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..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..R.J. Matson
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Michael Wilmington



Michael Connelly’s new novel, “The Narrows,” is full of surprises. In addition to being a typically exciting page-turner, the 10th title in the Harry Bosch series is one of the most inventively self-aware works of fiction I’ve encountered in my 30-years love affair with mysteries.

It’s not just that Connelly – whose Blood Work was adapted into a disappointing thriller by Clint Eastwood and Brian Helgeland – occasionally breaks the fourth wall between his characters and readers. A lot of writers of crime fiction attempt the same thing … at their own peril, usually. Nor is it because “The Narrows” references characters and plotlines from Connelly’s previous books and series. Plenty of writers do that, too.

What surprised me was Connelly’s ability – as an artist and God-like creator of fictional beings -- to stitch the oddly colored threads of personal experience and empathy for his characters into a tapestry worthy of being hung on the wall of a museum. Because of the complexity of the design, it took a dozen years to reveal itself completely, even to the author, but it was well worth the wait.

The former police-beat reporter for the L.A. Times doesn’t merely slip the names of actual taverns, restaurants and streets into the storylines of his novels. His words make the familiar fresh, and worth re-visiting in print and in person. But, this sort of attention to detail is to be expected in any top-shelf mystery, which set in a non-generic place and time.

In “The Narrows,” Bosch not only references the movie adaptation of Blood Work – which is a bit off-putting in and of itself -- he also allows characters prominent in both novels to comment on the way they were depicted in it. In another interesting conceit, Clint Eastwood’s name is invoked as someone who attended the funeral of Terry McCaleb, the fictional protagonist of the movie and novel, whose murder Bosch makes it his responsibility to solve.

But, “The Narrows” is much less a nod to “Blood Work” than an emotionally sequel to “The Poet,” which, published in 1996, was Connelly’s first non-Bosch novel. The serial killer, a master FBI profiler who cleverly eluded capture, re-emerges here like a very aggressive cancer that was only pretending to be in remission. “The Narrows” also alludes to brief comments made about Clint Eastwood in “Angels Flight,” and McCaleb’s own investigation of Bosch in “A Darkness More Than Night.”

In 1996, Connelly couldn’t possibly haven’t imagined how – or, even, if -- the brilliant fiend would return to haunt Bosch in 2004. The author had no way of knowing, then, he would become one of the brightest lights in a generation of very good mystery writers. In allowing the Poet to escape, Connelly has said he wanted to prove that a genre novel didn’t have to end on a positive note to be successful. It wasn’t until he, like Bosch, had a daughter of his own – and the events of 9/11 cast a giant shadow over everyone’s lives – that he wanted to try to eliminate at least one perpetrator of evil in the world.

Complicated enough for you? In Connelly’s able hands, it’s a piece of cake.

Somehow, I don’t think this closing of the book on McCaleb’s life will result in another studio movie. Connelly has long resisted handing Bosch off to a Hollywood screenwriter. He’s tried his hand at screenplays, but the only way to do this series justice on screen would be to sell the rights to the Brits, where Prime Suspect, Wire in the Blood, The Singing Detective and Traffik came so wonderfully to life.

Another thing that makes the publication of “The Narrows” different than most other releases is Connelly’s smart and inventive marketing strategy.

This may come as a shock to folks whose lives revolve around movies and television, but not every book that’s published is reviewed in newspapers, and very few are awarded the kinds of profiles typically granted that week’s flavor-of-the-week actor. Photographs of authors, however prominent, rarely find their way to the covers of mass-market magazines, and hardly any serious writer of fiction is invited to sit beside Jay or Dave, anymore.

Morning infotainment shows, such as Today and Good Morning America, are every bit as obsessed with movie stars and reality-show losers as Entertainment Weekly and Entertainment Tonight. If it weren’t for Oprah, literature would be as absent on television as sitcoms without laugh tracks.

Authors whose books have a fighting chance of finding their way onto the New York Times’ best-seller list still can command a publicity tour from their publishers, but, unlike movie stars, they have to earn the privilege. In addition to signing books, most have to read selected passages and answer questions. Imagine asking an actor to sign tickets outside the Chinese Theater on opening night, and reading their favorite lines of dialogue before the previews roll. Amusing, yes, but impossible to imagine ever actually happening.

Connelly’s done his share of tours. Indeed, that’s what he’s doing this week.

What makes this tour different than others is the lagniappe, in the form of a free companion DVD, he’s offering buyers of “The Narrows.”

Increasingly, producers of all sorts of intellectual property are turning to digital discs to broaden the commercial reach of music, movies and television shows. Some artists, not many, though, even do it to add value to the investment fans make in their work.

Music videos, for example, have evolved from being mere promotional tools into an art form onto themselves, worthy of serious criticism and sociological study. Indeed, for the last 10 years, at least, Hollywood studios have scoured MTV for talent as diligently as they do the film schools at UCLA, USC and NYU. Meanwhile, writers of books increasingly have had to rely on the printed word and public radio to sell product.

The Internet has been a godsend to budget-strapped writer, and most novelists now have interactive websites, which are designed to extend the world of their characters, as well as update fans on new titles and readings.

For “Be Cool,” Elmore Leonard borrowed the lyrics to songs written by an actual L.A.-based rock band -- the Stone Coyotes – to lend credibility to Chili Palmer’s newfound interest in the music business. The band supported Leonard on his publicity tour, and a CD of songs was released to coincide with the novel’s rise up the best-seller charts. George Pelecanos, another terrific writer of crime fiction, released a “companion CD” to his most recent novel, “Hard Revolution,” which referenced many of the same vintage rock and R&B songs.

Last year, Connelly provided his fans with an album of music favored by the hard-boiled P.I. -- west-coast jazz, heavy on the Art Pepper – to listen to while reading “Lost Light.” Fans who buy “The Narrows” at Borders and Barnes & Noble stores also are being handed “Blue Neon Night,” a DVD that combines Connelly’s words with images of Bosch’s City of Tarnished Angels.

Directed by fellow author and filmmaker, Terrill Lee Lankford (“Earthquake Weather”), “Blue Neon Night” transports readers to the scenes of crimes described in Connelly’s 14 books, as well as the various haunts of his many finely drawn characters. Elevating the DVD above most other literary tours of L.A., though, are the evocative readings of excerpts by CSI star William S. Petersen (who, incidentally, would make a credible Bosch in any film adaptation).

Not surprisingly, viewers of this limited-edition disc – free with the purchase of a book at Barnes & Noble and Borders stores – will learn as much about Connelly, as they do about Bosch.

In “The Narrows,” the newly retired LAPD detective divides his time between L.A. and Las Vegas, where his poker-pro ex-wife has taken up residency with the daughter Bosch didn’t know he had until the end of “Lost Light.” At the request of McCaleb’s widow, the PI sets out to investigate the truth behind the death of the former FBI agent, who kills time working on his boat trying solve cold cases. Bosch’s research puts him on a collision course with the FBI, whose agents have been provoked by the Poet into re-opening the files on his decade-old crimes.

In addition to L.A. and L.V., Connelly follows Bosch to Catalina Island, the brothels of Pahrump and the dry seabed beyond the Zzyzx Road off-ramp on I-15. The DVD covers the width and breadth of Los Angeles County. Both the book and the disc provide perfect settings for summer fun.

- by Gary Dretzka

May 12, 2004


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