novel and intense character study remains solid. Harry isn’t with the LAPD anymore, but readers will be glad to know he is still on the job.