What I've been up to lately

Some of you may have been wondering why I've been a bit quiet on here and on Twitter lately.  Well , I've been working nights in a supermarket doing replenishment (Tesco speak for shelf stacking) After that it's straight to the gym  (where I'm writing this) and then  home to sleep.
So I haven't found a great deal of time to read or do much of anything apart from sleep  I did manage to finish a Young Bond book though  (spoiler it was bloody good) and I'm halfway through the new Reacher book, also very good. Reviews of those in the new year. As well as a roundup of what I've read in 2016 , which will be split into three parts Kindle,audio and good old physical books.

So if you were wondering where I've been you know now, I finish work on Friday so I'll have some time to read and live my life again . I promise I'll be more active after Christmas and in the new year.

Book Review : The Black Echo By Michael Connelly

The Black Echo is the first in Michael Connelly's Harry bosch series. Its also the second one I've read after the mild disappointment that was The Burning Room. But as I said when I reviewed that book , one disappointment is not enough to put me off an author or a series altogether. So i bought a few more Bosch novels and picked The Black Echo out of the pile at random.

PLOT (  Copied and pasted form Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49343.The_Black_Echo) 

For LAPD homicide cop Harry Bosch -- hero, maverick, nighthawk -- the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal.

The dead man, Billy Meadows, was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who fought side by side with him in a nightmare underground war that brought them to the depths of hell. Now, Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city to the tortuous link that must be uncovered, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit.

Joining with an enigmatic and seductive female FBI agent, pitted against enemies inside his own department, Bosch must make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, as he tracks down a killer whose true face will shock him. 

Now I'm going to be honest here. I enjoyed the black echo very much , more so than the burning room . It's an enjoyable police procedural with plenty of tension and a great twist . You can think of Bosch as an American equivalent of Peter Robinson's DCI Alan Banks (crossover anyone?)

The Good bits: 

1: Harry Bosch 

2.Detailed and knowledgeable descriptions of the Vietnam war and the "Tunnel Rats" , neither of which i knew much about.

3. A  complicated if slighlty unbelievable crime 

4. Getting to read about technology that would now be considered hilariously outdated

5.The scene where Bosch handcuffs two fellow cops to a tree

6. Bosch knew the Murder victim Billy Meadows and immediatley felt a sense of duty to find his killer (or killers)

The not so good bits :

1. The book seemed about 50 pages longer than it needed to be

2. some bits seem a bit oudated , mind you i guess that's part of reading old books 

Verdict : 

I enjoyed the Black Echo Very much and would definatley recommend it .