Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Rio de los Brazos de Dios
Posts: 3876

"The Narrows" is a better than average police procedural mystery story. It is fast moving and holds the readers attention., For those of you who like mystery stories Michael Connelly writes a good one-----but that is not why I read this book. I had been tipped by a former fellow worker that this book contained my name as a character---not OXSAN but the real name that my mother and father gave me. Now if I was named John Smith or Jim Jones that would not surprise me but my name is relatively rare. So I was on the lookout for it---there on pages 364, 365, 376, and 374 was my name in all its glory--both first and last names. The string of coincidence did not end there. The character in the book was:

1. An old man (I am 77)
2. who lived alone in an old house (As of yesterday I once again live alone)
3. who was a rare book collector (I have a few rare books)
4. who had 6000 volumes of books in his house (I have 4000).
5. who embossed his books with a library embosser despite the fact that it decreased their value (I do that also--I ain't gonna sell em)

Now that is one great big bunch of coincidence and I just don't believe that Michael Connelly made all of that up but rather knew that there was a real person with that name and put all of the characteristics of the real person in the life of the character. I don't mind---I am just curious as to who he is and how he found out about me.

But read the book--you will enjoy it. He has written eight other volumes and I have them on order even as we speak. I am informed by my original informant however that "The Narrows" is the first volume to contain a character with my name.

Unfortunately the character was killed in the book rather gruesomely. Where is my twelve guage?

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oxsan


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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35656

I have read a lot of Micheal Connelly's books (perhaps all, apart from this one). This is another Bosch novel, apparently (by far his best character), so I shall get it as soon as I have the dough.

You'd like James Lee Burke, I reckon, Oxsan (for example, if you haven't read it, 'In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead' is a good start). Burke's mysteries are mostly set in New Iberia, Louisiana.

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Rio de los Brazos de Dios
Posts: 3876

I am familiar with Burke and have read several of his works in years past. I actually think though that I prefer Connelly to Burke. "The Narrows" is the only Connelly that I have read so far but I have 8 of his novels on order.

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Registered: Aug 2001
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I like Connely for the mystery aspect of it, but I think that Burke is a much better writer (nominated for a Pulitzer, indeed). Burke wins a lot of plaudits in the UK, at least (where he has been described as one of the best American writers of any genre).

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Rio de los Brazos de Dios
Posts: 3876

Burke is such a provincial writer---a true son of the south--that I am surprised that he goes over so well in the UK. I was not aware that Burke had been nominated for a Pulitzer. It has been quite a few years since I read any of Burke and "The Narrows" was the first of Conelly's books that I ever read. I used to read mysteries much more than I now do. I was a great fan of John D. MacDonald and his Travis Magee mysteries but his death ended that. I like mysteries but don't often get strung out on them.

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Registered: Aug 2001
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Did you ever read any Colin Dexter (English author, his books are follow Inspector Morse as he solves murders in and around Oxford)?

I think that you'll really like the other Michael Connely books. Best to read the Harry Bosch books in the order that they came out, I'd say (at least one plot twist, from Concrete Blonde, is blown in later books, so if you read them first you'd ruin the earlier book). I don't think that I disliked any book of his, although the Bosh ones are by far my favourites. Interestingly, I seem to recall that Michael Connelly is also a big fan of James Lee Burke (but they are very different authors, for sure).

After fantasy fiction, mystery is my favourite (and it is nearly always much better written than fantasy, which is often written for, and as if by, teenage males).

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Rio de los Brazos de Dios
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I am not attracted to fantasy fiction very much but there are a few exceptions to that. As a teen ager I fell in love with a series of novels by
Talbot Mundy concerning the adventures of Tros of Samothrace, the Purple Pirate and enemy of the Roman Empire. I still have the whole set of books asnd re-read them about every five years. I also used to be a big fan of H., Rider Haggard but haven't read his stuff in many years. I do read a lot of mystery stories and occasionally get hooked on a particular detective and read everything the ayuthor ever wrote about him and of course I have read everything that Arthur Conan Doyle ever wrote and much that has been written about him. I am sure that you know that he literally hated the character of Sherlock Holmes and hated writing the Holmes stories--he did it just for the money when he had to do so. I still like to read them and I do reread them about every five years.

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Rio de los Brazos de Dios
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Smug, I am glad that you reminded my about Inspector Morse. I read one or two of those a long time ago and have been trying to remember who wrote them. I was quite pleased with them but they got crowded out of my mind (which isn't difficult these days) and now I can look them up again and look forward to following Inspector around again.

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Heh, yes, Doyle was apparently fed up wth Holmes when he killed him off in the first place, and wasn't that happy to have to bring him back. But needs must, I guess.

I don't why I like fantasy, because so much of it is appalling. Steven Erikson's Malazn books have renewed by faith in the genre a little, though. Detective fiction is of a much higher standard in general, in my opinion.

I love the Inspector Morse books. The TV series was great, as well (I think that PBS showed it here in the US; I've seen the DVDs on sale over here, too).

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Bangor, ME
Posts: 10173

wow, there's a book forum?!

I really enjoy Connellys books so don't take this the wrong way, plus I enjoyed this book also.
The theme seems to be that Bosch finds the crime to go deeper than others think, gets in trouble with the department or other powers that be, yet vindicated in the end. true, its highly enjoyable. but the plot is always the same.
which book has him joining up with the heart transplant guy?

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: Still Orygun
Posts: 10441

I also read mysteries (along with everything else, but mysteries are a favorite) and love Inspector Morse. I haven't read Connelly and plan to read 'The Narrows' as soon as I can get my hands on it, so thank you oxsan.

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