Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories

I almost fell for the negative reviews and passed on this one. What a mistake it would have been. After having read all other published works it was just right as a fill in before the release The Drop.

I almost fell for the negative reviews and passed on this one. What a mistake it would have been. After having read all other published works it was just right as a fill in before the release The Drop.

I like reading Michael Connelly’s short stories. Although they are short, they have a beginning, a middle, and an end—telling a complete story—short and sweet. They are a treat to read between his full length books! Keep them coming!

Michael Connelly writes the best mysteries consistantly and these 3 short stories are a good addition to his full sized novels. The character, Harry Bosch, continues to be complex enough to be interesting and the plots always hold some surprise twists.

The part I read was interesting but not exciting. I guess I'm more of a Jack Reacher fan. Harry Bosch backs down. He is of course more realistic .I will read the entire book to get a sense of the full character.

Harry Bosch is, for me, like an old friend. I really love this tough guy.

Since his last book was Nine Dragons, 2009 (I know, there's the Reversal, 2010, but I feel this more like a Mickey Haller than a Bosch book...), I missed him a lot.

This is why I'm giving this collection of short stories four stars... I don't know when they were written, but I have to tell you they did not seem like the usual Connelly. There is a certain amateurism, specially in the first story - which names the book. I almost laugh at one particular point, with this tacky, cliche sentence:

"Someone had picked this flower just as it had been about the bloom."

The second story is a little better, although being told in first person, which still feels weird when it comes to Bosch, at least for me (the two books where he is retired and kind of private-eyeing are not my favorites exactly because of the first person style, despite the good plots).

The last story is actually really good and there I felt I was reading a classic Harry Bosch. It's also the longest one.

All in all it is a good buy. After all, it's always great to read about Bosch!

This was a very disappointing purchase as the Bosch stories were no where close to his usual quality, and then the book preview included was much larger than any of the stories.
I definitely wont be buying any more of this series.

I wish there had been reviews of this "book" before I pre-ordered it. I usually love the Harry Bosch Stories. But this book was awful. The stories were way to short. You just get into the story idea and then it ends.

I did know/ believe I was getting 3 short stories. Fine. What wasn't fine was that the 3rd story really didn't have an ending. It may be my fault- would have to see a paper version to know, probably, but after trying to re-read 2 more time. I'm sure the story was truncated. Too bad as it was the best of the three...I think.

So disappointed in these short stories. I get the feeling they were ideas for possible books that never got written. As one other reviewer mentioned they are very amatuerish and seen "unedited". I just cancelled my preorder for the Nov. 2011 release of the same format by Connelly. I love this author but these come nowhere near his usual.

It is a collection, missing a lot of Harry Bosch intrigue. Short stories are always a disappointment to me. I am use to a plot that is carefully unwoven and a read which slowly pulls you into the story..

So the offering was for "three Harry Bosch stories" True. Not exactly false advertising, but certainly not forthcoming, either. This is basically a cheap trick, taking advantage of readers who are accustomed to Connelly's craft and story detail. I'm pissed at being taken, and I won't let it happen again. If this had been in a real book sore, I'd never have picked it up.

It is a collection, missing a lot of Harry Bosch intrigue. Short stories are always a disappointment to me. I am use to a plot that is carefully unwoven and a read which slowly pulls you into the story..

So the offering was for "three Harry Bosch stories" True. Not exactly false advertising, but certainly not forthcoming, either. This is basically a cheap trick, taking advantage of readers who are accustomed to Connelly's craft and story detail. I'm pissed at being taken, and I won't let it happen again. If this had been in a real book sore, I'd never have picked it up.

This so-called collection insults the short story genre. The first 2 were no longer than a chapter in a bad novel and the 3rd had no motive. These comprised 72% of the space, the remainder was a long excerpt from the next Harry Bosch book due out in November 2011. I am very disappointed and highly annoyed. I thought I was paying for short stories, but turns out I was paying for Michael Connelly to advertise his new book. Do Not Buy!

If you're eagerly awaiting Michael Connelly's next Harry Bosch novel (TWO KINDS OF TRUTH, out in October) but are getting impatient, this excellent novella-length collection of three Harry Bosch short stories might provide some brief relief.

Released as a three-story ebook collection prior to the publication of THE DROP in 2011, this ebook brings together three very good Harry Bosch short stories that had previously been published in different crime anthologies. The stories are clearly from different times in Bosch's career, when he's working with different partners (eg Jerry Edgar appears in "Suicide Run", but not the other two).

Individually and collectively these three short stories are all very good, offering fans further insight into Bosch's method and approach to solving crimes. Of course, being short stories, the tales don't have as many layers or complex plotlines as some of Connelly's full length novels, but I think he does a fantastic job - as usual - with 'telling details' and his great eye for character. The result is that while stories are quick reads you easily devour, they're not breezy, 'thin', or lacking in substance.

Think a tasty h'orderves or palate-cleansing amuse bouche delivered between full courses.

I think all three tales are strong, and I'm not entirely sure which is my favorite. Each reader will likely have theirs, but hopefully like me you won't think there's a weak one among the trio. Each shows a different aspect of Bosch's relentlessness, from questioning an apparent suicide, to following up with a death row inmate on a long-solved case, to peeling back the layers on the death of a pro poker player. Collectively we get to see Bosch use his skills working a crime scene, working a suspect in 'the box', and navigating relationships with his fellow investigators. If you haven't read any of Michael Connelly's excellent books before, this probably wouldn't be a bad place to start, in terms of getting a bit of a taste for what makes Harry Bosch special, but regular readers will likely get even more from this collection, adding to our understanding and enjoyment of the relentless detective.

Everybody counts, or nobody counts.

Don't pay a moments attention to the negative complaints (not reviews) that you will find herein. Trust me Connelly will never let his readers down. I have read every thing he has ever written and have never been disappointed. I would buy a sack of fertilizer if Connelly had written the ingredients and instructions. Where else would you get 3 great stories for a dollar apiece?
SUICIDE. RUN
The first short story features Harry Bosch and his partner Jerry Edgar,night watch detectives out of the Hollywood division. They are just about to end their tour when they catch a suicide case. Bosch becomes suspicious when he can't find the pencil next to the alleged suicide note. Due to the number of similar suicides, Bosch researches all the most recent cases and finds professional headshot photographs from the same studio but.taken by different photographers. Each victim was wearing a necklace similar to the one worn by the current victim.
That is why we love Det. Harry Bosch. I would want him working to find the perp if any of my family were a victim.

CIELO AZUL. BLUE HEAVEN

In this story Harry Bosch is headed north to San Quentin on his day off to speak with Seguin the man who murdered a 15 year old girl in Los Angeles. Seguin is due to be executed in a week and the identity of the girl has never been verified. The case begins on Mullholland drive when a group of teens park on an outlook to drink beer and discover the nude body of a young girl down the mountainside. The only clue that led to the arrest of the killer was the partial imprint of a license plate imprinted in the flesh f the girls hip when she was stuffed in the trunk of the killer's car.

No one responded to the media requests for help in attempts to identify the victim. Even in the Mexican press.

Harry thought his trip to San Quentin and his last attempt might convince Seguin to clear his conscience.

The 3rd Story is ONE DOLLAR JACKPOT. But I have used up my word count. These are 5 Star Stories. Don't miss them!

... also if the first two stories of this collection seem to be written as some kind of first or max second draft, to be - maybe - elaborated later...

I like Michael Connelly and the way he writes and I love Harry Bosch, and so I would buy also a shopping list of those two long-time friends of mine.
But this time, because of some missing pieces, only a 4-star rating.

In SUICIDE RUN I had the feeling that the story came absolutely to an much too abrupt end...
There was far more potential in the story than has been utilised by the author. Hollywood, a young, very beautiful "Marylin Monroe" - called like that because of the way she - apperently - chose her exit out, the search for similar cases - there should have been more. But it's an easy read and got my interest.

The second one CIELO AZUL is the one that has a more of humaneness inside than the usual crime short stories...
Harry Bosch drives up to St. Quentin to ask a killer awaiting to meet the Needle ONE question - only that a killer is always a killer for some reason. And that a man of his kind hasn't one shred of humanity left in his flesh, blood and bones. A very gripping but sad, sad read.

The third story is the longest of the three and also the most elaborated. In ONE DOLLAR JACKPOT Harry Bosch has to find the killer of a beautiful poker player, shot dead without even register that fact. And there will be our hero Harry who has learned a trick or two from his now estranged ex-wife - and that will nail a killer for good!

I am not too angry about the excerpt of The Drop (A Harry Bosch Novel), I have read it and the latest The Black Box (A Harry Bosch Novel), too. Best Harry-Bosch reads!!!

Try also the collection Angle of Investigation - a full 5-star read!

I'd dare say that this October could be named Michael Connelly, or rather Harry Bosch month, since during it no less than three books starring the legendary cop will see the light of day. Never mind that two of them, this one and Angle of Investigation are just short story collections (both out already in England and Ireland) and can only be acquired as eBooks. (There are three short stories in each of them.) The third one, The Drop, is of course a novel, and it will come out on the 27th of October in Europe and a month later in the US.
But let's now take a look at the eBook at hand. Suicide Run is the title of the first story in this collection, in which we find Bosch and his partner Jerry Edgar working the night shift at the Hollywood Division. During it they are being called at the scene of a suicide. The suicide victim is a young wannabe actress and at the beginning things look clear as day. However Harry thinks there's more to this case than that which at first meets the eye, so with the precious help of one of his favorite colleagues, Kismin Rider, he decides to take a better look at the facts surrounding it.
In Cielo Azul, we meet the good detective while he's on his way to the San Quentin prison. He's going there to meet a psychotic killer, a few days before he's executed for the brutal murder of a fifteen year old girl ten years before. Bosch, who arrested the perp, only wants to meet him in order to find out what's the real name of the victim; the girl he came to call and remember as Cielo Azul.
One-Dollar Jackpot is the title of the final story in which Bosch is called upon to investigate the murder of, a minor celebrity and full-time poker player, Tracey Blitzstein. The woman was shot dead while in her car outside her house. Being in the kind of business that she was, and having earned a big sum of money at the casino, not long before, it's obvious that more than one people would want to harm her. The perp could be one of her competitors, or a thief, or even that mysterious man that followed her out of the casino. But, as it's often the case, things are much simpler than they seem.
In this short collection we have three well-written stories which will undoubtedly bring enough joy to the fans of the good author and his most likeable hero.

Suicide Run - 5 stars
Cielo Azul - 4 stars
One-dollar Jackpot - 5 stars

Suicide Run and One Dollar Jackpot are both great stories. I'm a little confused about the time line in Cielo Azul when I first read it. Went back and read it a second time and was able to get a better sense.

If you're a Michael Connelly fan (and who isn't!) you'll love Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories. Harry Bosch is an LAPD Detective and the protagonist of many of the Connelly books. Connelly is a former newspaper crime reporter so his writing is fast, crisp and to the point. These three short stories are about crimes, criminals and the cops who deal in this world. They are exceptional short stories that make you cry that each isn't a full size novel. Connelly is the master of crime and the police procedural. These short stories won't disappoint.

Another Kindle special. I’m amazed at how the author can write a compelling crime drama in such a short amount of pages. Michael Connelly is a master in his craft, no question. Really enjoyed these ones.

He is one of my favorite authors. Only problem is the fact that this are short stories. I guess I just want more.it is very fast read. Even his regular books are fast reads. The mystery unravels very well.

I enjoyed these short stories because I am a Harry Bosch (Michael Connelly) fan. The stories were obviously scraps of writing not used in novels but were significant to the writer as character or scene development. It felt like a window into the writing process and I thoroughly enjoyed every revelation. If you don't know Harry, I think it would appear not polished. Read a full novel first to get hooked, and then add on Suicide Run for a quick fix!

I was expecting a lot from this book since I am an avid fan of Connelly, however I was feeling a little bit cheated because the book sounded like it was from a new author and not from the famous Michael Connelly.

I really enjoy Michael Connelly but was highly disappointed with this book. It was split into three very shorts stories, all which had interesting story lines. All three could have been the major plot for a book. Instead, it was just three stories where there was no character development and a lot of loose ends. Definitely not worth the $2.99 price.

We don't get to read enough about Harry Bosch as far as I'm concerned so I was thrilled to get these stories. And I thought they were great. It's like dropping in on a random day of Bosch's life, outside of the big plotlines in the novels.

I travel a lot and I love that more and more novelists are sharing short stories via ebooks. They are great for quick reads on the road. I don't understand the people that complain that they aren't long enough or are too light. These are short stories--not novellas or novels. What do you expect? It's almost like they don't get the concept of what a short story is.

Connelly has a writing skill that enables him to work in a certain amount of intrigue and who done it suspense in all of his work, regardless of the length. I consider this an average piece of writing, I have never ranked anyone with 5 stars outside of the classics.

What exactly happened to you Connelly? I have been your fan for too long and I was never disappointed with your novels until now. This books seems like it has been rushed in finishing, not even bothering to end it well. What a waste of talent.

I've read most, if not all, of Michael Connelly's book..........however, I am really aggravated that recent publications are on Kindle or audio only. I do NOT want Kindle or any part of the electronic 'books'. I like a Paper book that I can hold in my hands, carry with me and read anywhere, even by candle light, if necessary. I sincerely hope this isn't an indication of the future in literature.

I am one unhappy client. The product description should state if we are buying an abridged copy, a summary or a fully published text. The reason why I have Kindle is so I can read, not have it summarized for me. I thought that I was getting a great deal, only to find out that it was just a short story.

Three compact short stories full of the twists and turns you anticipate from a Michael Connelly book. I rated this collection high because of the variety of the characters and the venues used in the various stories. It really held my attention.