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    The Burning Room
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    The Burning Room
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    The Burning Room
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    The Burning Room

    Written by Michael Connelly

    Narrated by Titus Welliver

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly follows Detective Harry Bosch and his new partner as they investigate a recent murder where the trigger was pulled nine years earlier.

    In the LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit, not many murder victims die almost a decade after the crime. So when a man succumbs to complications from being shot by a stray bullet nine years earlier, Bosch catches a case in which the body is still fresh, but all other evidence is virtually nonexistent.

    Now Bosch and rookie Detective Lucia Soto, are tasked with solving what turns out to be a highly charged, politically sensitive case. Beginning with the bullet that's been lodged for years in the victim's spine, they must pull new leads from years-old information, which soon reveal that this shooting may have been anything but random.

    In this gripping new novel, Michael Connelly shows once again why Harry Bosch is "one of the greats of crime fiction" (New York Daily News).
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateNov 3, 2014
    ISBN9781478982920
    Unavailable
    The Burning Room
    Author

    Michael Connelly

    Michael Connelly is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. His books have been translated into 36 languages and have won many awards. He lives with his family in Florida.

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    Reviews for The Burning Room

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    • 4/5
      A new novel, and Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch is still working on the LAPD Cold Case Unit, but now he has a new partner, Lucia Soto. Bosch himself is liberally strewn with emotional and emotive baggage amassed over his thirty years as a detective, and Soto, although less than a year into the job, has already gathered enough of her own. In her previous police posting she had killed two criminals after she and her previous partner had been caught in the midst of an armed robbery.Bosch and Soto are assigned to a cold case with a difference. Ten years previously, Orlando Merced, a guitarist in a mariachi band, had been shot while his group was performing in one of the cities plazas. Though seriously wounded, Merced had survived the shooting, but the bullet had been lodged too deeply within his body for it to be removed, and he had been left paralysed. When he died ten years later, there was no hesitation in deeming it a clear consequence of the shooting, meaning that the incident became a homicide case. At the time, police investigations had stalled, and the assumption had been that Merced was an unintended victim of a gang-related drive-by shooting. Merced had been taken up by an ambitious local politician who featured him heavily in his campaigns to become Mayor of Los Angeles. Merced’s eventual death is, consequently, a politically charged event, and there is immense pressure for the reinvestigation of the shooting to bring in a swift conviction.As if that were not challenging enough, Bosch finds himself drawn into Soto’s personal quest to explain a traumatic and tragic incident from her own past, and the two investigations proceed in tandem.A lot of the standard elements of any Bosch story are there – attempts by his superior officers to rein him in; conflicts with his teenage daughter; strained relationships with the press; outrage from public officials. Yet although we are on what might seem familiar ground, Connelly never makes this seem repetitive, and takes care always to make these twists seem fresh. He also writes effectively. Having started out as a journalist, Connelly knows how to trim the fat off his prose, and how to reach out and grab the reader’s attention.
    • 4/5
      Bosch has a new partner and they are working on the cold case of a man, recently deceased, killed by what they had assumed to be a random shooting. Things get complicated as Bosch delves into areas the powers-that-be would prefer he not venture.Connelly has written another excellent police procedural. A very enjoyable audiobook even if Connelly himself (or his editors) don't know the difference between imply and infer.The ending is a bit of a hill-hanger leaving the reader to wonder where Connelly intends to take Bosch next. (Of course, if you've read the later books in the series, you already know.)
    • 4/5
      Bosch is assigned a new partner to look at a couple of old 'cold' cases. This is not one of Connelly's best Bosch stories, but there if you have invested in the character throughout the previous 18 books, this will feel like the return of an old friend.
    • 4/5
      100% Connelly; 100% Addictive - so reads the blurb on the back cover of this thriller - to that I would add 100% Satisfaction. As ever Connelly tells us of an investigation lead by Harry Bosch into the dark side of LA. Harry has a new partner, one with a history and agenda of her own, and the development of their relationship is at the core of this book. This can most definitely be classified as a police procedural, with the two investigations being peeled like an onion, gradually revealing the inner layers. Connelly' writing is as unfussy as ever and the pace gradually builds through the book until the surprising end. I count myself as very lucky to have picked up on Connelly early in his run; "The Poet" lead me to the first four Harry books and I have been able to enjoy one a year ever since. One of the great features of his writing is the way in which all the characters (even those only with us for a page or so) come alive and are believable and distinct. I doubt that there will ever come a time when I don't look forward to the next book by him.
    • 4/5
      I know, another audiobook, but again I had the time and took advantage of it. I'm a newcomer to the Harry Bosch books, I think this is my second one so far. And of course, the first one I read was after he had retired so I'm really behind. Anyway, this is probably the next to last one since his new partner is a young rookie, Lucy Soto. The case they get is very unusual in that the victim had been shot 10 years ago but the bullet had lodged in his spine and it couldn't be removed. Now , the victim is dead and Harry and Lucy must investigate 10 years after the fact. They soon learn that the crime is linked to two other crimes, a robbery at a check cashing building and a tragic fire that killed several young children. All three crimes seem to have political undertones that, even a decade later, threaten other lives. I liked the interaction between Harry with his many years of experience and Lucy being the newbie who needs to learn all that Harry can teach her. Harry also learns a lot from her as well. I have to assume, in a perfect world, that reading these books in order would be the best. However, jumping in at the end didn't hamper my enjoyment of this book. I like this character enough that I will hunt out the other books and at least attempt to read in a better order!
    • 4/5
      I was very excited to get a copy of Michael Connelly's latest book from the publisher through Netgalley. I have read every other book written by Michael Connelly in the Harry Bosch series, and am a true fan of the stories and characters. And this one was not disappointing. Despite being on #19, this is not a tired series and it seems that Connelly continues to put a lot of work into his books. There is less focus on Harry and his personal life than in some of the more recent books, but this allows Connelly to do what he does best -- telling great stories, with what feels like a real glimpse into the life of police officers, Los Angeles and the the world of journalism. This book had the added bonus of Harry's new partner, Lucy, who is a promising character for future books. As usual, now I feel the let down of having to wait for the next one...
    • 5/5
      In his seventeenth Harry Bosch novel, Connelly presents his readers with a terrific police procedural. Rather than chasing some serial killer who is stalking him or his family, Bosch is actually working a full-on cold case. In fact, he is working a ten-year-old shooting of a mariachi musician in the plaza in East Los Angeles. At the time, it had been chalked up to gang warfare. But, the victim took ten long years to finally die. With the autopsy ruling this to be a death from that old shooting and a bullet removed from his spine, Bosch has something to work with. Not much, but something. He and his new partner, Lucy Soto, set about interviewing the other members of the band and discover that the shooting was not what it seemed to be and that there were politics involved and love triangle and other things. Meanwhile, Soto reveals to Bosch that she is working a hobby case in her spare time, one where she had been a victim as a child as the apartment building and child care area in it burned to the ground.

      This Bosch novel feels a bit like one of Block's Scudder novels in that, rather than being filled with bodies found off Mulholland or a serial killer taunting Bosch, it is a classic clue-by-clue detective story. There is not a lot of action in the classic crime fiction sense, although as the reader you always have the sense that something could go awry with the investigation and there could be a confrontation at any time. This book is about the little clues and details that Bosch, with all his years of experience, puts together.

      I found this book to be well balanced between the investigatory aspects and the details of Bosch's family life with his teenage daughter, which served to humanize the detective and show a different side to him. I also enjoyed the descriptions of downtown LA, which Connelly is quite familiar with having been a Times reporter in a different life.

      All in all, a solid, professional job as we have all come to expect from Connelly's writing.
    • 4/5
      Bosche connects a fire with a bank robbery and also manages to solve an old murder in which the victim died 10 years after the shooting.
    • 4/5
      A typical Connelly, typical Bosch. Fast-paced, easy to read, difficult to put down. This one seemed to lack a bit of substance though, slightly below par for me.
    • 3/5
      Classic Harry Bosch story but very shallow and predictable compared to the previous books in the series.
    • 4/5
      Very routine Harry Bosch on a warmed up cold case. New partner was not totally credible but the story was a excellent if a bit confusing towards the end. 6/10, I think.
    • 4/5
      Another good read from Connelly. Connelly does not treat the reader as an idiot, providing every detail to the minutia, instead he rolls the progress of the investigation along allowing the reader to fill in with their own experience the details as necessary. The story line is intriguing and keeps you interested to the very end. Not a classic in the traditional sense in the making, but a good solid entertaining read.
    • 4/5
      This is the nineteenth book in the Detective Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch series. Although I have not read any of the previous books, this one felt very familiar as a conventional police procedural that does not push the boundaries of the genre. Bosch is nearing retirement from the Open-Unsolved Unit of Los Angeles Police Department and is joined by an inexperienced partner, Lucia Soto. Bosch and Soto are investigating two old crimes, in one of which Soto has a personal interest. I thought the writing was accomplished, if not particularly distinctive. The plot would fit nicely into a tv series, however Soto's lack of personality would likely get her killed off before the end of the first season. Bosch was a much more interesting character. I liked the book, but did not love it. Maybe I should try some of the earlier Bosch novels.I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 4/5
      I wish the Harry Bosch series would never end. It's my favorite crime series and the quality has stayed consistently good for 19 books now.
    • 4/5
      There are only a few crime series I follow without reservation and the Bosch books are one. And this is another great installment. Bosch even seems to get a rookie partner he actually likes. Wonder if Connelly is going to take her as the main character in a few books? I'm not sure Bosch is capable of retirement - won't he go crazy with boredom?
    • 5/5
      Harry Bosch gets involved in a case reopened when a victim of a shooting dies of blood poisoning caused by a bullet lodged in his spine for many years. Now it has become a murder case and Harry and his new partner pursue the case that ends up having ties to people politically high-placed. At the same time his partner wants him to help her solve another old case, one she was personally involved in as a child. Connelly weaves the two cases together masterfully as Harry and Lucia fight to make sense of them. Great suspense read.
    • 2/5
      Entertaining crime novel, but not one of Connelly's better books. Very contrived plot
    • 4/5
      Still so good but I suppose Harry is getting too old and will have to retire some time. Books are so clever
    • 5/5
      loved it fantastic as usual
    • 3/5
      #19 in the Harry Bosch series. Not the best of the series but good enough to stay with book and to anticipate reading #20. Bosch is nearing the end of his time in DROP and has a new young partner to train. Unsolved cases do get concluded. Looking forward to the Bosch TV series on Amazon.
    • 5/5
      LAPD Detective Harry Bosch returns from retirement to work in the LAPD Open-Unsolved Unit.He's teamed with and eager rookie, detective Lucia Soto, who has just been honored for her quick thinking in a shooting incident.They view the autopsy of a mariachi musician, Orlando Merced, who was shot with a stray bullet ten years ago. He was paralyzed from the wound and finally died of complications. This raised the case to a murder investigation.The detectives travel to Mariachi Plaza, the scene of the shooting and speak to other mariachi musicians to get a start of the investigation. Then they interview the other members of the group. Gradually, they work their way up fitting little pieces of the puzzle into place. The direction of the investigation changes and politics comes into being.During this time, Det. Soto is also investigating an apartment fire that proved to be arson resulting in murder. The Bonnie Brae apartment fire which killed nine victims. She has a personal interest in this case because she was in the building and some of her friends were killed.As politics enters the case, other impediments add to the complications but Harry's experience and Lucia's energy and determination build the two cases intelligently and suspensefully.Harry Bosch is one of the best detectives in mystery literature and he shows his knowledge and mentoring ability with Lucia.Los Angeles is well described with the various restaurants, roadways and historical references. At one confrontation they are in the Los Angeles hotel where Whitney Houston died.The ending is a slam dunk and leaves the reader gasping for more.
    • 3/5
      Harry Bosch novels have evolved and if you are fine with that transformation, if you are fine with the transition from edge-of-the-seat dark page turner to more subdued everyday police work with not much suspense then you will like this latest installment. I do miss dark suspense of earlier novels. It also seems recently author always (from the top of my head) have two independent lines of investigation. It could be fine sometimes but if this is something that is always present it would point that author just straggles to find a plot that will be enough for the whole book.
    • 4/5
      I seldom read detective fiction but of the little I have read, Michael Connelly is the best. His newest Harry Bosch story is The Burning Room. Like all his novels it is well written and a page turner but I was unhappy at the end. I won't share the end with you because I don't want to spoil the story for you, but I was angry at the finish. It is distressing to see how politics mingles and interferes with the police force which must be true in most, if not all, big cities. Do read it.
    • 4/5
      I do love Harry Bosch! Harry has a new partner he's mentoring, a young Hispanic woman -- Lucky Lucy - newly promoted to detective. She's interested in solving a case that she was involved in as a 4 year old in preschool that was arson. As they work to solve the case of a man who just died from a gunshot wound received 10 years previously, it happens that it overlaps Lucia's past.It's interesting to see Harry juggle parenthood with his work but as a Bosch fan I'm a little concerned about the ending of the book. What's next for Harry?.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic! Another MC masterpiece.
    • 4/5
      Solid police procedural with my old fave Harry Bosch with a new partner Lucy (Lucky) Soto on the cold-case files. Harry has a year to go on his DROP pension extension and is looking to make every case count and finds in Soto a worthy partner to mentor as part of his legacy. This mostly excluded the police department politics and back-stabbing stuff which I'm not a fan of anyway. Bosch & Soto tackle two cold-case files, one a delayed murder where the victim has now died 10 years after a shooting, the other a 20-year old arson case which has a personal connection for Soto. It all wraps up too quickly and leaves us worrying for Bosch down the road.The book includes a good plug for the doc film "Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story" about the jazz saxophonist, which author Connelly executive produced, with Bosch listening to downloaded tunes from the soundtrack (which I don't think exists yet actually - Harry Bosch an illegal downloader!?)
    • 4/5
      This is the 19th in the Bosch series and an easy, fun read. Bosch has a new partner in the open/unsoved department and they take on two unsolved cases...and, of course, solve them. There is a minimum of police department politics and most of the book is good ole' detective work. With this one, I've read all of the Bosch books and find Harry intriguing--but, I wonder if Connelly has another one in his head?
    • 2/5
      I suppose this is what we have to look forward to from Michael Connelly in this stage of his career: a decent story, padded by a 2nd plot whose only connection with the first is the contrived pairing of the lead detective with a rookie who happened to be at the scene of the 2nd cold case, boring prose, wooden dialogue, and a total squandering of the huge equity built up for the Bosch character by refusing to mine any of it throughout the novel.

      The dialogue in particular bothers me. It really has the feel of a 'first pass' that was never cleaned up, with the author plugging in what he intends to say but never editing it later to make it sound realistic. The rest of the writing isn't much better. I think Mr. Connelly, who used to be one of my favorite writers in this genre, has reached the point where he's calling his work 'good to go' much too early, when several more passes of editing would do it a world of good.

      As I mentioned above, the 2 plots represent fairly solid 'cold case' stories that could have stood independently if a writer who wanted to do the work was at the helm. Unfortunately, they were thrown together and, although they were both solved satisfactorily, more detail in both would have been better. Most of the procedural work seemed solid and Bosch's instincts were sharp, but in at least one situation I can think of a very unlikely discovery of evidence was a shortcut that might have been better handled more realistically.

      It's sad to see "Harry" Bosch, one of the giant characters of police procedural fiction, riding off into the sunset in such a sad way. Contrast it with how John Sandford is handling the aging Lucas Davenport in his 'Prey' series and you'll see the difference between an author who has planned out and cares about the character's transition and one who seems to be just going through the motions.

      This isn't a bad book, but if you want to read some really good Connelly you should try his early Bosch novels.
    • 5/5
      Superb Bosch story. Harry is back in Open and Unsolved with a new rookie female partner and given a 20 year old murder case to solve as the victim has only just died from their wounds. Harry is a bit uncertain about his new partner, especially when he finds out she is pursuing a 20 year old personal hobby case in her own time. As always authentic LA / California locations, strong well-drawn characters and clever plotting elevate this story above the ordinary. The plot involves politics, corruption, anti-hispanic discrimination cleverly woven together. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Like his other books, this seems like it is more of a procedural than a mystery---that there is nothing to guess, but in fact, like all good mysteries, there are some clues near the beginning of the story so that you can guess at least part of it. Harry has become a mentor, to a young woman who joined the police to try and solve an arson case in which she was a victim and who is now Harry's partner. There are references to Harry's previous cases and books in the series. While the two cases in the story are not connected to each other, they both are cold cases in which SPOILER!!!! the perpetrators are not brought to trial and more than one person was responsible. The book kept my interest and I cared about the characters, but it wasn't outstanding.