The story line is a great one that starts with Harry, who has been working with an ineffective partner for too long, finally gets a new murder case to solve. It seems like an easy, slam dunk case (we have Chick Hern to thank for that expression), but then the complications sets in. Harry’s only child is a 13-yo daughter that lives in Hong Kong with her mother, who is a paid gambler for a casino in Macao. Harry’s daughter, Madeline, wants to come back to LA to live with her father, but mom won’t allow it. The opening murder happens in South Central at the Fortune Liquor Store, which is owned and run by a Chinese family, and in the course of his investigation, Harry traces their ties to the triads in Hong Kong. Quickly, it becomes necessary to following leads in Hong Kong, and that is when all hell breaks loose. His daughter is kidnapped in Hong Kong, and Harry has to find her and get her back to LA. The Hong Kong police pursue Harry back in LA, so part of the story is resolving that problem. The two main story lines about the South Central murder and his daughter’s involvement do not come together until the last couple pages, and I did not see the connection coming. Connelly is one of my favorite authors, and this book definitely keeps him on my A list.
West Coast Don
I think I can honestly say I have never read a Connelly book that wasn't entertaining. When traveling or if the pile on my nightstand is shrinking, I can always rely on Connelly. Some hard core mystery aficionados might consider Connelly as mass market fluff . . . but hey, that's me, and I'm fine with that.
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