Showing posts with label Harry Bosch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harry Bosch. Show all posts

Saturday, August 29, 2020

The Summer of Bosch

By

Scott D. Parker

 

A few weeks ago, I wrote about watching the Amazon Prime TV series Bosch. Based on Michael Connelly’s novel series, there are now six seasons, 60 episodes of excellent television.

And I’ve gone through them all.

Now I’ve caught up with the rest of the folks who watched Bosch live as it aired. I’m not a binger. I still have the weekly airing of TV episodes ingrained in my DNA. But with streaming, I have modified my viewing. With about an hour a day for TV, my wife and I watch a show at 9pm every night. Thus, a 10-episode season of Bosch typically took about ten days, more or less.

Except the last couple of seasons.

Now, work nights, I still have only an hour for TV, but when the viewing bled into the weekends? Well, we might watch two or (shocker) three a night. I know that sounds funny to some of y’all, but I don’t like to blow through TV shows and have nothing left.

Early on this summer, we watched season 1 of Bosch then switched to another show. Prodigal Son. Happened again after season 2 (although I forgot the other show). Then the magic happened. After season 3 as we were discussing which show to watch next, the wife suggested Bosch season 4.

Done!

And we didn’t look back until we had finished the entire series to date.

I wrote earlier about the cast and they remain the best thing about the show. But as the series went on, I particularly liked the relationship between Bosch and his daughter who, by season six, is a college student finding her way through life. Titus Welliver and Madison Lintz have such good chemistry that you’d almost think they really are father and daughter.

The one thing I dislike about binging is the sudden void after you’ve reached the end. Tis why I like to watch shows slow. When we reached episode 60, there was a moment where we looked at each other and questioned if that was it? (We had purposefully avoided looking up anything on the internet because we didn’t want any spoilers. My wife spoiled herself when she was reading about the show and learned the fate of one of the major characters.)

Yes, there will be a season 7, but that’ll be it. Amazon has cancelled the show, but allowed it to end gracefully.

So it turned out that the Bosch TV show was our through line during the summer of 2020. I couldn’t be more satisfied.

 

BTW, our next show is Glitch (Netflix), an Australian show with an interesting premise: a few dead folks crawl out of their graves one night without any memories but in perfect health. 

Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Reversal by Michael Connelly

I'm a huge Connelly fan. Ever since ANGEL'S FLIGHT, Connelly's had me hooked. (Probably before, but that's the one I really remember.)

THE REVERSAL is his newest novel, teaming defense attorney Mickey Haller up with his half-brother Harry Bosch. You see, this time around, Haller is a member of the prosecution. It's a nice touch, adding a bit of tension to the crime proceedings and giving the reader a look at a criminal trial through both lenses from one character.

In Connelly's previous novel, 9 DRAGONS, the author really pushed the pedal to the metal. Harry Bosch is stuck in a thriller, with great pacing, and moments of insurmountable tension.

What makes THE REVERSAL interesting is Connelly takes his foot off the gas, but the results are no less compelling. Even through the slow first 100 pages, the reader really gets a sense of the characters and what they're up against.

The highlight, of course, is seeing Bosch and Haller--former rivals--work together. And the last 50 pages, Connelly finally hits the groove and pushes the pace back to breakneck.

If you haven't read Connelly before, you might feel you're missing something while reading THE REVERSAL, but if you're a fan this is a must-read.