Harry Bosch #7 - and my introduction to Terry McCaleb. Since I am specifically reading the Harry Bosch series, I was not familiar with McCaleb. Maybe I will read his series later! Anyway, McCaleb used to work for the FBI, until he had a medical crisis and retired. Now he is living on Catalina Island with his wife, adopted son, and baby daughter. He owns a boat called The Following Sea and runs a charter business with his partner, Buddy. McCaleb is approached by Sheriff's detective Jaye Winston one day unexpectedly. Winston asks McCaleb to look at the murder book of a case she has been working on because the case has stalled. McCaleb's wife is adamantly opposed to McCaleb going back to work. The job is too dangerous, even if he didn't have his medical (heart) issues. So, of course, he can't resist and soon he is heavily embroiled in the case. The case involves a man found murdered, bound & gagged with a bucket covering his head. There is a plastic owl looking down at him, which seems really out of place in the room he is found in. McCaleb picks up on this right away.
Meanwhile, Harry is in court, sitting at a prosecutor's table, trying to take down Hollywood movie director David Storey. Bosch is the major witness for the case against Storey, and the case goes well. Probably too well, which the prosecuting team figures out soon enough. David Storey is accused of murdering a young woman after they go out together and then have sex at his home. She is never seen alive again. Her death is initially ruled accidental due to autoerotic asphyxia, but Harry believes she was murdered by Storey. Bosch also believes Storey murdered Gunn (from a previous murder case.)
As luck (bad luck for Harry) would have it, McCaleb's case leads him to Bosch. Bosch begins to emerge as a key suspect in McCaleb & Winston's murder case. Once Bosch figures this out, the race is on to try to convince the jury of Storey's guilt before Bosch himself is discredited in court by being charged with the murder of McCaleb's victim.
This is a very engaging read. The two cases merge - and Harry & Terry eventually end up working together to find the truth. They don't exactly part on friendly terms at the end of the book though. I think this is a short-term issue however. Terry is very judgmental when it comes to how Harry handled the Gunn situation (and eventual murder). He tells Harry that they are "no longer friends". Harry responds that he does what he has to do - and questions Terry about doing the same. Terry does some "soul searching" and realizes that Harry is right. I suspect the two of them will be friends again soon enough.
Wendy's Rating: ****
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