This is the first book in LAPD Detective Harry Bosch series (approx. 25 books total to date so far). If you recognize the Harry Bosch name, it might because you’ve seen or heard of the TV series “Bosch” that is based on this book series, as well as the spinoff series “Bosch: Legacy”.

I’ve read I think about 17 of the books in the series so far, and I enjoyed them all. In this first book, Detective Bosch is working with an FBI agent to investigate the murder of a Vietnam veteran which is personal for him as he was in Vietnam himself and is still battling demons in his head from the war. He is also fighting against politics in the LAPD. Pitting himself against certain people in the LAPD is a recurring theme through the series-he cares more about doing the right thing than doing it by the book, and it gets him in trouble more than once. Which is common for police procedural books.

The FBI agent that he works with in this book will become an important character in the series, which you will see, if you get into the series. If you havent read the books, but seen the tv series, you might think you already know what happens- but don’t bet on it. The creators of the show made a lot of creative changes to the stories- so they are not identical to the books and different things happen. With that said, both the series and the show/spinoff are all very good. If you like police procedurals- this is a good series to follow!