In the second novel of the Harry Bosch series, Los Angeles detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch investigates the death of missing narcotics officer Calexico "Cal" Moore. On Christmas night, Moore's body is found in a dingy motel room with his head in pieces and a suicide note in his pocket. The official report rules it a suicide, but Bosch is unconvinced. Though bypassed by his superiors and ordered off the case, Bosch secretly pursues the evidence. He discovers that before his death, Moore had been investigating a Hawaiian drug called "Black Ice" that was being smuggled from Mexico into Los Angeles. Bosch's unsanctioned investigation draws him to Moore's widow, Sylvia, and leads him on a dangerous trail from Hollywood Boulevard's drug bazaar to the border towns of Calexico and Mexicali. Making dangerous connections, Bosch uncovers a string of murders and a complex, lethal game where he might be the next victim.
