THE CROSSING Michael Connelly

Finished Tu 6/20/17

I just read THE BURNING ROOM which is the novel in the Bosch series before this one. I ordered it on Amazon and got it in just a few days in excellent hardback condition.

Harry Bosch has left the LA PD and has filed suit for unlawful firing using his half brother, Micky Haller. Haller has convinced Harry to help him in freeing an innocent black man accused of a vicious rape and murder. DNA was found in and on the woman, but he still maintains his innocence.

The title, THE CROSSING, refers to Harry's belief that he is 'crossing over to the other side', becoming one of the 'bad guys'. Before, he was upholding the 'law of the land', and now' he's just getting scumbags off. However, he justifies his quandary by realising that if the authorities have the wrong guy, then he'll find the right guy.

Two plotlines-

1) Ellis and Long, two corrupt vice detectives are running a sting operation. They have two hookers who have sex with wealthy clients. The detectives tape the encounter and then blackmail the victims.

2) A popular elected official and wife of a sheriff is brutally raped and murdered. The police have arrested a black excon, DG ('dragon'- police slang for drag queen; initials of Haller's client). He can't reveal his alibi because he his happily married, yet a closeted gay. He was seeing a transvestite on the night of the murder and this man was also killed.

The case turns on an expensive watch that was given to the murdered woman by her husband. The sheriff legally bought the watch as an Xmas gift for his wife and when the wife turned it in for repair she learned that it was not registered in her name. The watch was originally owned by a wealthy plastic surgeon from Beverly Hills. This man was being blackmailed by Ellis and Long and he reported the watch stolen and fenced the watch and gave the money to the two corrupt cops.

Ellis and Long kill the woman, the transvestite, the plastic surgeon, and attempt to kill Haller's investigator. This man is a Harley rider and was run off the road by the two cops in the opening scene of the novel.

The DNA from Haller's client was planted on the woman by the two cops. They got a condom with Haller's client's semen. They were using the transvestite as an informant.

Haller 'wins' the case when he discloses CTE (condom trace elements) were found in the DNA sample. This shows that the DNA could have been planted at the scene.

Harry maintains that working for his brother was just a 'one off', but I doubt it. He ends the novel saying that he will spend his retirement rebuilding a 1950 Harley motorcycle.