Sequels are all about expectations fulfilled: The Narrows is at once a new novel about Michael Connolly's series hero Harry Bosch, cop turned private eye, and a sequel to The Poet, his most highly regarded stand-alone thriller. Harry is investigating the death of Terry McCaleb--the former FBI man who dominated in Blood Work; Rachel Walling has been recalled from administrative exile when the Poet, her former boss Backus, starts killing again and sending taunts intended for her and McCaleb (who he also trained). Connolly is very good on the psychology of investigation and on the essential voyeurism involved in contemplating someone else's mental processes. This is a book with a strong sense of place--Connolly can find menace anywhere from the desert of Nevada to the half-hidden dangerous LA river that gives the book its evocative title. If the book has a weakness, it is in the personal interactions of the two detectives--both Harry and Rachel act according to scripts we know well from previous adventures. Nevertheless, The Narrows is one of America's major thriller writers at the top of his game.--Roz Kaveney
