Then a chance traffic stop by a couple of cops in the Echo Park area nets Raynard Waits, a man with bags of body parts stowed in the back of his van. Waits confesses to several murders, and one of those is Marie Gesto. In Harry’s mind there’s something about the serial killer that just doesn’t seem to fit the Gesto disappearance, but now the case is part of a much larger investigation and Bosch’s role is effectively diminished to that of a consultant. He calls on his former lover Rachel Walling, FBI agent and profiler, to help him see the whole picture.

The investigation takes on a political flavor when prosecutor and District Attorney candidate Richard (Ricochet) O’Shea wants to showcase his abilities by solving a long string of murders. It seems that O’Shea has struck a plea bargain deal with Raynard Waits that will save the defendant from the death penalty. Harry doesn’t buy the whole story and Waits’ attorney claims that he will prove it by having Waits lead the police to Marie Gesto’s gravesite. When the entourage arrives at the location of the alleged grave, things go a little crazy, and Waits gains the upper hand and gets away after killing a couple of cops.

In spite of all the evidence to the contrary, Bosch continues to pursue his original theory on who the likely perpetrator is, but now an escaped murderer has made things far more troublesome.

Once again Connelly has hatched a complicated but somehow believable plot to test the skill and tenacity of Harry Bosch. The story has just the right mix of honest but flawed cops, dishonest cops, lost love, ambitious and careless politicians, crafty villains, and murderous madmen. The story is a masterful mix of analytical logic and warp speed action. In the end Bosch is battered and bruised but he stands tall.