Echo Park (novel)
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Crime fiction |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Michael Connelly |
| Products | Book |
Echo Park marks the seventeenth novel by American crime author Michael Connelly and is the twelfth installment featuring Los Angeles detective Harry Bosch. The book was released in 2006.
Plot summary
In 1993, LAPD detectives Harry Bosch and Jerry Edgar investigate the disappearance of Marie Gesto, a young equestrian. Their prime suspect is Anthony Garland, son of industrial magnate Thomas Rex "T-Rex" Garland, who had been involved with a woman resembling Gesto and resided in the apartment where Gesto’s vehicle was discovered. Despite interrogations, lack of concrete proof prevented formal charges, causing the case to grow cold. Bosch maintained periodic communication with Gesto’s parents to reassure them their daughter remained in his thoughts.
Thirteen years later, Bosch serves in the Open-Unsolved Unit alongside partner Kizmin "Kiz" Rider. A routine traffic stop in Echo Park results in Raynard Waits’ arrest after police find human remains inside his van. Waits admits to several murders, including that of pawnshop owner Daniel Fitzpatrick during the 1992 riots and Marie Gesto. Revisiting Gesto’s case files reveals that Waits had contacted authorities shortly after her disappearance under a false identity, but Bosch and Edgar failed to pursue this lead—an oversight that allowed Waits to continue killing.
Bosch seeks insight from his former girlfriend Rachel Walling, an FBI agent and ex-profiler, who proposes that "Raynard Waits" might be an alias. They theorize that Waits’ knowledge of Echo Park suggests links previously missed by investigators. During the inquiry, Bosch and Walling rekindle their relationship.
Waits confesses that Fitzpatrick’s murder was random while he raped and strangled Gesto because she matched a personal fantasy. He states that subsequent victims were chosen from marginalized groups to avoid detection. In exchange for a plea deal sparing him the death penalty, Waits agrees to disclose Gesto’s burial location in Beachwood Canyon. During recovery efforts, prosecutor Richard O'Shea orders Waits’ restraints removed; Waits then opens fire on officers, killing Detective Freddy Olivas and wounding Rider before fleeing. Bosch is suspended pending investigation. Forensic dental analysis confirms the remains belong to Gesto.
Bosch uncovers that O'Shea edited surveillance footage to exclude his order to remove handcuffs, shielding himself from repercussions. A review of older case documents reveals no proof that Waits contacted police after Gesto’s disappearance; Bosch suspects these records were tampered with to implicate him in allowing Waits’ escape. He hypothesizes that Olivas and O'Shea manipulated evidence to aid O'Shea’s district attorney campaign by closing multiple cases through a serial killer confession. Bosch believes Waits was innocent of Gesto’s murder but cooperated to avoid execution.
With Walling’s support, Bosch digs deeper. Clues indicate Waits was directed to the burial site despite no prior visits there. Journalist Keisha Russell reports T-Rex Garland made indirect contributions to O'Shea’s campaign, reinforcing Bosch’s suspicion that Waits’ confession was designed to permanently clear Anthony Garland. Evidence also reveals Fitzpatrick’s killing was personal: he was murdered by a disgruntled patron who later assumed the identity Raynard Waits. Bosch’s superior Abel Pratt cautions him against further pursuit following his suspension.
After Waits abducts another woman, Walling uncovers his juvenile records disclosing a troubled upbringing marked by foster care in Echo Park with the Saxon family.
Bosch and Walling locate the Saxons’ residence; Waits rents a garage containing a hidden tunnel filled with victims’ bones behind it. Despite Walling urging patience for backup, Bosch enters alone to save the captive woman. He connects with Waits over shared foster care experiences; Waits admits accepting O'Shea’s deal as an escape route but refuses surrender. Ultimately, Bosch fatally shoots him.
Confronting O'Shea with new confessions proves fruitless; Pratt warns Bosch that LAPD leadership backs O'Shea and might manipulate forensic evidence against him if the truth surfaces. Bosch learns Pratt has monitored him since suspension and suspects Pratt altered evidence himself due to personal vulnerabilities including infidelity threatening divorce and financial hardship.
At attorney Maury Swann’s home, Bosch and Walling catch Pratt intimidating Swann over the cover-up; both are arrested. Pratt proposes a bargain: retain his freedom and pension in exchange for clearing Olivas and O'Shea while implicating the Garlands.
Pratt publicly confronts the Garlands demanding more funds; FBI agents record T-Rex admitting previous payments. Anthony Garland kills Pratt during a restroom confrontation but is immediately shot by FBI agents.
Walling accuses Bosch of orchestrating Pratt’s shooting given his awareness of Anthony’s temperament and concealed carry permit; Bosch denies involvement but their relationship suffers strain. Rider recovers in hospital and opts for an office position shielding Bosch from bureaucratic challenges—a move he endorses as advantageous for navigating internal politics.
Trivia
Raynard Waits, who previously appeared as a client of defense lawyer Mickey Haller in Connelly's Haller series, is featured here without any reference to Haller's association with Harry Bosch.
Cecil C. Dobbs, a character in The Lincoln Lawyer, is connected to the affluent family of the suspect.
The book includes Harry Bosch's cell phone number, which leads callers to his voicemail.
The opening chapter was transformed into a short film, starring Tim Abell as Bosch and crime writer Gar Anthony Haywood as Jerry Edgar, with narration provided by Len Cariou.
In the television series adaptation Bosch, the role of Raynard Waits was played by Jason Gedrick.
Interestingly, both Jason Gedrick and Tim Abell (who portrayed Bosch in the Echo Park short) appeared together in the 2017 TV series “Trouble Creek.”