Nine Dragons

Written by Richard Powers

Narrated by Len Cariou

LAPD Detective Harry Bosch is off the chain in the fastest, fiercest, and highest-stakes case of his life.
Fortune Liquors is a small shop in a tough South L.A. neighborhood, a store Bosch has known for years. The murder of John Li, the store's owner, hits Bosch hard, and he promises Li's family that he'll find the killer.
The world Bosch steps into next is unknown territory. He brings in a detective from the Asian Gang Unit for help with translation--not just of languages but also of the cultural norms and expectations that guided Li's life. He uncovers a link to a Hong Kong triad, a lethal and far-reaching crime ring that follows many immigrants to their new lives in the U.S.
And instantly his world explodes. The one good thing in Bosch's life, the person he holds most dear, is taken from him and Bosch travels to Hong Kong in an all-or-nothing bid to regain what he's lost. In a place known as Nine Dragons, as the city's Hungry Ghosts festival burns around him, Bosch puts aside everything he knows and risks everything he has in a desperate bid to outmatch the triad's ferocity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9781600247446

Richard Powers

Michael Connelly is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. His books have been translated into 36 languages and have won many awards. He lives with his family in Florida.

Reviews for Nine Dragons

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this book which was narrated by Len Cariou. I love Cariou as Harry Bosch's voice but I have to say that his rendition of women is not very good. Both Harry's ex-wife, Eleanor Wish, and Harry's daughter, Maddie, come off sounding whiny. Other than that criticism, I felt this was a really good addition to the Harry Bosch series.Harry and his partner are assigned to investigate the murder of a liquor store owner. It initially looks like the victim might have been killed by the triad gang to whom he paid protection money. Harry realizes that he met the victim some years ago during the LA riots and he is determined to find his murderer. The investigation focuses on a gang member who had made the collections. Once they focus on him he tries to flee the jurisdiction and so Harry is convinced he is guilty. He arrests the triad member and then tries to find some evidence to make the charges stick. The murder victim had swallowed one of the bullet casings and the lab tech thinks that they can use a new technique to see if there are fingerprints on it. Harry is hopeful but then his world falls apart. He gets a phone call from his daughter's phone that shows her tied up. Her daughter and his ex-wife live in Hong Kong so Harry takes a direct flight from LA to Hong Kong to find her. He thinks he can use the video footage to pinpoint the place where she was held and he does. However she is no longer there and when Harry and Eleanor leave the room they are ambushed by robbers. In the ensuing gun fight Eleanor is killed. Eleanor's body guard (and lover) Sun Yee teams up with Harry to find Maddie. Harry is convinced that the triads are responsible for Maddie's kidnapping to prevent him from pursuing the case in LA. When the dust settles that proves not to be the case but it would spoil the book to reveal more than that. Harry as the father of a teenage daughter is a new role and we'll have to see how that plays out in later books.

[eyejaybee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In his previous homicide investigations Bosch has encountered some of the hundred (perhaps thousands) of gangs that operate in Los Angeles, but the murder of John Li, a Chinese-American owner of a convenience store, brings him into contact with the Triads for the first time.Li is shot in his own store one evening, and after uniformed cops have attended the scene, Bosch and his partner, Ignacio Ferras, are called out from the Homicide Unit to take over. There are initially very few clues available, and although there had been a security camera in place, the assailant has been sufficiently composed after the murder to remove the recording. Bosch does, however, uncover one unusual feature- before he died, John Li had picked up one of the shells from the shooting, and had put it in his mouth. Bosch and Ferras initially struggle to make headway until Bosch discovers that Li had separated out the DVD recordings from the security camera for two previous days. Study of these suggests that Li was making a regular pay-off to someone who arrived at the same time each week, which match the time in which he had been shot. Bosch suspects that this might represent a protection payment to a Triad gang, and liaises with the specialist unit run by LAPD to deal with such crimes. With their help, the man collecting the previous payments is identified and arrested.Out of the blue, Bosch then receives a message from his daughter who lives in Hong Kong with Eleanor, his ex-wife, or at least from her phone – it is a picture showing her tied up and gagged. Convinced that Triad connections have targeted her in order to force his compliance, he flies over to Hong Kong to try to find her. Thousands of miles from his home turf, and distraught with fear over his daughter’s fate, Bosch enters a wholly different world, with devastating consequences.As ever with the Bosch novels, the story surges along with a compelling plot and very plausible characters. Perhaps not the strongest instalment of the canon, this is still an impressive and gripping novel.

[hatpin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Weak and disappointing from Connelly. He seems to have decided to drastically change his detective's living situation and has bent the plot around that instead of writing a decent book. Implausible happenings exacerbated by the info-dumps about Hong Kong, where he is keen to let the reader know that he did his research.

[lauren2013_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nine Dragons
3 Stars

While investigating a routine homicide with apparent ties to the Chinese Triads, Detective Harry Bosch finds the case hitting a little too close to home when he receives threats and his daughter, Maddie, is kidnapped in Hong Kong. Will Harry be able to find her in time?

Harry Bosch is definitely my favorite of all Connolly's protagonists. Nevertheless, his portrayal in this installment leaves much to be desired, and it might be that the series has passed its prime.

Harry's characterization is a huge big mess. He turns from being an intelligent, thoughtful and sensitive man into a rash, racist and boorish thug. He seems to care little for those around him, and barely bats an eye when two people close to him are killed.

In terms of the plot, the murder case is initially very intriguing, but veers off in illogical and unrealistic directions before it gets back on track. The twist at the end was not all that surprising and is easy to figure out once Harry recovers from his John McClane/Die Hard impersonation in Hong Kong.

All in all, this book is not up to Connelly's standards as the focus on the action overshadows the plotting and character development. Hopefully the next one will be better.

[addunn3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Harry ends up in Hong Kong to track down his daughter. OK, Harry and the author should have stayed in LA - the move to HK messed up my reality meter!

[csdaley-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I still liked this book but it was a little improbable. It stretched me to my outer most belief system. Usually Bosch books don't do this. They are very grounded in detective work. Plus, I hated the ending (last chapter). I hope the next book bounces back.

[dorie.craig · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harry Bosch is back, investigating the murder of a liquor store owner. The investigation points to a member of a Hong Kong triad. When an arrest is made, Harry receives a video on his cell phone of his daughter, who lives in Hong Kong with her mother. The video makes it clear Maddie has been kidnapped, and Harry is told to back off the investigation. Harry calls his ex-wife Eleanor and flies to Hong Kong to rescue his daughter.

Michael Connelly's books are always page-turners and I enjoyed this one. However, there are a couple of coincidences in this book that strained credulity. The book felt more like a transition story, since there are large events that impact Harry, and will change the course of the series. But overall the pace was consistent enough to keep me reading. I enjoyed the cameo by Mickey Haller and the nod to Jack McEvoy.

[raizel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I very nearly guessed whodunit this time. Bosch once again is responsible for the deaths of multiple characters as he tries to solve a murder and kidnapping. He continues to act, frequently violently, without pausing to think about what he is doing. Isn't a character in a series allowed to grow? Or does the audience dwindle if it doesn't get what it expects every time? I'd like to think that Michael Connelly readers are better than that.

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After a Chinese-American store owner is murdered, Bosch becomes educated in the world of Asian gangs and and the far-reaching influence of triads. It all becomes personal when his 13 year old daughter is kidnaped from a mall in Hong Kong, and Harry goes there immediately to find her. The consequences of everyone's actions are unexpected and tragic.

[krushkelsey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

this was pretty good. although the main character annoyed me quite a bit. just didn't like his personality. also the way the author worked in the relevant information was a bit inconsistant with the character and quite amatuerish. still an enjoyable read and a bit of twist here and there. a bit of unexpected. a cop book and bosch is a regular character.

[emigre_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gritty book, can't believe the author's decisions for some scenes.

[debavp · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well, I certainly didn't see THAT coming. Without a doubt this was the most uncomfortable of Connelly's books that I've read to date, and I don't mean that in a bad way. A little disappointed that he didn't take the time to go little deeper and darker into the horrible situation Bosch found himself. Harry's very human, or maybe mortal is a better choice, in this work. But his vast and varied experiences in both Vietnam and Homicide prepared him well for the case of his life. While my main complaint would be the story timeline was just too unrealistic, it did speed the story along with an urgency and desperation that could be believed. The potential two new relationships that come up at the end make for interesting thought. I hope Connelly gives rise to both and let Harry maybe find a little happiness for a change.

[edwardsgt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cracking Harry Bosch story, with Harry zeroing on a liquor store killing that bears the hallmarks of a Triad killing and leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake as he ruthlessly pursues the perpetrators and drags in his ex-wife Eleanor Wish now living in Hong Kong with their daughter Maddie. Relentless pace with several unexpected plot twists before all is revealed. Make sure you have time to read this in a few sessions as you'll be hooked!

[raaurora · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Michael Connelly is one of my favorite authors, but this could be the worst book he has ever written. The issues with his ex and his daughter felt forced, his half brother drops into the story out of nowhere and then is gone just as abruptly, jetting back and forth between California and the Pac Rim. It felt like a quilt that was badly put together - the pieces just don't fit with each other.

[phoenixcomet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Typical Harry Bosch novel: irritating detective gets involved in a case in LA where a local grocer is shot which ultimately leads him to having to rescue his daughter in Hong Kong from slave traders. Plot was engaging; the story moved and it had some good twists and turns to it.

[rdurant1217 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For a markedly gentler, more introspective Harry Bosch, he sure knows how to keep the action going. A solid novel, and although it feels like Harry is getting older he is definitely growing as a character - and not growing in a bad way. Michael Connelly is evolving this character as he needs to be evolved and this is a definite step that needed to happen for this series to continue. The addition of his daughter as a (potentially?) future regular in this series is a good addition as well.Solidly written, fast-paced, a good read.

[penforhire · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Detective Bosch still has some spring in his step. Maybe one of my few complaints, too fast on his feet. He's getting a bit old and it should show more effect on him than creaky joints when assembling furniture.Connelly's writing aged better. His prose is easy, clear, and inoffensive. This book doesn't have so much of the Los Angeles flavor we expect from the series but he makes up for that with a whirlwind tour of parts of Hong Kong.The story has enough twists and turns to please. Without spoiling anything, Connelly knows how to go all-in with his characters and create the belief that anything can happen. The police work was a bit jerky but most of that is intentional.I found this book enjoyable and a must-read for a fan of the series, just not the very best of the series.

[golding_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harry Bosch is an old detective friend. He gets older, like us, but never loses his skills. This time his daughter is kidnapped and off to Asia harry goes to rescue her.

[joemmama · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another entry in the Harry Bosch seres finds Harry investigating the murder of an Asian shop owner. He suspects a Triad connection, but his attention is diverted by the kidnapping of his daughter, and Harry is off to Hong Kong. Harry is a hard boiled detective, old school, but he gets the job done. It was interesting to see Harry out of his element, but Connelly manages to keep the pace up and keeps us on our toes.

[spvaughan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read well by Len Carion, unabridged (of course)! Won by Me!Harry is a cop. A Chinese shopkeeper has been murdered. Was it a member of the Tong or someone else? How is this going to involved his daughter and her mother in China? Is there a leak in the cop house? Who can Harry trust? The answers will come as Harry 'globe trots'! The action and pace are fast and furious! 'Just the kind of book I like!O, this is another of Hachette Audio books.. I like what they do!

[lb121100 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

i am a big fan of Michael Connelly and this book was not a disappointment. Harry Bosch is the main character in Connelly's books and he makes him complex with each story. In this story a Chinese liguor store owner is murdered and Harry remembers the guy from an earlier encounter and wants to help out. But then his daughter is kidnapped in Hong Kong so Harry goes there to investigate. This is where the very suspenseful and exciting story begins. It is a good read and once again you will enjoy Connelly's tightly woven story.

[cmwilson101 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good detective story, with the detective in question being Harry Bosch. Harry is a stubborn, smart, old school police detective who solves crimes with good solid detective work. This story (the 15th in the series) revolves around the kidnapping of Harry's daughter as he is solving the murder of the Chinese owner of a liquor store which Harry sometimes frequents. An unpredictable, believable plot with lots of twists and turns made this book a pleasure to read.

[librarygeek33 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was my second Michael Connelly book. I probably would have liked this better if I hadn't (unfairly) been comparing it to "Scarecrow." I wasn't compelled to race for another Harry Bosch book but, in general, it was a perfectly adequate and entertaining gumshoe novel.

[bohemiangirl35 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book grabbed me and held my attention to the end! I haven't read the entire Harry Bosch series, but I love the character. I like that his daughter will have a bigger role in future novels. I think that will allow for more character development for Harry. He won't be all about the job from now on...he'll have to get a personal life! I was shocked by some of the developments, but I won't spoil it for people who haven't read the book.

[bookappeal · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

LA police detective Harry Bosch works the case of a murdered Chinese convenience store owner. Security camera footage and help from Asian Gang Unit Detective Chu lead him to the Triad, an extortion gang rooted in ancient Chinese tradition. But as Harry closes in, he receives a threat to back off and a video email attachment from his daughter, apparently kidnapped in Hong Kong where she lives with Harry's ex-wife (and forever love) Eleanor. In Hong Kong, Harry frantically pieces together clues with the help of Eleanor and her new man to locate Maddy, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Back in the states, Harry must deal with the guilt of mistakes made.Fast-paced and cleverly plotted. Contains significant police procedure detail - an odd combination of new and relatively old (cell phone) technology. The audio narration by Len Cariou is too labored for the pace of the book but does reflect Harry's old-school style. The book's appeal lies in the intricate story and Harry's new role as the father of a teenage daughter.

[eael_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable. I loved the twists in the plot. It held my interest right up to the final chapter.

[laurierking · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harry Bosch is in trouble, although there's nothing new about that. But this time, Harry's young daughter is in trouble, too, all the way in Hong Kong.

[evilynj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Harry Bosch is assigned to investigate the murder of a liquor store owner who was paying protection money to a Chinese Triad gang. Harry is not sure he can trust the Chinese-speaking detective he partners with when information regarding the case appears to be leaked. Then he receives a video phone clip from Hong Kong where his 13-year-old daughter Maddie lives showing her being held hostage and telling him to back off the investigation. Fourteenth in the series. As always, Harry is resourceful, personable, and continues to grow as a character. Highly recommend the series.

[kathy89_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one is a page turner. Starts out with Harry Boesch investigating a burglary/homicide of at a liquor store. Harry believes an Asian Mafia called the Triad is behind it. Harry is working with a new partner, an Asian, who he doesn't know whether he can trust. Then Harry's daughter is kidnapped in China where she lives with her mother. Harry goes there to find his daughter and is in way over his head there. He's still out of his element when he bring her back home and starts being a parent.

[dspoon_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fortune Liquors is a small shop in a tough South L.A. neighborhood, a store Bosch has known for years. The murder of John Li, the store's owner, hits Bosch hard, and he promises Li's family that he'll find the killer.The world Bosch steps into next is unknown territory. He brings in a detective from the Asian Gang Unit for help with translation--not just of languages but also of the cultural norms and expectations that guided Li's life. He uncovers a link to a Hong Kong triad, a lethal and far-reaching crime ring that follows many immigrants to their new lives in the U.S.And instantly his world explodes. The one good thing in Bosch's life, the person he holds most dear, is taken from him and Bosch travels to Hong Kong in an all-or-nothing bid to regain what he's lost. In a place known as Nine Dragons, as the city's Hungry Ghosts festival burns around him, Bosch puts aside everything he knows and risks everything he has in a desperate bid to outmatch the triad's ferocity.