ANGELS FLIGHT
Author: Michael Connelly
Year: 1999
Edition: 2018 Paperback
Pages: 472
Genre: Mystery / Crime Fiction
Additional info: New York Times Bestseller
BOSCH – television show on Amazon Prime (2014)
Angels Flight is the eighth novel by American crime author Michael Connelly, and the sixth featuring the Los Angeles detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch.
Summary
An activist attorney is killed in a cute little L.A. trolley called Angels Flight, far from Harry Bosch’s Hollywood turf. But the case is so explosive – and the dead man’s enemies inside the LAPD are so numerous – that it falls to Harry to solve it. Now the streets are superheating. Harry’s year-old Vegas marriage is unraveling. And the hunt for a killer is leading Harry to another high-profile L.A. murder case, one where every cop had a motive. The question is, did any have the guts?
Why I chose to read this book
I had read a few other Michael Connelly books from the Bosch series and I really enjoy the author’s storytelling skills. Last year I found out there was a television show called BOSCH, based on some of Connelly’s stories, and immediately started watching it. The main plotline in season 4 is loosely based on the Angels Flight book. A few months later I found the book when looking to spend a gift card at a bookstore. I thought, what a great opportunity to read this book because it was such a captivating story in the show. I’m glad I read it. As always, books are much more descriptive and detailed than shows or movies which makes reading meaningful and exciting to me.
Thoughts & Opinions
I started reading this book not knowing when it was written. I had assumed it was recent since I had watched the plotline play out in season 4 of the television adaptation BOSCH and the themes touched on are very current and relevant. However, the more I read the more I questioned the era in which this was written. I came across terms from my childhood like pager and CD-ROM and immediately thought no way this is a recent book. And sure enough, when I checked the first few pages of the book, I got confirmation that this story was written in 1999. Now it all made sense. It also made sense that they would integrate this particular story in season 4, which started filming in 2017. As mentioned, the themes in this novel from 1999 were current in 2017 and sadly still current to this day; racial discrimination, police brutality, citizen uprising, and much more. This is probably why this story was chosen to be portrayed in the television series since it is an important one to talk about.
“Civil unrest occurs when the feelings of overwhelming powerlessness hit critical mass.”- Michael Connelly, Angels Flight
What I like about the author’s work, and Connelly does this in his other novels as well, is that he references real-world events like the 1992 riots and the O.J. trial in this particular book. This brings in a sense of realism. His love and familiarity with the city of L.A. are apparent, in his multiple detailed architectural and historical accounts.
In regards to the story itself, without spoiling anything, I must warn you that the topics covered would come with a trigger warning nowadays. There are many dark twists throughout the story but that’s also what keeps it interesting since you never know what to expect. What I really admire about Connelly’s characters is that they feel real, human, and oh so flawed.
“Working homicide for so many years, Bosch could not be surprised anymore by the horrors people inflicted on each other. But the horrors people saved for themselves were a different story.”- Michael Connelly, Angels Flight
Conflicts of interest, cover-ups, police department politics, and the media’s role in public perception, are all a part of this crime novel. There are no real heroes, just like in real life, although Bosch is certainly the closest to one for being an intuitive and perseverant detective.
One significant detail I noticed is that one of the notable characters in this book is of a different race than that portrayed in the television series so if you have watched the show and read the book, this could be confusing, especially for this story where race plays a fundamental role.
Check out my other mystery reviews:
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead
The Socialite’s Guide to Murder
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Discussion Points
- Have you read this book? If so, what did you think?
- Have you watched the television show BOSCH? How did it compare to the book(s) in your opinion?
- I’d love to discuss this book with you in the comments below, looking forward to reading you!
- Which book should I review next?
Very informative review. Makes me want to start reading the book this minute…
Thank you! I highly recommend the Bosch series by Michael Connelly, they are all fantastic.
Hello. I haven’t read the book or neither watched the tv show but you definitely piqued my interest and I’ll do so. I always love to compare books to the tv show cause you have so much more in the books.
Thank you for your comment. I love comparing books with their tv/movie adaptations too, it’s always so interesting!