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Harry Bosch #5

Trunk Music

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Back on the job after an involuntary leave of absence, LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch is ready for a challenge. But his first case is a little more than he bargained for.


It starts with the body of a Hollywood producer in the trunk of a Rolls-Royce, shot twice in the head at close range - what looks like "trunk music," a Mafia hit. But the LAPD's organized crime unit is curiously uninterested, and when Harry follows a trail of gambling debts to Las Vegas, the case suddenly becomes more complex - and much more personal.


A rekindled romance with an old girlfriend opens new perspectives on the murder, and he begins to glimpse a shocking triangle of corruption and collusion. Yanked off the case, Harry himself is soon the one being investigated. But only a bullet can stop Harry when he's searching for the truth . . .

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 28, 1997

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About the author

Michael Connelly

379 books34.1k followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.

After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.

After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.

Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .

Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,424 reviews
Profile Image for Adina.
1,255 reviews5,238 followers
September 25, 2024
Harry, my friend, you have serious problems. I have no idea how you can attract so much trouble and heartache. I really wish you to be happy and relaxed but, since this is only the 5th volume out of 25, I have a feeling it’s not going to happen.

The first case Bosch gets after he returns to work from an involuntary leave, is one that appears to be a Mafia-style hit. However, the people who should investigate these types pf cases are not interested, a fact he finds very odd. The investigation takes him to Vegas and to a person from his past. As usual, the novel combines events connected to the case with Bosch personal life.

We finally meet Billets from the TV series and she is a nice character here as well.
What can I say, another excellent mystery by Connely.
Profile Image for James Thane.
Author 10 books7,061 followers
July 4, 2023
Trunk Music is Michael Connelly's sixth novel and the fifth of those books to feature L.A. homicide detective, Harry Bosch. It remains my favorite of Connelly's books and my favorite of all police procedurals--an inspiration to me and, I assume, to a good many other authors who write crime fiction.

Harry has been serving time on an administrative leave, which resulted from actions he took in The Last Coyote. He's just returned to the Homicide Desk when he's called to the scene of an apparent murder. Tony Aliso, a Hollywood producer who turns out low-rent, titillating, straight-to-DVD movies, has been found shot to death and stuffed into the trunk of his Rolls Royce, which has been left in a wooded area in the Hollywood Hills.

While Harry was on leave, the homicide teams were reorganized. Each team now consists of three detectives rather than two, and so in addition to his long-time partner, Jerry Edgar, Bosch is now also teamed with a female African American named Kizmin Rider. As the senior detective, Harry is the team leader and must direct the effort to find Aliso's killer.

This is Harry's first crack at a homicide in a while, and he desperately wants the case. However, the style of the killing clearly suggests that this might have been a mob hit and so Harry has no choice other than to call the department's Organized Crime Investigative Division and inform them of the crime. He fully expects that the O.C.I.D. will examine the case and almost certainly move in and take it away from him, but they insist that they have no interest in the case at all. Harry is relieved, but the fact that O.C.I.D. doesn't even want to look at it sets off the first alarm bell suggesting to Bosch that there may be more to this case than a simple murder.

And, of course, there is. Before long the trail will take Harry and his team back and forth between L.A. and Las Vegas, where the victim was a frequent visitor. And before long, Harry will be butting heads with his perennial nemeses, the F.B.I. and the department's Internal Affairs Division, as well as the Vegas P.D. and, ultimately, the O.C.I.D., which decides that maybe it is interested in the case after all.

Happily, though, he won't be in conflict with his immediate supervisor. Harvey Pounds, the lieutenant who was such a thorn in Bosch's side in the earlier books, has been replaced by Lieutenant Grace Billets, who is much more supportive of Harry and his team. This is a very good thing, because Harry is going to need all the help he can get.

It's a byzantine case, with all kinds of angles and competing interests playing out against each other, and against Bosch. This remains, I think, the best of all of Connelly's plots--very cleverly designed, and populated with one of his best casts. Bosch is at his peak here, and by this book is a fully-formed character--tough, smart, prickly, and single-minded in the pursuit of his mission. This book grabs me from the first paragraph every time I read it, and it never lets go.
Profile Image for Baba.
4,002 reviews1,438 followers
March 28, 2024
Harry Bosch #5, Bosch Universe #6: 'Trunk music', is US organised crime code for the gurgling sound emitted by a dead body that has been stashed in a car trunk for too long. When the body of a low-rent Hollywood producer is found in the trunk of his own car with bullets in the head everyone follows the obvious path of the gangland hit, that is everyone bar Bosch , who not only ends up fulling afoul with other cops, he pisses off the FBI as well.

Bosch who's sort of back on some cops' good sides finds himself leading an all Black team of two detectives, but lucky for him, two very good detectives in their own way, despite one of them being a diversity appointment and the other big-tome betraying Bosch in the past! Another highly competent and engaging story, and this time our determined cop has allies!

After the dust was settled on reading this one, I gave it a 7 out of 12, Three Stars, down from the Four Stars I had originally given it!
2024 read
Profile Image for Katie B.
1,664 reviews3,157 followers
October 29, 2018
3.5 stars

When I'm feeling stressed I like to turn to a favorite author or series in order to take my mind off things. Harry Bosch is a dependable character in that you know he's always going to be in the middle of something and will be sure to piss more than a few people off. While this isn't my favorite of the five books I have read so far in the series, any Michael Connelly novel is miles above most others in the genre.

With issues in his professional life resolved, Harry is now back working as an LAPD homicide detective. His first case back appears to be a Mafia-style hit on a Hollywood producer. He follows a paper trail to Las Vegas and soon a person from the past reenters his life. Once again, this is a story that will not only have the drama of the actual case but also the problems Harry will face in his professional and personal life.

I really enjoyed the addition of Lt. Grace Billets and look forward to seeing her more in future books. I didn't particularly care for the blast from the past character that showed up in this one. Part of the reason might be because I started the series about 2.5 years ago and for the life of me can't remember her so therefore her reappearance in Harry's life did nothing for me. The police case itself was okay but I've enjoyed previous cases in the series more. Overall, a solid read and I look forward to continuing on with the series.
Profile Image for Jonetta.
2,533 reviews1,286 followers
May 9, 2016
Harry's back from enforced "stress leave" and anxious to get assigned to a case. When he and his team find Tony Aliso's body in the trunk of his car, Harry fights to hold onto it instead of handing it over to the guys in the Organized Crime Investigation Division. What first appears to be mob "trunk music" turns out to be so much more.

As usual, Harry's solid investigative instincts makes the procedurals so interesting, especially when things get dicey. He's heading up a three-person team, introducing a new partner, Kizmin Rider, to join him and Jerry Edgar. With Pounds' death, the unit is now under the leadership of Grace Billets and we're finally treated to a better functioning detectives unit. The twists and turns were delicious, some I saw coming and others catching me, as usual, flat footed. The good news is that even Harry wasn't able to see some of this stuff coming either, which made the story that much more realistic. I'm still digesting one of the final surprises.

I've loved Dick Hill as the narrator of the series and this book marks his last performance. He's been Harry for me so I'm quite leery about the performances to come. At least his sign off was up to his usual excellent standards. Loved the story and the narration.
Profile Image for PattyMacDotComma.
1,752 reviews1,038 followers
November 13, 2024
4★
“Donovan paced around, waiting for the coroner’s tech to finish so he could continue the laser show. He walked over to Bosch.

‘Harry, you want the swag on this?’

‘Swag?’

‘Scientific wild ass guess.’

‘Yeah,’
Bosch said, amused. ‘Give me the swag.’


Bosch is investigating how and why a guy has ended up dead in the trunk (boot) of a car that’s parked off the road, and he’s got two bullets in his head. But there’s not much blood there, so where is it?

To complicate matters, where the car was parked meant that people who were attending the concert in the Hollywood Bowl down the hill could actually see the car.

Block the car from view - nothing to see here – just move the whole car, body and all, on a flatbed and shift the car crime scene to a more private location.

Now the body is back with the coroner, and they’re starting to find fingerprints on the guy’s leather-like jacket, and a footprint as well. Somebody got in the back and stepped on clothing to do the deed.

‘Trunk music.’

‘What?’

‘It’s a wise guy saying outta Chicago. You know, when they whack some poor slob they say,
“Oh, Tony? Don’t worry about Tony. He’s trunk music now. You won’t see him no more.”


Keeping company with Bosch is a health issue – his smoking is out of control, but at least he isn’t drinking as much as a lot of fictional detectives. I like him. He’s not particularly likeable, but he’s very human. He has a real soft spot for the women he’s known, and in this book, he meets up with an old flame who had become an enemy.

The plot keeps moving, but I found it slower in the middle for a while as he goes back and forth in L.A. between victim Tony’s home, trashy studio, fancy house and model wife. He has to get a gate pass to even interview the wife.

“Walls and gates, guardhouses and private security forces were the secret ingredients of the so-called melting pot of southern California.”

Then it’s back and forth to Las Vegas, where Tony spent a lot of time and money in the casinos. Money-laundering? Drugs? Bosch is getting in deep and his badge isn’t going to help him.

His private life is always part of the stories. He is finally able to fix his earthquake damaged house and try to create something of a home. But his lady love is still sending postcards from Italy, just saying hello, not wish you were here. Poor old fella. (There is that old flame, of course.)

There’s a lot of police politics, a new lieutenant (we like her), conflict with other departments (we don’t like them), and constant jockeying for position. Bosch is in the bad books once too often, which never stops him, of course.

Something I enjoy is that we learn things only when Bosch does. We view people and scenes through his eyes. He was caught completely off-guard in this one (as were we) when he discovers who the real players are and are not.

I prefer to read these in order, but Connelly fills in enough details that you’ve got a good picture of how Bosch got where he is. There are plenty of thrills – it’s not all police procedure and home renovations. He gives a brief backstory about Vietnam, and we see what triggers Bosch on the job.

“The light began advancing, its holder stumbling once as he or she went toward George’s home. A few moments later, Bosch saw the beam moving behind the blue plastic. He felt another charge of adrenaline begin to course through his body. Again, his mind flashed on Vietnam. This time it was the tunnels that he thought of. Coming upon an enemy in the darkness. The fear and thrill of it. It was only after he had left that place safely that he acknowledged to himself there had been a thrill to it. And in looking to replace that thrill, he had joined the cops. “

I heard Michael Connelly interviewed today about AI using his work to create ‘fake’ Bosch stories. He is part of the big class action to protect authors’ rights, and I wish them all success.

Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy the real Bosch!

These are my reviews of the first four books.

The Black Echo (Harry Bosch, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #1) by Michael Connelly (#1) My review of The Black Echo

The Black Ice (Harry Bosch, #2; Harry Bosch Universe, #2) by Michael Connelly (#2) My review of The Black Ice

The Concrete Blonde (Harry Bosch, #3; Harry Bosch Universe, #3) by Michael Connelly (#3) My review of The Concrete Blonde

The Last Coyote (Harry Bosch, #4; Harry Bosch Universe, #4) by Michael Connelly (#4) My review of The Last Coyote
Profile Image for Justo Martiañez.
544 reviews227 followers
November 11, 2021
4.5/5 Estrellas.

En los detalles, en el minucioso análisis de los mismos, se encuentra la resolución de un caso, esto nos dice Harry Bosch de forma reiterada.

La maestría de un autor se demuestra en la forma de irnos dejando estos pequeños detalles, en forma de pequeñas miguitas de pan, y en irnos desenredando poco a poco la madeja del caso, sin que perdamos nunca el interés.
Esta maestría también se demuestra en como convierte un caso aparentemente simple y anodino, en una trama compleja que acaba involucrando a diferentes departamentos de la Policía de los Ángeles y Las Vegas (incluido asuntos internos, como no), al FBI, la Cosa Nostra. Detrás de todo está, como siempre, el motivo más prosaico y más humano: el dinero y los celos.
La maestría también se demuestra en el manejo que el autor tiene de los procedimientos y métodos policiales donde transcurre la investigación. Esto es indudable y da mucha verosimilitud a la historia.
El Harry Bosch que se enfrenta a este caso, acaba de volver al Departamento de Homicidios de la Policía de Hollywood, tras un periodo de suspensión de 18 meses. Su carácter irascible y su forma de investigar, no lo ayudan precisamente a caer bien entre los que le aguantan a diario y, como no podía ser menos, volvemos a tener a los de asuntos internos en este libro, intentando enchironarlo y entorpeciendo su investigación (he de reconocer que esto me cansa un poco). Eso si, su lema me encanta, todos los muertos importan, sean quienes sean y caiga quien caiga.

El caso en si no es ninguna maravilla, es bastante predecible en algunos aspectos, pero está tan bien escrito, con más intensidad a cada página que avanzas, que no he podido por menos que plantarle las 5 estrellas (4.5 para ser exactos).

Cosas que no me gustan: que manía tienen los americanos de presentarnos a sus profesionales (médicos, investigadores, militares, directivos...), como supermanes que no duermen nunca, trabajan una semana entera sin casi dormir, a base de café. Oigan señores, que sin descansar no se puede trabajar, que hay que dormir, aunque sea una horicas todos los días, que también pueden funcionar así las cosas, el personal se puede turnar.....yo que sé, algo más normal.

Dicho esto. Muy bueno. a seguir con la serie.
Profile Image for Paul Weiss.
1,444 reviews496 followers
October 30, 2023
One success after another!

A beat officer on routine patrol in a deserted park on Mulholland Drive discovers a body stuffed in the trunk of a parked Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. The crime scene reveals a very professional mobster style execution with two bullets to the back of the head. Subsequent investigation determines the victim is Tony Aliso, a low level but apparently quite wealthy Hollywood executive whose company produces straight to video B movies - little better than soft core skin flicks. In a style that is now very familiar to Michael Connelly's legion of rabid fans, a less than by-the-book investigation by LAPD homicide detective, Harry Bosch, and his new team Kiz Rider, a young black female officer and veteran Jerry Edgar, leads them through a viper's nest of Las Vegas and Chicago mobster connections, dirty cops, Internal Affairs hatchet jobs, FBI cover ups and departmental police bickering.

For the very first time since I began reading the Harry Bosch canon in order, a little niggling voice inside my head was trying to persuade me to not like TRUNK MUSIC. "Connelly," I said to myself, ... "This is too much. You've gone to that dirty cop well once too often. You're pushing your luck and this is just going to be repetitious!" Wrong! While the theme might be a little shop worn, Connelly still managed to pull yet another rabbit out of his hat and produce a superb police procedural with twists, turns, red herrings, dead ends and the requisite entirely unpredictable solution as well as allowing Bosch's character to grow at such a pace as to become almost larger than life. His relationship with former FBI Agent and now convicted felon, Eleanor Wish, paints him in warmer, more human colours than we've ever seen before. And in marked contrast to the constant butting of heads with Harvey (98) Pounds, readers will smile at a developing professional relationship with his new boss, Lieutenant Grace Billets.

Highly recommended. Sssh ... listen! That sound you can hear is the patter of running feet as Harry Bosch fans flock to their nearest bookstore to pick up the next one on the Harry Bosch reading list, ANGEL'S FLIGHT.

Paul Weiss
Profile Image for Phrynne.
3,953 reviews2,661 followers
October 6, 2015
Number 5 in the Harry Bosch series and still rolling nicely along. I probably found this to be the least exciting of the books to date. It was a little bit too full of procedural detail and there were so many different cons going on at once I was occasionally confused. Nevertheless Bosch used all his smarts and came out on top,as usual. I liked his two off siders and his boss who was able to bend the rules occasionally for him. I found the story line of Eleanor Wish and the marriage to be unnecessary and even a little strange. Still a very readable book and one which I raced through.
Profile Image for Heidi.
1,354 reviews254 followers
July 7, 2024
As always, a well-written novel that’s hard to put down... even when you know where things are going.

Tough to review a book with a super familiar story line that was mostly appropriated by the TV series based on my fave LA detective— Bosch.

It was the same and yet not the same as the TV series liberally borrows its main storylines from the books— but never as written.

That said, still a great Bosch book!!

(Reviewed 4/4/18)
Profile Image for Scott Rhee.
2,257 reviews145 followers
July 23, 2025
The term "trunk music" (for those who aren't fluent in mob-speak) refers to an execution-style murder that involves two clean shots to the head and a body stuffed in a car's trunk. Tony Alisio, a small-time Hollywood movie producer of notoriously bad low-budget movies, is trunk music, and LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch has taken the case. Thus begins Michael Connelly's fifth book in the Bosch series, "Trunk Music".

Bosch's investigation leads him to a plethora of potential suspects and motives. It's just a matter of picking the one he likes best for the murder. Unfortunately, the case runs into two major snafus for Bosch:

1) Eleanor Wish, "the one who got away", or, more appropriately, the one who got PUT away (refer back to the first Bosch novel, "The Black Echo") is back, fresh out of federal prison. She runs into Bosch in Vegas and sparks between them are re-ignited, big-time. Of course, she may or may not also be involved in the murder, which can only mean trouble for Bosch. And

2) Internal Affairs is making a case---and a good one---that Bosch planted evidence at a scene that incriminates one of the major suspects.

Sadly, all of this is on a par in regards to Bosch's luck. Not that it's going to stop him from solving the case.

"Trunk Music" is police procedural at its best. Bosch is at the top of his game in this one, which doesn't mean he isn't capable of screwing up now and then, which is part of the fun of reading a Bosch novel. Bosch isn't the typical super-cop. He fucks up a lot, and when he does, it's usually big, but he always owns up to his fuck-ups, and he almost always sets things right.
Profile Image for Jenny Baker.
1,463 reviews230 followers
January 9, 2021
1) The Black Echo ★★★★★
2) The Black Ice ★★★★☆
3) The Concrete Blonde ★★★★☆
4) The Last Coyote ★★★★★
5) Trunk Music ★★★★☆
Profile Image for Metodi Markov.
1,698 reviews411 followers
June 16, 2025
Това е петата поред книга от серията за детектива от ЛА Хари Бош.

Конъли задържа нивото високо и "Ченгета" е един от най-добрите криминални трилъри в читателската ми кариера.

С оригинално заглавие "Реквием от багажника", романът ни води към поредния случай в богатата кариера на Бош - на безлюдна отбивка, в изоставен бял Ролс Ройс е намерен трупът на мъж, екзекутиран в мафиотски стил. Случаят наглед изглежда лесен за решаване, но това далеч не се оказва така!

От тази част на поредицата започва и първи сезон на тв сериала за Бош, който аз изгледах с удоволствие. Макар и да са променили доста случващото се в книгата, това не влияе на качеството му.
Profile Image for Rodrigo.
1,501 reviews834 followers
April 4, 2023
Otro brillante libro de M. Connelly, que bien escribe y que real resultan sus casos!!
Me ha gustado mucho como el caso fue evolucionando de un asesinato cometido por la mafia a otro muy distinto con los sospechosos cambiando y viendo por donde podían venir los tiros.
Lo mejor como siempre lo real que parece todo.
Valoración: 8.5/10
Sinopsis: Un productor de Hollywood aparece muerto dentro del maletero de su coche. Parece que la mafia está detrás del asunto. Harry Bosch lleva dieciocho meses sin investigar un homicidio: ha sido apartado temporalmente del cuerpo. Junto con Jerry Edgar y Kiz Rider forma un equipo de tres detectives. El primer caso al que se enfrentan es el asesinato de Tony Aliso, productor de películas porno en Hollywood, encontrado muerto en el maletero de su Rolls Royce. Las pistas conducen a Bosch a Las Vegas, donde tras cinco años se reencuentra con Eleanor Wish, que se ve envuelta en la investigación hasta el punto de que ambos ven peligrar sus vidas.
# 11- Un libro sobre o ambientado en Hollywood. Reto Popsugar 2023.
Profile Image for Becky.
1,593 reviews1,929 followers
May 7, 2019
You guys! I finished a book! Woot! (Seriously, I went from reading a book a day while the hubs was out of town to reading almost nothing in the month and a half he's been back. Life is cruel.)

Anyway, I finally finished this book, and yet again, it was a solid entry into this series. This book is the basis for the first season of Bosch on Amazon, and so, when I realized that, I think that it kind of added to the slump I was in, because I felt like I knew what was going to happen already.

Wrong! The show goes in a very different direction from the book, and I really enjoyed it. Some of the details were the same, but I only recalled them after the fact, so despite my expectations, this book surprised me quite a few times. I liked it. :D

I'm very glad that (I think) we won't be seeing anymore. I didn't like her. I could sympathize with her, but I didn't like HER. If that makes sense. Anyway, she's likely all the way out of the picture now, which is good. Though I'm not sure about the decision that was made to affect that change, it seems pretty rash to me.

Looking forward to the next installment, and wondering if Harry can go an entire investigation without a suspension. I know he has it in him!! :P
Profile Image for Laura.
835 reviews199 followers
May 3, 2023
Not sure what it was about this installment. Could be plot, secondary characters or structure. I just couldn't get into it. The little twist at the end gave me hope novel 6 will be better as it's already on my physical tbr shelves. rounded up to 3 stars
Profile Image for Wulf Krueger.
503 reviews122 followers
April 30, 2024
»“Still the same old Bosch. Your way or the highway.”«

In this instalment, Bosch is back from his involuntary leave and investigates a case of the eponymous “trunk music” - a murdered man in the trunk of his own car. Bosch himself is pretty much as he always was but around him, things changed: His lieutenant, Pounds, is on another kind of involuntary and permanent “leave” and was replaced by Grace Billets.

Bosch: »I’d heard that you didn’t have any actual time on a homicide table while you were coming up,” he said to her.
Billets: “That’s true. My only job as an actual detective was working sexual crimes in Valley Bureau.”
Bosch: “Well, for what it’s worth, I would have assigned things just the way you just did.”
Billets: “But did it annoy you that I did it instead of you?”
Bosch thought a moment.
Bosch: “I’ll get over it.”
«

I liked this exchange - which is indicative of their entire relationship in this book - because, yes, he’s still “same old Bosch”: Direct, confrontational, but honest, and willing to move beyond his prejudice.

Billets recognises the old-fashioned cop and is equally direct, sparing him no challenges. She also stands up for him repeatedly. I very quickly took to Billets and greatly enjoyed her character.

»“It’s Bosch.”
“Well, the Michelangelo of murder, the Rodin of homicide.”
«

Alas, not everything is as good as usual: There’s a major twist after more than two thirds of the novel that the reader long sees coming. I was impatient with Bosch and colleagues to realise it and that somewhat marred my enjoyment.

Nevertheless, the writing is still very good and there are some very suspenseful parts of the narration. I also enjoyed the reappearance of Eleanor Wish and “that one stop” in Vegas…

3.5 stars out of five, rounded up to 4 stars.


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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam
Profile Image for Mark Baker.
2,353 reviews195 followers
February 17, 2017
Harry Bosch is back working homicide, and his first case involves a body left in a car trunk. It looks like the victim was the victim of a mob hit, and he has connections in Las Vegas. Is the case really going to be that simple?

Bosch’s cases are always fun, and this book is no exception. I was able to spot a couple of the twists coming a little early, but that was a minor complaint. The characters are strong, both returning and new. A face from Bosch’s past comes back into his life here, and I love his new lieutenant.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Profile Image for John.
1,605 reviews125 followers
September 20, 2022
Kept me entertained. Harry is back and meets up with Eleanor in Las Vegas on a case. Very good plot with some surprising red herrings. A good shootout. Four stars because the shootout was very farfetched. There is a grittiness to this story with Harry chain smoking and reliving some memories.
Profile Image for Charlie Parker.
350 reviews95 followers
June 5, 2023
Pasaje al paraíso

Novela número cinco de la serie de Harry Bosch, detective creado por Michael Connelly. Personaje carismático que opera en California y alrededores.

Típica novela de investigación policial que me ha gustado mucho. Parece que todas son lo mismo, que no te pueden sorprender, que siempre es el mismo rollo. Pero aunque sea el mismo rollo de toda la vida, da gusto encontrarte con novelas como esta tan bien construida de principio a fin.

Una historia que no destaca por tener una acción desenfrenada porque no le hace falta. Lo que tiene es un ritmo constante desde el comienzo que no decae en ningún momento, aunque solo se trate de pura investigación e hipótesis que se van sucediendo a lo largo de las páginas.

Recomendable para el que le guste este tipo de novelas o para intercalar entre otro tipo de lecturas.

Esto dice la sinopsis:
Al detective Harry Bosch, recién incorporado al Departamento de Homicidios de la policía de Los Ángeles tras una baja voluntaria, le cae un trabajito rutinario. En el maletero de un Rolls-Royce se ha encontrado el cuerpo de Tony Aliso, productor de películas porno, con dos tiros en la cabeza. Aunque todo apunta a un ajuste de cuentas entre mafiosos, la División contra el Crimen Organizado reacciona de forma extraña ante el caso y deja abiertas las puertas para el perseverante Bosch.
Profile Image for Vivian.
2,914 reviews481 followers
December 2, 2020
Very noir Bosch episode.

I liked it, but it lacked some of the depth of emotional excavation on Bosch's part. And Harry is playing well with others in this one. I guess I got use to the man against the system mentality, but in Trunk Music he's got lots of cohorts, a team building exercise for Harry. Not that he doesn't run off into the weeds on his own, here and there. Just different in tone.

Onwards!
Profile Image for Carol.
3,607 reviews130 followers
November 26, 2024
Harry has returned to the job after an involuntary leave of absence. His first case back is a little more than he bargained for. B-grade L.A. movie producer Tony Aliso is found shot twice in the head and stuffed into the trunk of his Rolls Royce – what looks like “trunk music,” a Mafia hit. Harry is not so sure and follows the money to Vegas. Tony had enemies, and the investigations quickly gives Harry his own share of them also, everyone from Vegas thugs to his own department's Internal Affairs, to Tony’s killers.

Harry is not all hung up on his own issues, he’s instead concentrates on getting the job done. Even the involvement of a former love, Eleanor Wish, is only a sidelight. He’s not as sad or angry as he has been at times, which was a good change. I have always liked Harry, but sometimes he just needed to stop thinking so hard and get back to solving the case.

Actually, the plot in this one was better than the characters. The ending is, as usual, exciting and of course unexpected. That's a Michael Connolly specialty. The clues were there, and how it all fell in place was simply well-done.
Profile Image for Emma.
2,660 reviews1,075 followers
December 18, 2020
I love Bosch-what makes reading a Bosch novel even better? Reading a Philip Marlowe book (The Long Goodbye) alongside. Hollywood is just seedier. They have the same character traits- they are prepared to go against the grain, to stick to the truth as they know it; they don’t take bullshit; they have integrity even if they sometimes throw away the rule book. This story was pretty complicated: you just have to go with the flow until you get the answers and they are worth the wait!
Profile Image for Dave Schaafsma.
Author 6 books32.1k followers
December 16, 2022
I see just before I post it that most of my Goodreads friends who had read this book think it is just as good as the others, but I didn't find a whole lot that was memorable in it. Oh, Connelly is more than solid, a regular award winner, I just wasn't surprised by much in this book, except what happens with hr girlfriend Eleanor Wish. Maybe my three-starring this is mostly just to compare it to the first four that I had read (and others from his Mickey Haller series I had read.

I did read two things from this book:

1) Title Drop: An officer from OCID calls the murder "trunk music" and tells Bosch that such is Chicago mafia slang for a dead Punk in the Trunk.

2) Many men and women in Hollywood use Preparation H to lower the swelling in the bags under their eyes. This was news to me.
Profile Image for Jenny.
2,238 reviews72 followers
March 15, 2019
TTrunk Music is book five in the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. First day on back at work after a leave of absence Harry Bosch caught the case of the murder of Tony Alison. At first glance, it looks like a mob hit. However, this was not the case. The readers will continue to follow the twists and turn in Harry Bosch investigation into the death of Tony Aliso. Also, the readers of Trunk Music will be surprised by the ending of this book.

I love reading books in this series, and Trunk Music did not disappoint it an enjoyable book to reading. Michael Connelly in Trunk Music has incorporated a softer side of Harry Bosch in Trunk Music, and it made me appreciate his character more. Trunk Music was well written and researched by Michael Connelly. The way Michael Connelly described his settings and the plot is done well by Michael Connelly.

The readers of Trunk Music will learn about the shady side of the movie industry in Los Angles. Also, the readers of Trunk Music will understand the devastation that gaming can have on the suffer and the people around them. Trunk Music highlights the different law enforcement agencies in the United States and how they interact with each other.

I recommend this book.
Profile Image for Fred.
570 reviews95 followers
September 8, 2022
One of his best.

At a L.A. crime scene, Anthony N. Aliso, shot with a 22-gun is found dead in a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud’s “Trunk”, he’s known as Tony for short. Owns TNA Productions creating cheap movies.
His car & body was found near L.A. Philharmonic’s music shell - the nearby source of “Music”.

Hence the book’s title is from a quote in the book - “Don’t worry about Tony. He’s Trunk Music now. You won’t see him no more.”

This is Bosch’s first day back on homicide, from involuntary stress leave, back with the same LAPD partners, Jerry Edgar & Kiz Rider.

Major suspects: Luke Goshen (ran Dolly’s strip club) & Joey Marks (criminal). Ray Powers (police) & Veronica Aliso (wife) having a affair. Layla(strip club) was Tony’s girlfriend.
Tony “washing” & keeping some money thru his film business.

The end has a nice twist with money “Gifts” well-written & you will not see coming.

As usual, “stress” release chapters exist, Bosch meets Eleanor Wish, x-girlfriend, kidnapped & saved by him, sent her to his L.A. home for safety.... ending in Hawaii with the two of them in “love”.

Rolls Royce Cloud’s “Trunk”
Profile Image for Ishraque Aornob.
Author 29 books398 followers
March 23, 2021
Another nice Harry Bosch book. Michael Connelly is always special for me.
On that sense Trunk Music is not different. It's a murder mystery. Love the investigation procedure of Harry Bosch and his partners. Also like the twist and turn at the middle of the book, Las Vegas mafia connection, fighting scene. What I don't like too much in this book are the final twists. Seems little weak and predictable too me. But like the suspense of last few chapters. Overall it's a good read. Looking forward to city of bones soon.
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