Book Review: The Drop

By Sandy Amazeen Dec 20, 2011, 2:53 GMT

Harry Bosch has been given three years before he must retire from the LAPD, and he wants cases more fiercely than ever. In one morning, he gets two.DNA from a 1989 rape and murder matches a 29-year-old convicted rapist. Was he an eight-year-old killer or has something gone terribly wrong in the new Regional Crime Lab? The latter possibility could compromise all of the lab\'s DNA cases currently in court.Then ...more

LAPD detective Harry Bosch is back and working the cold case unit with his partner David Chu. New DNA evidence has surfaced in blood found on the victim of a rape and murder that took place in 1989 which would be great news except for the fact that the match returned on a convicted rapist who would have been eight years old at the time the crime was commited. Compounding this bizarre twist is Bosch’s status as a participant in the Deferred Retirement Option Program, DROP for short, which allows him to work an additional seven years beyond retirement age. Bosch only has three years left on the extension and though he has requested to remain on the force, a decision has yet to be reached.

Intent upon figuring out the story behind the DNA match, Bosch is not happy to be specifically assigned to investigate the circumstances behind the death of Councilman Irving’s son George who took a dive from the seventh floor of a Hollywood hotel. The councilman and Bosch have never gotten along but with police department funding in the balance, discovering whether George died by suicide or murder could make a difference to the DROP program. Bosch, loath to give up investigating the cold case, attempts to juggle both only to find himself being betrayed by those he trusted most.

Now on its seventeenth title, the Harry Bosch series shows no signs of slowing down as once again, Connelly delivers a smoothly paced police procedural. The city politics, infighting and characters have an authentic feel as Bosch wades in where others fear to tread. The contributions of Bosch’s daughter Madeline makes a nice touch though his new love interest doesn’t appear to be as strong, particularly with her potential conflict of interest. Although the climax utilizes a twist that Connelly has used before, this is still an excellent addition to the series.