Michael Connelly

“THE DROP is one of those Harry Bosch books that starts with a bang and stays strong all the way through.”
– Janet Maslin, New York Times

“Mr. Connelly is superb at building suspense through the accretion of detail.”
– Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

“In “The Drop,’’ Connelly displays a sure-footed, suspense-fueled, noir novel that will keep readers turning pages into the darkest hours.”
– Chuck Leddy, Boston Globe

“All of Connelly’s considerable strengths are on display: the keen eye for detail and police procedure, lots of local L.A. color, clever plotting, and—most important—the vibrant presence of Harry Bosch.”
– Publishers Weekly * starred review 

“Readers love to root for the antiestablishment, bureaucrat-hating Bosch—there’s some high jingo in every office, after all—but where Connelly really excels is at giving us both sides of the equation. Does Harry’s complete unwillingness to bend cause more harm than it saves? Connelly makes us think about that, even though we’d much rather celebrate Harry’s never-give-an-inch approach to life. Crime fiction with a dose of the ambiguity-sodden real world.”
– Booklist * starred review

“Connelly tightly twists the two cases with conflicting power grabs, plausible procedural barriers, and unexpected snafus to support his credible plot. Furthering his noble cause to root out evil, Bosch exhibits an unshakable and highly respected integrity that will not be swayed from the truth. If Connelly’s engaging plot doesn’t hit you between the eyes, Bosch’s insights and integrity will. Mystery fans as well as general readers will appreciate this engrossing novel.”
– Library Journal

“Most other LAPD officers are eagerly counting the days until retirement; Harry Bosch views that landmark date as if it were the end of the world. More greedy than ever for cases, he’s pleased when he gets two in a single morning. One involves a DNA cold case that threatens to undermine all recent convictions aided by the Regional Crime Laboratory. The other, just as ominous, is a homicide that seems inextricably entangled in internal politics. As usual, Harry is in the midst of the trouble and at the top of the fray. Well-written; strong, memorable characters; a solid entry in a resilient series.”
– Barnes & Noble Editorial Review

“He’s the master of the American crime thriller, and this positively pulses with electri­fying and relentless tension.”
– Peterborough Evening Telegraph  (UK)

“The Drop is Bosch at his complex best, and if anything Connelly weaves a web so tight that the series of revelations at novels end function like a stone skipping across water—and leave enough uncertainty about Harry’s future to make his own drop, or Drop, ambiguous. It’s Connelly at his best, and there aren’t many better.”
– Michael Carlson, Irresistible Targets (UK)

“The Drop – a title that resonates in several ways through the 300+ page thriller – is one of Connelly’s best Bosch novels to date, perfectly-paced, intense and compelling. Travelling to the US last month, I read the whole book in one sitting – and that’s the highest praise one can give ANY book. Though it will probably pay-off better to long-term fans of the Bosch novels, it’s an excellent read regardless.”
– John Mosby, ImpactOnline.co (UK)

“Michael Connelly is the undisputed master of police procedural thrillers and this latest episode in the colourful life of Harry Bosch is quite literally unputdownable.”
– Independent (Ireland)

“Connelly gives yet another virtuoso performance in how to write crime novels (this is his 24^th and one of his most skillful yet).”
– Daily Mail (UK)

“the author’s sure-footed and psychologically incisive writing provides yet another solid, satisfying example of suspenseful and agile storytelling, delivered with his trademark tight style and craftsmanship.”
– Mystery Scene Magazine

“A lesser novelist would have manipulated the cases to connect with each other. Connelly’s more subtle strategy is to allow each case to get to Harry in ways that further define his character. ”
– Nancy Gilson, The Columbus Dispatch

“Bosch is one of the best detectives in crime fiction, and Connelly continues to amaze with his latest effort.”
– Jeff Ayers, Associated Press

“Connelly continues to show why he is one of the best living crime writers in “The Drop.” ”
– Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“Master crime writer Connelly gives his favorite detective two cases to solve–and doubles the suspense.”
 – People magazine  4 **** review

“The Top 10 Things We Love This Week” Must List lists The Drop
–  Entertainment Weekly magazine 

“Connelly’s aging hero is a flawed, haunted, and unforgettable character; his creator is a master craftsman.”
– Neal Thompson, Amazon.com Editorial Review, Amazon Best Books Of The Month December 2011

“Bosch and his creator, Michael Connelly, are both at their best in The Drop”
– Robert Fulford, National Post

“one of Michael Connelly’s best adventures yet. The Drop cements Bosch’s place in the detective hall of fame.”
– JC Patterson,  Rankin Ledger

“this is one of the best books in what is really a classic American crime series.”
– Robin Agnew, AnnArbor.com

“The Drop is another winner from Connelly, one of the best crime story writers on the scene today. Each new novel refines his talent and makes its story one to be remembered. So get ready to celebrate. Connelly has a new book and Harry is back. Hallelujah!”
– Jackie K. Cooper, Huffington Post

Watch the :30 spot for The Drop.

Watch Michael Connelly introduce his new novel, The Drop, and answer questions that fans posted on Facebook.

Use these reading guide questions to help start a conversation about The Reversal. SPOILER WARNING! These questions cover the entire book. Don’t read them unless you have read the book.

“Mickey Haller, for the people,” he said. “Has a nice ring to it.”
1. Do you think Mickey enjoyed his first experience as a prosecutor? Could you see him dealing with a boss and surviving in the bureaucracy of the DA’s office on a regular basis? What did you think were his motives for taking on this case?

“I think if I can make my daughter happy then I’ll be happy. But I’m not sure when that will be.”
2. Harry Bosch said his daughter, Maddie Bosch, was in therapy dealing with her mother’s death and he thought it was helping her.  Harry seemed to be focusing on his daughter’s well-being, and putting his own needs aside, for the time being.  Will that work or do you think he needs help, too? Why do you think Harry mentioned Eleanor Wish’s death to Rachel Walling, his ex-girlfriend?

One of the very best things about having previously been married to Maggie McPherson was that I never had to face her in court.
3. How do you think Maggie and Mickey did working together for the first time? Do you think working together helped or damaged a possible reconciliation between them?

He had his daughter fully in his life now, but at a terrible cost.
4. How has being a full-time father changed Harry Bosch’s life and changed his ability to do his job?  Both Harry and Maddie lost their mother’s at a young age and under violent circumstances.  Do you see other parallels in their lives or similarities in their personalities?

My petty jealousy had slipped out for one small moment.
5. Mickey seemed slightly jealous of the time Maggie was spending with Harry. Was that a reflection of his continued romantic interest in Maggie or was it some kind of sibling rivalry with Harry?

Our daughters were shy upon meeting and embarrassed by how obvious their parents were about watching the long-awaited moment.
6. Harry Bosch has gone from being alone in the world to being a full-time father, having a brother, a niece, and an ex-sister-in-law.  Work and danger forced the Haller and Bosch families together in The Reversal. Do you think this a permanent shift in Harry’s life or will he return to his loner lifestyle?  Should Harry get closer to Mickey’s family for Maddie’s sake?

“Jessup would’ve walked.”
7. Is there any doubt in your mind, like there was for one juror, that Jason Jessup was guilty of killing Melissa Landy?

After that, I lost him on the curving road ahead.
8. Do you believe Jessup killed those other missing girls? Is Harry on to something?

Salters took her seat and the question I wanted to avoid for the rest of my life remained unasked — at least by the media.
9. Should Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch feel any guilt or bear any responsibility for everything that happened with Jessup?

“I know,” Haller said. “You’re thinking, ‘What the hell is this?’”
10. Did you like the combination of legal thriller and police procedural? Did you prefer the police investigation or the courtroom scenes? The Mickey Haller chapters were written in first person, giving you insight into Mickey’s thoughts and motivations. The Harry Bosch chapters were written in third person making Harry more of an enigma. Which do you prefer — 1st or 3rd person narrative? Did you like the alternating chapters and different view points from these two characters?

The Reversal audiobook by Hachette Audio is read by narrator Peter Giles. It is available in CD and downloadable formats.

Listen to an excerpt:

Michael Connelly introduces his novel The Reversal. Shot on the set of The Lincoln Lawyer movie, being filmed in Los Angeles. Directed by Terrill Lee Lankford.

 

Question: The Reversal seems to feature Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch pretty equally. So is this a legal thriller or a detective story?

Michael Connelly: I would like to think it’s both, but it is about a trial — actually a retrial — so I guess that probably tips it toward being a legal thriller. My goal was to show what goes on both inside and outside of a trial. So, inside the courtroom you have Mickey Haller primarily carrying the narrative and then Harry Bosch carries it forward outside. Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside.

Question: Just curious, is it more fun or more difficult to balance two of your signature characters in a single book?

Michael Connelly: It’s a fun challenge. This book alternates chapters, so the big challenge was evenly distributing the plot so that they could alternately carry it forward without having any chapters that were static. I think each chapter advances the story significantly.

Q: Can you explain the title without giving away too much about the novel?

MC: The title is pretty straightforward but at the same time it has a few different meanings. The main plot surrounds the reversal of a murder conviction that puts a man named Jason Jessup back on trial in a 24-year-old murder. But Mickey Haller is called in as an independent prosecutor. So for Mickey, that is a big reversal as well. He has always been the defender of the accused.

Q: Why have him cross the aisle and suddenly become a prosecutor? In previous books he really reveled in being a defender and standing for the underdog, as he often put it. Is this permanent?

MC: Well, you will have to read the book to see if it is permanent. I did it for three reasons. The first is that it’s always good to see a character out of his element. So I thought this would be interesting for both me, the writer, and of course the reader. The other thing is that I try to keep my fiction as close to reality as I can. The fact is, it is rare that a criminal defense attorney represents a completely innocent client. Sure, defendants are often charged with greater offenses than they committed and there are always extenuating circumstances, but it is not a realm where you find many innocents. So to write a series of books where the client is always innocent is unrealistic. This raises a dilemma. My goal is to keep Mickey Haller going in a series and to keep the series as “real” as possible. So if I keep him defending clients who are guilty of committing horrible crimes, will I be able to keep readers coming back again and again? I am not sure, but with The Reversal I had a story where that was not an issue because he is standing for the people, for the side of right and might. The last reason is that I simply wanted to write a story where Mickey and Harry were on the same side.

Q: How much, and what sort of research goes into your legal thrillers?

MC: A lot. The Lincoln Lawyer and The Brass Verdict were the most heavily researched books I have written, and I think The Reversal is right there among them, too. This is because of the legal aspects of the book. I am not a lawyer, and so I need to consult many lawyers to get these details right. I also use a lot of “war stories” in the books. Little anecdotes that I hope add up to a larger mosaic. In order to get these anecdotes I need to go out there and spend time with people who really do this work for a living. I have to say, though, these books are fun to research. I love hearing stories that come from these lawyers’ own experiences. It gets me inspired.

Q:  Stepping outside the courtroom for a moment, there is a whole ancillary story line in this one that has nothing to do with the law, per se, but is about the relationship between Harry Bosch and his daughter, Maddie. This is new territory, granted, those who read Nine Dragons were ready for it to take off. Did you enjoy going there?

MC: Absolutely. I think it’s the heart of the book. I always hope Harry has evolved since day one on the page, but in this book we find him getting used to caring for his fourteen year-old daughter and all that comes with that. It’s all new to him, and he stumbles along, but he has only good intentions. I think their moments together in the book are some of the ones I am most proud of writing. I guess it helps that I happen to have a teenage daughter, as well, and can use some of my own feelings and experiences.

Q: What are the chances that we will ever see one of these guys —Mickey or Harry—in a movie some day?

MC: I think The Lincoln Lawyer with Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller should be in your neighborhood theater next spring if all goes according to plan.

Q: Did you take part in the film project?

MC: I was no more than a minor consultant. I gave some advice on the script, but not a lot, because I thought it was very well done.

Q: What about your appearances on the hit television show Castle? You seem to be a regular. How did that come about and is it enjoyable?

MC: It came about because the producers asked me. The show is about a crime novelist (Richard Castle) and he has a standing poker game with other writers. I am lucky that they asked me. Because it’s fun and certainly feeds the ego. The show’s creator writes clever lines for us, and we seem so smart!

Q: Will we be seeing Mickey and Harry together again?

MC: I hope so. I like the dynamics. But I also plan to explore them apart as well. It’s looking like my next book will be a Mickey Haller book. Harry will get his turn after that.

Q: You published the first Bosch book eighteen years ago. He seems like such a different character now. How much of this was planned and how much just happened?

MC: None of it was planned. There was no way that I could have envisioned in 1992 that I would still be writing about Harry Bosch in 2010. What a gift! So there was no long-range plan other than the fervent belief that the character could never be static from book to book. He had to always keep changing, evolving. He has aged in real time. That’s an eighteen-year slice of a character’s life. There is a lot that can be done with that. Hopefully I have.

Q: How much longer can Harry go?

MC: I hope for a few more years at least. And that’s just the forward progression of the story of Harry as a man with a badge. I could always cut back and explore Harry’s earlier days. There is a lot that I can do. It could be fun. As long as he remains interesting to me as a character, there are no limits to his story.