Former Los Angeles crime reporter Michael Connelly’s ninth installment in his Edgar Award-winning Harry Bosch series is one of the best works of fiction in this talented writer’s career. In Lost Light, Connelly scores on all levels with this one. Retired detective Harry Bosch is still bothered by the four-year-old unsolved murder (a case he worked on for a few days before getting pulled off) of Angela Benton, a case associated with a two million dollar heist off a movie set. The book opens with Harry, now without the power of the badge, interviewing the film’s producer, Alexander Taylor. It is but the beginning of a labyrinthine plot Harry uncovers and unwinds to figure out the truth. Not long after leaving the Taylor interview, Kiz Ryder visits Bosch, and she tells him to stop investigating the case.

This puzzles Bosch, but Ryder doesn’t elaborate any further. After the warning, Bosch visits another detective who worked the case, Lawton Cross, and gets some key information that really gets the story motoring. The plot to steal the two million dollars starts to seem like it was planned in advance, and Bosch follows the trail from Benton’s body to the stolen money to a missing FBI computer expert. The story gets more complex when Bosch’s search leads him to the Department of Homeland Security.

The ending is as action-packed and emotional as any of Connelly’s previous books. The characters are deeply rendered, and the plot has nary a dull moment. Len Cariou’s performance is absolutely astounding. He really brings Connelly’s characters to life in this audio production. In particular, his work with the Lawton Cross character was fantastic. Overall, Lost Light is a high-water mark in Connelly’s career. A top-notch police procedural, thriller, and mystery all wrapped into one. Lost Light delivers the goods from start to finish and everywhere in between.