Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
Nine Dragons is another crime thriller by Michael Connelly featuring his recurring character, Detective Harry Bosch of the LAPD.
The story describes how Detective Bosch, while hunting down a killer, finds himself under the scrutiny of a Chinese triad who then kidnap his daughter in retaliation.
Bosch is summoned to a liquor store where the owner has been murdered.
His wife and children do not speak English but Bosch, after watching the security tapes, deduces that the murder occurred around the time when the owner, Mr.
Li, made a weekly payoff of 200 plus dollars to a triad.
Bosch succeeds in arresting the man who met with Li every week just as he was about to escape the country and arranges to keep him until Monday while he retrieves evidence from the bullet casings left at the scene.
At this point, however, Bosch discovers that the triad has kidnapped his daughter, Maddie, who lives in Hong Kong, and while there are no demands specified, Bosch hurries over to Hong Kong to try to rescue her.
Harry, together with his ex-wife Eleanor Wish, trace Maddie to a hotel through the video message he received from the kidnappers.
Upon bursting into the hotel room they find that she is gone but has been blood-typed, a sign that the Chinese were thinking of using her for their illegal organ racket.
After a gunfight at the hotel Bosch follows up on one of Maddie's friends, Quick, and through his phone records is eventually able to locate her in the trunk of a car.
With his ex-wife killed during the shootout Bosch takes his daughter back with him to LA.
Meanwhile, following the furor created by Bosch in Hong Kong the police come looking for an extradition order for Bosch to face charges back in Hong Kong.
After threatening the police that he would reveal how American citizens are not cared for in Hong Kong they leave without charging him.
In the meantime Bosch continues to trace the killer of the liquor store owner, slowly uncovering evidence which eventually points him towards the guilty party.
The book concludes with a startling revelation regarding Harry's daughter's kidnapping.
This was classic Connelly, fast paced, intriguing and Bosch's character well depicted throughout.
The combination of the detective trying to chase down criminals while at the same time having to juggle his personal affairs makes this into a pulsating and gripping read.
The story describes how Detective Bosch, while hunting down a killer, finds himself under the scrutiny of a Chinese triad who then kidnap his daughter in retaliation.
Bosch is summoned to a liquor store where the owner has been murdered.
His wife and children do not speak English but Bosch, after watching the security tapes, deduces that the murder occurred around the time when the owner, Mr.
Li, made a weekly payoff of 200 plus dollars to a triad.
Bosch succeeds in arresting the man who met with Li every week just as he was about to escape the country and arranges to keep him until Monday while he retrieves evidence from the bullet casings left at the scene.
At this point, however, Bosch discovers that the triad has kidnapped his daughter, Maddie, who lives in Hong Kong, and while there are no demands specified, Bosch hurries over to Hong Kong to try to rescue her.
Harry, together with his ex-wife Eleanor Wish, trace Maddie to a hotel through the video message he received from the kidnappers.
Upon bursting into the hotel room they find that she is gone but has been blood-typed, a sign that the Chinese were thinking of using her for their illegal organ racket.
After a gunfight at the hotel Bosch follows up on one of Maddie's friends, Quick, and through his phone records is eventually able to locate her in the trunk of a car.
With his ex-wife killed during the shootout Bosch takes his daughter back with him to LA.
Meanwhile, following the furor created by Bosch in Hong Kong the police come looking for an extradition order for Bosch to face charges back in Hong Kong.
After threatening the police that he would reveal how American citizens are not cared for in Hong Kong they leave without charging him.
In the meantime Bosch continues to trace the killer of the liquor store owner, slowly uncovering evidence which eventually points him towards the guilty party.
The book concludes with a startling revelation regarding Harry's daughter's kidnapping.
This was classic Connelly, fast paced, intriguing and Bosch's character well depicted throughout.
The combination of the detective trying to chase down criminals while at the same time having to juggle his personal affairs makes this into a pulsating and gripping read.
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