This is a 2004 book, the sequel to The Poet which was written in 1996. It's another Harry Bosch story, who is one of my favorite characters. The Poet was a book that was not solved at the ending, so it needed a follow-up, and Connelly was great. Along with Bosch, we get reintroduced to Agent Rachel Walling, who is the Poet's (Robert Bachus) primary target. The action takes place from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, some of it on Zzyzx Road, the exit in California off the 10, between those two cities (one that I should see in about 2 weeks when I make that drive).
How about this story on the road from Connelly: "This is Zzyzx," Dei said, pronouncing it zie-zix. "As far as I can tell, it is the asshole of the universe. Some radio preacher named it and built it 60 years ago. He got control of the land by promising the government he would be prospecting. He paid winos from skid row in L.A. to do that while he went on the radio and called on the faithful to come here to bathe in the spring waters and guzzle the mineral waters he bottled. It took the Bureau of Land Management 25 years to get rid of him. The place was then turned over to the state university system for desert studies."
I always wondered about that.
I don't need to give you the plot, just my recommendation to read it. While this book would stand on its own, I think it should be read after The Poet. Good and believable action, good plot, great characters.
West Coast Don
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