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Harry Bosch #14.3
Blue on Black
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, a short story featuring LAPD Detective Harry Bosch and FBI agent Rachel Walling.
Two women have gone missing, and LAPD Detective Harry Bosch has a strong suspicion that an avid fisherman named Denninger is the culprit. Bosch needs something stronger than a suspicion to bring Denninger in, but all he has are a handful of photos--prior mug shots and pictures of Denninger posing with his prize fish. It's not much to go on, and Bosch is running out of time, which is why he calls in FBI agent Rachel Walling. What she sees in these photos could blow his case wide open.
"Blue on Black" by Michael Connelly is one of 20 short stories within Mulholland Books's Strand Originals series, featuring thrilling stories by the biggest names in mystery from the Strand Magazine archives. View the full series list at mulhollandbooks.com and read them all!
Hook, Line & Sinister,
Two women have gone missing, and LAPD Detective Harry Bosch has a strong suspicion that an avid fisherman named Denninger is the culprit. Bosch needs something stronger than a suspicion to bring Denninger in, but all he has are a handful of photos--prior mug shots and pictures of Denninger posing with his prize fish. It's not much to go on, and Bosch is running out of time, which is why he calls in FBI agent Rachel Walling. What she sees in these photos could blow his case wide open.
"Blue on Black" by Michael Connelly is one of 20 short stories within Mulholland Books's Strand Originals series, featuring thrilling stories by the biggest names in mystery from the Strand Magazine archives. View the full series list at mulhollandbooks.com and read them all!
Hook, Line & Sinister,
19 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2010
1878 people are currently reading
5175 people want to read
About the author
Michael Connelly
381 books34.8k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.
After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with over 30 more novels.
Over eighty million copies of Connelly’s books have sold worldwide and he has been translated into forty-five foreign languages. He has won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael is one of the producers and writers of the TV show, “Bosch,” which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Michael lives with his family in Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 424 reviews
September 20, 2016
Bringing a new meaning to 'short story', Connelly delivers a swift story that pairs Harry Bosch with Rachel Walling. After 600 hours of searching, Bosch and his team cannot pin two murders to a man with a long history of being a sexual predator. While he can be traced to the vicinity of the disappearances, Denninger appears ready to get away with the perfect crimes. Walling and Bosch have a quick discussion and look over a collection of photos in the man's home. A long-shot tip sends Bosch out to investigate one lead, in the most unique of body dump locations. Whether it pays off, only time will tell. A nice story, perfect for that time the reader has while supper's in the oven.
Having been a long-time Harry Bosch (and Michael Connelly) fan, I devour almost anything that bears his name. While reading this is a mere ten minutes, I feel as though I had done so before, or another author used the same idea. Either way, there is not much time to develop much substantive fodder to review, but it does bear mentioning that Connelly does have a way of pulling the reader in from the outset and keeping things interesting until the very end. Such was the case with this piece. Its star-ranking may appear low mainly because there was not enough to merit its receiving much more.
Kudos, Mr. Connelly for this wonderful piece. I cannot wait for Bosch's next full-length novel coming very soon!
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Having been a long-time Harry Bosch (and Michael Connelly) fan, I devour almost anything that bears his name. While reading this is a mere ten minutes, I feel as though I had done so before, or another author used the same idea. Either way, there is not much time to develop much substantive fodder to review, but it does bear mentioning that Connelly does have a way of pulling the reader in from the outset and keeping things interesting until the very end. Such was the case with this piece. Its star-ranking may appear low mainly because there was not enough to merit its receiving much more.
Kudos, Mr. Connelly for this wonderful piece. I cannot wait for Bosch's next full-length novel coming very soon!
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
May 24, 2025
Разказ, който обаче е твърде кратък и не може да допринесе с нищо към историите за Бош.
Научих, че обичащите риболова са по-интелигентни и по-организирани серийни убийци от ловците. 🤷🏻♂️
Очаквах повече.
Научих, че обичащите риболова са по-интелигентни и по-организирани серийни убийци от ловците. 🤷🏻♂️
Очаквах повече.
October 22, 2022
A short story in which LAPD detective Harry Bosch receives advice from FBI agent Rachel Walling on how to obtain evidence that will help him capture a man who Bosch is certain has killed two young women. In a very few pages, Harry and Rachel interact, and then Harry goes searching for the two bodies that he is certain have been dumped in the ocean (and gets seasick while on the boat).
Excellent minimalist style. A complete story in just a few pages.
A five-star read for readers who are familiar with the Harry Bosch universe. One of the best short stories I have read.
Excellent minimalist style. A complete story in just a few pages.
A five-star read for readers who are familiar with the Harry Bosch universe. One of the best short stories I have read.
August 23, 2017
Super short. Super quick. Not a super story.
June 15, 2020
What a great short story by Connelly! I had no idea that he even wrote some stand alone stories starring Harry Bosch. This one was great and we even get some interaction with a character familiar to longstanding readers, Rachel Walling.
"Blue on Black" is a short story between Connelly's "Nine Dragons" and "The Drop." Harry thinks that a man that they have been following, named Denniger is responsible for two young women who are missing. Harry asks FBI agent Rachel Walling to look at what he has so far in order to help him figure out if Denniger is their man.
I liked how the story came together and the role that Rachel plays with things. Connelly is able to evoke so much emotion in this story with Harry wanting to make sure that the two young men have someone that stands for them. I know a lot of people complained this was too short, but to me I thought it was pitch perfect. It made me want to go back and re-read the Harry Bosch series.
"Blue on Black" is a short story between Connelly's "Nine Dragons" and "The Drop." Harry thinks that a man that they have been following, named Denniger is responsible for two young women who are missing. Harry asks FBI agent Rachel Walling to look at what he has so far in order to help him figure out if Denniger is their man.
I liked how the story came together and the role that Rachel plays with things. Connelly is able to evoke so much emotion in this story with Harry wanting to make sure that the two young men have someone that stands for them. I know a lot of people complained this was too short, but to me I thought it was pitch perfect. It made me want to go back and re-read the Harry Bosch series.
September 1, 2017
Homicide Detective Harry Bosch is working a case where two women have disappeared. Harry believes he knows who is responsible for their deaths, but he has had no luck coming up with actual evidence. Harry asks FBI Profiler Rachel Walling to take a look at the case to see if she can point him in the right direction.
This very short story felt like a chapter out of a Harry Bosch book. Read it if you can get it from the library, but don't spend money on a story that only takes 10-15 minutes to read. My rating: 3 Stars.
This very short story felt like a chapter out of a Harry Bosch book. Read it if you can get it from the library, but don't spend money on a story that only takes 10-15 minutes to read. My rating: 3 Stars.
April 29, 2022
As I mentioned in another review, I'd stumbled upon a couple of short stories featuring Harry Bosch, and since I'd long ago finished the novels in the series, I went for these.
Connelly's skills show through despite the very limited number of pages that constitute this short story. He uses Rachel Walling, an FBI profiler from previous novels, to set things in motion. And speaking of motion, he treats us to a seasick Bosch as he searches for bodies that might be hidden under water (can't tell you more-- ), and for whatever reason, I smiled as I imagined the tough ol' detective green around the gills while on board (I've been there... it's awful).
All in all, a nice piece of writing, albeit one that I wished had grown into a full-blown Bosch novel.
Connelly's skills show through despite the very limited number of pages that constitute this short story. He uses Rachel Walling, an FBI profiler from previous novels, to set things in motion. And speaking of motion, he treats us to a seasick Bosch as he searches for bodies that might be hidden under water (can't tell you more-- ), and for whatever reason, I smiled as I imagined the tough ol' detective green around the gills while on board (I've been there... it's awful).
All in all, a nice piece of writing, albeit one that I wished had grown into a full-blown Bosch novel.
September 8, 2022
Very easy & nice, under 15 minutes....
Bosch tracks 2 murders in the marina Del Ray area. The suspect has no human blood evidence on his boat. His hobbies are fishing & poker. He lost his “hand held” fishing GPS in a poker game. How could a fishing GPS turn up murder evidence?
FYI: Michael Connelly - Police & FBI Acronyms
Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch
Bosch tracks 2 murders in the marina Del Ray area. The suspect has no human blood evidence on his boat. His hobbies are fishing & poker. He lost his “hand held” fishing GPS in a poker game. How could a fishing GPS turn up murder evidence?
FYI: Michael Connelly - Police & FBI Acronyms
October 12, 2016
A very very short story
Harry is trying to pin the crime on a sexual predator who was lurking in the area ... will he be successful ???
Harry is trying to pin the crime on a sexual predator who was lurking in the area ... will he be successful ???
October 12, 2025
For how short it was, it was interesting. Onto The Reversal!
October 1, 2016
Good, but really short & the device was also used before in #10 A Darkness More Than Night(Harry Bosch #7, Terry McCaleb #2). This story features just Harry. This is #21.6 in the Harry Bosch Universe. See my review of The Black Echo for the full chronology here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
February 15, 2025
Ok way too short, but I really like Michael Connelly, specially The Lincoln Lawyer series, and the earlier Bosh novels. This extra short story was ok, I mean it's a serial killer story, but just one bone to pick with Connelly, any killer worth their salt would know that you will be seen on video if you stand behind someone at an ATM.☺
May 31, 2021
Harry Bosch. A favorite. My LA youth rises up when I read about him and his cases, am reminded of the dark, sad world he cleans up after, yet has a kind of relentless hope that most people are going to do the right thing.
This 17-minute listen did NOT disappoint. I re-listened to the last of it 5 times, just to keep it soaking in and not ending. . . .blue on black. . . . .
This 17-minute listen did NOT disappoint. I re-listened to the last of it 5 times, just to keep it soaking in and not ending. . . .blue on black. . . . .
September 14, 2024
This one was maybe too short. Not sure what the point of it was. Kind of reminded me of Dexter.
June 25, 2017
It took less than 10 minutes to read this 8-page short story (18, if you count the cover, publisher's page, acknowledgment page, etc.), and it was over before it started.
November 30, 2020
Wow, Short story takes on new meaning. This is a surprising take of Connelly. From the New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, a short story featuring LAPD Detective Harry Bosch and FBI agent Rachel Walling. Two women seem to have gone missing and LAPD Detective Harry Bosch has a strong suspicion that an avid fisherman named Denninger is the culprit. Bosch needs something stronger than a suspicion to bring Denninger in, but all he has are a handful of photos--prior mug shots and pictures of Denninger posing with prize fish. Sounded like they were having a lot of fun and were enjoying themselves tremendously while fishing. It's not much to go on, and Bosch is running of time, which is why he calls an FBI Agent Rachel Walling. What she sees in these photos could throw his case wide open. "Blue on Black" by Michael Connelly is one of 20 short stories within Mulholland Books. Don't highly recommend. Didn't get much out of it at all. To each their own.
February 15, 2020
I love the Michael Connelly books, especially the Harry Bosch series but to be honest this book is so short (25 pages) there is little to admire other than the writing style.
Harry Bosch is trying to locate the dead bodies to prove the case against a sexual predator. A killer who has escaped prosecution due to no evidence ever been found. The book feature Harry Bosch and Rachel Walling discussing the case while looking at photo's in the suspect's home. One photo sets Bosch off on a hunch to locate the missing bodies.
All this very short read gave me was a longing to read the next Michael Connelly novel.
Harry Bosch is trying to locate the dead bodies to prove the case against a sexual predator. A killer who has escaped prosecution due to no evidence ever been found. The book feature Harry Bosch and Rachel Walling discussing the case while looking at photo's in the suspect's home. One photo sets Bosch off on a hunch to locate the missing bodies.
All this very short read gave me was a longing to read the next Michael Connelly novel.
September 6, 2016
Too short too easy to solve
When a mystery is solved in a few pages, I want my money back. Live and learn,, no more short stories by Michael Connelly
When a mystery is solved in a few pages, I want my money back. Live and learn,, no more short stories by Michael Connelly
March 26, 2019
I didn’t realize this was a short story when I downloaded the audiobook from Libby.
August 4, 2019
An extremely short story with Harry Bosch. It was interesting, but didn't really add anything to the Universe of Harry. It could have been any main character.
April 10, 2017
Blue on Black is a short Harry Bosch detective story that finds Harry solving a serial killer investigation. I have read all of the Harry Bosch novels and I have not come across this type of investigation. Kudos once again goes to Mr. Connelly for continuing to push the boundaries with his character development of Harry Bosch.
I was first introduced to Mr. Connelly's books when I found one of his novels in the LAX parking garage trash can. I was hooked like a fish after reading that first Michael Connelly book. I have enjoyed reading about how Bosch has progressed as each book is published.
Blue on Black provided an eerie connection as two of the killers in the book are the same names as my kids. After I recovered from this realization, I continued to devour the book like every other Harry Bosch book. Mr. Connelly continues to impress me with his writing skills. I highly recommend this book to any Harry Bosch, Michael Connelly or police procedural fan.
I was first introduced to Mr. Connelly's books when I found one of his novels in the LAX parking garage trash can. I was hooked like a fish after reading that first Michael Connelly book. I have enjoyed reading about how Bosch has progressed as each book is published.
Blue on Black provided an eerie connection as two of the killers in the book are the same names as my kids. After I recovered from this realization, I continued to devour the book like every other Harry Bosch book. Mr. Connelly continues to impress me with his writing skills. I highly recommend this book to any Harry Bosch, Michael Connelly or police procedural fan.
October 18, 2016
Blue on Black
This is a good short story by Michael Connelly. I've been meaning to read his Bosch series for a while now and until I get the chance I enjoy reading his short stories.
This is a good short story by Michael Connelly. I've been meaning to read his Bosch series for a while now and until I get the chance I enjoy reading his short stories.
November 13, 2018
Quick short story. Just OK.
January 1, 2020
Nice filler story for Harry Bosch
June 7, 2019
I LOVE Michael Connelly's work, and this was another solid entry, short story featuring Connelly's LAPD detective Harry Bosch and FBI agent Rachel Walling. A very solid quick read, that I only wish had a better ending to the story.
September 11, 2016
way way way way too short but very excellent! even 5 or 10 more pages would be helpful...not sure I'll try this type again.
October 12, 2017
Very short Harry Bosch story. If a Bosch fan, worth the read. If not, there's not enough of a story there to pique your interest in reading the full novels.
August 12, 2020
Short but Sweet
I guess I am have to gonna catch up on the Bosch series. This little mini chapter or sample of a book, if that's what you want to call it, got my attention!!
I guess I am have to gonna catch up on the Bosch series. This little mini chapter or sample of a book, if that's what you want to call it, got my attention!!
February 4, 2023
This Harry Bosch story was originally published in 2010 in the Strand Magazine, one of twenty short stories and part of the Mulholland collection. It later appeared as an ebook in 2016 as part of the wider Harry Bosch Collection.
The story opens as Harry, who had given Rachel Walling some photos to look at, returns to ask for her thoughts. He is in the middle of a murder investigation, frustrated at his loss of progress. He can put a known sexual predator in close proximity to his victims and believes he knows the identity of the killer, but does not have what he needs to get this man behind bars. He had already obtained warrants and searched the suspect’s home, his boat, his pick-up truck and the garage where he worked, but came up empty. The only other piece of information he has, is the man’s two passions: fishing and poker. The pictures Harry gave Rachel show the suspect in his boat on Santa Monica Bay, posing with the fish he has caught.
Harry has come to Rachel because she is smart and quick and his time is running out. He has a loose tail on his suspect, but that can’t last forever and Harry knows, if they don’t catch him, he will strike again.
Walling’s careful analysis of the pictures is interesting and show a good understanding of human behavior. It allows her to point Harry in the right direction and catch the killer.
This story is VERY short, hardly enough for a book or for a review. In fact, when I reached the end, I was startled. Was that it? Was it over? I read it to try and complete my reading of the entire Harry Bosch collection and it served its purpose, but others can skip it without losing much.
The story opens as Harry, who had given Rachel Walling some photos to look at, returns to ask for her thoughts. He is in the middle of a murder investigation, frustrated at his loss of progress. He can put a known sexual predator in close proximity to his victims and believes he knows the identity of the killer, but does not have what he needs to get this man behind bars. He had already obtained warrants and searched the suspect’s home, his boat, his pick-up truck and the garage where he worked, but came up empty. The only other piece of information he has, is the man’s two passions: fishing and poker. The pictures Harry gave Rachel show the suspect in his boat on Santa Monica Bay, posing with the fish he has caught.
Harry has come to Rachel because she is smart and quick and his time is running out. He has a loose tail on his suspect, but that can’t last forever and Harry knows, if they don’t catch him, he will strike again.
Walling’s careful analysis of the pictures is interesting and show a good understanding of human behavior. It allows her to point Harry in the right direction and catch the killer.
This story is VERY short, hardly enough for a book or for a review. In fact, when I reached the end, I was startled. Was that it? Was it over? I read it to try and complete my reading of the entire Harry Bosch collection and it served its purpose, but others can skip it without losing much.
December 18, 2020
When Harry Met...
Review of the Hachette Audio audiobook edition (2016) of the story that first appeared in the anthology Hook, Line & Sinister: Mysteries to Reel You In (2010)
Very short story with Harry Bosch asking for FBI Profiler Rachel Walling's assistance on a case. I had missed this one when it first came out and just caught up on it now thanks to the Toronto Public Library's Audiobook download service. (Thanks to Karan for the tip!)
Narrated by the Harry Bosch TV-series (2014-2021) actor Titus Welliver, which lends it an authentic gravitas.
Review of the Hachette Audio audiobook edition (2016) of the story that first appeared in the anthology Hook, Line & Sinister: Mysteries to Reel You In (2010)
Very short story with Harry Bosch asking for FBI Profiler Rachel Walling's assistance on a case. I had missed this one when it first came out and just caught up on it now thanks to the Toronto Public Library's Audiobook download service. (Thanks to Karan for the tip!)
Narrated by the Harry Bosch TV-series (2014-2021) actor Titus Welliver, which lends it an authentic gravitas.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 424 reviews