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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Child abuse and murder (historical); a present-day killing; LAPD violence
Language
Some
Moderate language; the LA detective register
Sexual Content
Barely any
Adult relationships in Bosch's life
Substance Use
Some
Moderate; Bosch's drinking and the LAPD culture
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
Very strong; the bones of a child as a moral weight that doesn't diminish; what abuse does to families; Bosch's identification with victims who had no one on their side
What this book is about
The eighth Harry Bosch novel opens with bones found on Laurel Canyon hillside — the remains of a child, long dead, who shows signs of abuse. Connelly's cold case investigation is among his best: the victim is a child, the case is old, and the living people who might have answers have had two decades to build different lives. The novel is also a turning point in Bosch's personal life.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Child abuse and murder as central case
Reader Verification
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