Bosch is one of the most critically acclaimed police procedural dramas of recent years. Bosch ended in 2021 after seven seasons but quickly returned with a sequel series, Bosch: Legacy. The Amazon Prime series is an adaptation of the Michael Connelly book series and follows Detective Harry Bosch, an LAPD detective who follows his own rules but always brings in the bad guy. Michael Connelly is a prolific author with almost forty novels published. His novels also feature other characters besides Harry Bosch, including Connelly’s Renée Ballard series and The Lincoln Lawyer book series, starring lawyer Mickey Haller.
Bosch and Bosch: Legacy take inspiration from many of Michael Connelly’s novels for each season. However, the TV series and the books don’t follow the same order. Bosch and Bosch: Legacy adapt bits and pieces from several books at the same time, creating an intricate and captivating narrative. Some of the books used for Bosch and Bosch: Legacy also feature characters like Renée Ballard and Mickey Haller, even though these characters don’t appear on-screen. Yet for those who want to follow Harry Bosch’s story as it was originally introduced or just want to dive further into Bosch’s world and character, the multiple Michael Connelly novels provide ample material. There are over twenty-five Harry Bosch novels, including the ones where he teams up with Renée Ballard or Mickey Haller. But, how should fans read the Bosch book series in order?
1 The Black Echo Is Where Everything Began
First Published in 1992
- The Black Echo was Michael Connelly’s debut novel.
- This novel won an Edgar Award for “Best First Novel.”
The Black Echo is the first book in the Bosch book series and follows Harry Bosch and Jerry Edgar as they investigate the murder of Billy Meadows, an army veteran that Harry met during his time in Vietnam. Many believed at first that Meadows’ death was just a simple overdose, as he was struggling with drug addiction. However, Harry believes there’s more to Meadows’ death, and the LAPD detective soon finds a connection between Meadows and a bank robbery that proves Harry might be right after all.
The Black Echo is where Harry Bosch and Eleanor Wish meet for the first time. Eleanor Wish is an FBI profiler who later becomes Harry Bosch’s wife and Maddie Bosch’s mother. As Harry continues to investigate Billy Meadows’ case, he must join forces with the FBI. The Black Echo is used for inspiration for the main case of Bosch Season 3. Harry also tells part of the story of The Black Echo to Maddie in Bosch: Legacy. Eleanor Wish appears in Bosch, portrayed by 24‘s Sarah Clarke.
2 The Black Ice Sees a Crime Happen on Christmas
First Published in 1993
- The Black Ice was almost adapted into a movie in the ’90s, with hopes of starring John Travolta as Harry Bosch.
The Black Ice is the second book in the Harry Bosch book series and follows the investigation into the death of a narcotics officer that was originally ruled as a suicide. But Harry Bosch has his doubts, and he begins his own investigation. This leads to Harry getting involved with dangerous drug cartels, putting his own life on the line.
Harry quickly finds a connection between the officer’s death and a string of murders around Hollywood Boulevard’s drug bazaar. The Black Ice takes its title from the fictional drug “black ice” that Michael Connelly created for the story. So far, The Black Ice hasn’t been used for inspiration in any season of Bosch or Bosch: Legacy.
3 The Concrete Blonde Explains How Bosch Was Transferred from RHD
First Published in 1994
- Michael Connelly drew inspiration for The Concrete Blonde by reading a book about actual crime cases written by forensic professionals.
The Concrete Blonde is the third book in the Harry Bosch book series and gives more background into how Harry Bosch was transferred from RHD to Hollywood Homicide. In The Black Echo, Harry is already working in Homicide, and his exit from RHD is mentioned multiple times. The Concrete Blonde sheds light on the case of “The Dollmaker,” a serial killer mentioned in previous novels.
Harry is put under investigation for a questionable shooting of a suspect during the case of “The Dollmaker.” However, as detectives find enough evidence that the victim is the real “Dollmaker,” Harry is cleared by Internal Affairs. In The Concrete Blonde, the widow of the suspect Harry shot sues him four years later, claiming her husband was innocent. At the same time, an apparent copycat killer puts Harry’s investigation into question. The Concrete Blonde is part of the inspiration behind the first season of Bosch.
4 The Last Coyote Sees Harry Investigating His Mother’s Murder
First Published in 1995
- The Last Coyote won the Dilys Award in 1996.
The Last Coyote is the fourth book in the series and follows Harry as he investigates a very personal case: the unsolved murder of his own mother. Harry’s mother was a prostitute who died when Harry was only eleven years old. Thirty years later, Harry realizes there’s more to the story and believes a big cover-up took place.
The Last Coyote sees Harry deal with his own grief and unresolved issues after assaulting a fellow officer, which results in Harry being suspended. He must talk to a police psychologist in order to be reinstated, and uses his time on involuntary leave to bring closure to his mother, and to himself. The murder of Harry’s mother is something that haunts Harry and is mentioned many times in Bosch, and The Last Coyote is part of the inspiration for Bosch Season 2 and Season 4.
5 Trunk Music Sends Harry Bosch to Las Vegas
First Published in 1997
- Trunk Music introduces another recurring character in Michael Connelly’s novels, FBI agent Roy Lindell.
- Scream’s Matthew Lillard plays a version of FBI agent Roy Lindell in Bosch, called Luke Goshen. “Lucky” Goshen is the alias Roy Lindell uses in the novel when working undercover.
Harry returns to the LAPD after his involuntary leave in Trunk Music, the fifth novel in the Harry Bosch book series. The title of the book is in reference to a type of Mafia hit known as “trunk music,” where they leave a body in the trunk of a car. In this case, the body found in the trunk of a Rolls-Royce is that of a Hollywood producer.
Trunk Music takes Harry to Las Vegas as he continues to investigate the death of the producer and his ties with the Mafia. Eleanor Wish is also part of this novel. Bosch Season 2 uses Trunk Music as the inspiration for the main case of the season.
6 Angels Flight Sees Bosch Investigating His Fellow Detectives
First Published in 1999
- Angels Flight also features Eleanor Wish and Roy Lindell.
Angels Flight is the sixth book in the series and deals with the murder of a prominent attorney named Howard Elias. Elias had a reputation for representing minorities in cases against the LAPD, mostly against detectives from RHD. This makes the LAPD detectives the main suspects in Elias’ murder, and Harry Bosch must investigate his own.
Angels Flight is named after the funicular railway in downtown Los Angeles where Howard Elias was killed. Angels Flight is the main inspiration behind Bosch Season 4. However, Bosch drastically changes the ending of the novel and connects that case with that of The Last Coyote.
7 A Darkness More Than Night Makes Harry a Suspect
First Published in 2001
- A Darkness More Than Night features other characters from Connelly’s novels, FBI profiler Terry McCaleb and crime reporter Jack McEvoy.
- Jack McEvoy is the main character in the novel The Poet.
- Blood Work was adapted into a movie of the same name, with Clint Eastwood in the role of the FBI agent.
A Darkness More Than Night is the seventh book in the series, and the second in the Terry McCaleb book series. Terry McCaleb is an FBI profiler who gets involved in the murder of a criminal named Edward Gunn, as the main suspect seems to be none other than Harry Bosch. Meanwhile, Harry is working on a case against a famous Hollywood movie director, accused of murdering an actress.
A Darkness More Than Night brings together two of Michael Connelly’s main characters. Terry McCaleb was first introduced as the main character in the novel Blood Work. Bosch Season 3 adapts most of the story of A Darkness More Than Night. However, Terry McCaleb isn’t a character in Bosch, and instead, Jerry Edgar takes on his role in the series.
8 City of Bones Deals With a Twenty-Year-Old Murder
First Published in 2002
- The New York Times named City of Bones a Notable Book of the Year.
City of Bones is the eighth book in the series and follows Harry’s investigation into a twenty-year-old murder. On New Year’s Day, Harry gets a call that a dog has found a bone in Laurel Canyon, which appears to be human. The investigation leads to a cold case that drags up memories of Harry’s own childhood as an orphan after his mother’s death. The investigation and events of the story make him take a drastic decision by the end.
City of Bones is the inspiration for the main case in Bosch Season 1. Bosch follows the same investigation, but the series connects the case to another Bosch novel, Echo Park. In City of Bones, Harry gets involved with a rookie cop named Julia Brasher. Brasher is played by the late Annie Wersching in Bosch.
9 Lost Light Is the First Novel that Sees Bosch Working As a PI
First Published in 2003
- Lost Light is the first novel in the Bosch series to use first-person narration.
After the events of City of Bones, Harry begins working as a Private Investigator in Lost Light, the ninth book in the series. Before leaving the LAPD, Harry took a file with him, the murder of a production assistant. This is the case that Harry works on as a PI, which leads him to Eleanor Wish one more time. Only now, Eleanor doesn’t work for the FBI anymore and, instead, is a professional poker player.
Lost Light deals with a post-9/11 LAPD, and the murder of the production assistant is forgotten in favor of a bigger investigation of a terrorist threat. Harry, however, thinks there’s more to this murder and decides to work the case. Lost Light is where Harry finds out he has a daughter with Eleanor, Maddie.
10 The Narrows Sees Harry Investigating the Murder of an Old Colleague
First Published in 2004
- The Narrows is one of Michael Connelly’s novels that brings together multiple characters from his different book series, including Terry McCaleb, Eleanor Wish, and Rachel Walling.
- Rachel Walling was first introduced as one of the main characters in The Poet.
- The Narrows is the second book in Bosch’s series to be narrated in first person.
The Narrows is the tenth book in the Harry Bosch series and a direct sequel to The Poet, a Michael Connelly book released in 1996. The Poet doesn’t feature Harry Bosch, having reporter Jack McEvoy as the main character instead. However, this time Bosch is involved, as the criminal known as the Poet seems to have returned and has apparently taken the life of someone he knew.
The Narrows is a book that ties-in The Poet and Blood Work, two novels that don’t feature Harry Bosch, as well as A Darkness More Than Night. Reading The Poet and Blood Work before The Narrows will give more context to the story, even if those novels don’t feature Harry Bosch. Michael Connelly usually brings together characters from different novels, and The Narrows is the perfect example. The Poet was released after The Last Coyote, while Blood Work was published after Trunk Music.
11 The Closers Is Where Bosch Returns to the LAPD
First Published in 2005
- The Closers marks a return to the third-person narrative after Lost Light and The Narrows.
After leaving the LAPD in City of Bones, Harry returns to work as an LAPD detective again in The Closers, the eleventh book in the series. The Closers sees Harry join the Open-Unsolved Unit of the LAPD, where he works on multiple cold cases. In this novel, the main case is that of the murder of Rebecca Verloren, a sixteen-year-old girl of mixed race.
The case seems connected to a white supremacist, and the sensitive nature of the case puts even more pressure on Harry. The Closers also sees Deputy Chief Irving hoping for Harry’s downfall after the many changes the LAPD went through. The Closers hasn’t been used as inspiration behind Bosch or Bosch: Legacy, yet.
12 Echo Park Introduces Serial Killer Raynard Waits
First Published in 2006
- Echo Park was published after The Lincoln Lawyer, the first novel in the Lincoln Lawyer series featuring defense attorney Mickey Haller.
- The Lincoln Lawyer doesn’t feature Harry Bosch, but Mickey Haller and Harry share a connection and appear together in other novels.
Echo Park is the twelfth novel in the Harry Bosch book series. In Echo Park, Harry continues to work in the Open-Unsolved Unit of the LAPD and works on an unsolved case he investigated many years ago, the disappearance of Marie Gesto. The DA’s office claims there’s a new lead about Gesto’s case, but Harry is skeptical.
Echo Park introduces serial killer Raynard Waits, one of the darkest villains of Bosch Season 1. Most of the storyline of Echo Park is featured in the first season of Bosch, used in connection with the events of City of Bones.
13 The Overlook Sees Harry Investigating a Possible Terrorist Threat
First Published in 2007
- The Overlook was first published in a serialized format in The New York Times Magazine.
The Overlook is the thirteenth book in the series and follows Harry as he gets involved in a possible terrorist threat. This time, Harry isn’t working for the Open-Unsolved Unit of the LAPD but for the Homicide squad. In this novel, Harry investigates the murder of Stanley Kent, a medical physicist with access to a dangerous radioactive substance.
While the FBI tries to take over the investigation due to the terrorist threat, Harry works the case regardless. FBI agent Rachel Walling, a recurring character in Michael Connelly’s novels, tries to stop Harry from getting involved. The Overlook is the basis for Bosch Season 6, though Rachel Walling isn’t a part of the TV series.
14 The Brass Verdict Features Harry Bosch
First Published in 2008
- Since The Lincoln Lawyer and Bosch are from different networks, the connection between Harry and Mickey isn’t mentioned in either series.
- Most of Harry Bosch’s role in The Brass Verdict is taken over by Mickey’s friend and investigator, Cisco Wojciechowski, in The Lincoln Lawyer.
The Brass Verdict is the second book in the Lincoln Lawyer book series, and this book also features Detective Harry Bosch in a prominent role. The Brass Verdict follows defense attorney Mickey Haller as he takes over the trial of Walter Elliot after Elliot’s original attorney, Jerry Vincent, is murdered. The Brass Verdict is the basis for the first season of Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer.
The Brass Verdict is mainly a Lincoln Lawyer book. However, Harry Bosch features in the novel as he investigates the murder of attorney Jerry Vincent. Bosch and Haller work together, even though at first, Mickey Haller doesn’t know about his connection to Harry Bosch. The Brass Verdict isn’t usually mentioned within the Harry Bosch book series, but his prominent role in the novel makes the book worth reading.
15 Nine Dragons Puts Harry’s Family in Danger
First Published in 2009
- Nine Dragons also features Mickey Haller from The Lincoln Lawyer.
Nine Dragons, also known as 9 Dragons, is officially the fourteenth book in the Harry Bosch book series. This novel sees Harry investigating the murder of the owner of a liquor store, a Chinese-American man. Harry works with the LAPD’s Asian Crime Unit and connects the murder to a member of the Hong Kong triad. However, before he can investigate any further, Maddie is kidnapped.
Maddie Bosch has been living with Eleanor Wish in Hong Kong for some time. Nine Dragons take Harry to Hong Kong to save his daughter, and he believes Maddie’s kidnapping could be connected to the murder of the liquor store owner. Some elements of Nine Dragons are featured in Bosch Season 4.
16 The Reversal Features Harry Working for the Prosecution
First Published in 2010
- The Reversal is officially the third book in The Lincoln Lawyer series, as Nine Dragons aren’t counted as part of the Lincoln Lawyer book series.
Officially a book within The Lincoln Lawyer series, The Reversal follows defense attorney Mickey Haller changing sides. Haller works as a prosecutor in this novel, and he takes the position only if LAPD Detective Harry Bosch can work with him to investigate the case.
The Reversal is the third time Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch worked together, the first being The Brass Verdict and the second one being Nine Dragons. The Reversal follows as they try to prove that a suspect, who was cleared due to new DNA evidence, is, in fact, guilty.
17 The Drop Follows Bosch As he Investigates a Cold Case from 1989
First Published in 2011
- The Drop was the second book by Michael Connelly released in the same year, the first being The Lincoln Lawyer’s The Fifth Witness.
The Drop is officially the fifteenth book in the Harry Bosch book series. This book sees Harry juggling two major investigations: a cold case from 1989, and the death of the son of ex-Deputy Chief Irving. Both cases involve major discoveries, and Harry must work these cases no matter the consequences.
The Drop is one of the last books featuring Harry as an LAPD Detective. The Drop is part of the inspiration behind Bosch Season 2. While most of the storyline behind Deputy Chief Irving’s son is different in Bosch, most of the overall themes and investigations remain the same.
18 The Black Box Deals With a Crime That Happened During the 1992 LA Riots
First Published in 2012
- The Black Box marked the 20th anniversary of Michael Connelly’s first novel, the first in the Bosch series, The Black Echo.
The Black Box is the sixteenth book in the series and sees Harry make a connection between a recent crime and a case from 1992. Harry was the original detective in the 1992 case of the murder of a journalist during the 1992 LA riots, alongside Jerry Edgar, but the case remained unsolved.
The Black Box introduces an investigation that many within the LAPD don’t want Harry to pursue. However, Harry follows his own rules and tries to find justice for all the victims. In this book, Maddie Bosch expresses her desire to join the LAPD.
19 The Burning Room Is Where Harry Leaves the LAPD For Good
First Published in 2014
- The Burning Room is the last book where Harry works as a detective for the LAPD.
The Burning Room is officially the seventeenth book in the series. This novel sees Harry working with the Open-Unsolved Unit once more, in the case of a man who died recently of a gunshot wound he received ten years earlier. Bosch is working with a new partner, Lucia Soto, who later becomes a recurring character in many Michael Connelly novels.
The Burning Room is the inspiration behind the seventh and final season of Bosch. However, most of the events of the book are changed in the TV series adaptation. The Burning Room follows Bosch and Soto investigating a building fire that killed several children twenty years ago. However, Bosch Season 7 follows the building fire case in the present day, and Harry investigates alongside his long-time partner, Jerry Edgar.
20 The Crossing Sees Harry Working Again as a PI
First Published in 2015
- The Crossing is the first book after Harry’s second resignation from the LAPD.
The Crossing isn’t the first time that Harry has worked as a private investigator, following his first resignation from the LAPD in City of Bones. This time, he helps defense attorney Mickey Haller once more as he tries to prove that Haller’s client is innocent. Harry gets help from his latest partner in the LAPD, Lucia Soto, but the investigation quickly makes Harry a target as well.
The Crossing is the eighteenth novel in the series, and the main inspiration behind Bosch: Legacy Season 2. However, as Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer don’t share a connection in their respective television series, Mickey Haller’s character is replaced by defense attorney Honey Chandler.