Synopsis

Michael Connelly's first book introduces us to the LAPD Detective Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch. Harry had been a member of the LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division (RHD), but a year before this book begins he killed a suspect in the Doll maker case. The IAD (Internal Affairs Department) started making an investigation against Bosch, he gets suspended for a month and then demoted to the robbery-homicide team of Hollywood Division.

Michael makes Harry out to be a very lonesome figure that dates back to when he was a tunnel rat in Vietnam.

The book begins with harry being called to Mullholland Dam, where a body has been found. The other officers have dismissed the case as an accidentally overdose but Bosch isn't quite so sure. Things take a surprising twist when bosch finds out that the corpse is indeed a fellow tunnel rat, Billy Meadows. Things start looking like Billy was murdered when the autopsy indicates that he has been tortured before he died, when a pawn ticket is found by bosch it links meadows to the bank heist carried out the previous year. The FBI are involved in the bank heist and such Bosch arranges a meeting with Eleanor Wish. Harry intention is to share some information but he doesn't exactly get what he wants out of the meeting