Just started reading “The Black Box” and do not know what the title references yet. But this Bosch novel was published in 2012 which was twenty years after the L.A. Riots (of 1992). *Funny that I recall so little about the riots, although I think there were riots elsewhere, especially in Miami where my cousin, Yvonne, suggested I not come down for a visit because there were unsafe areas. I think she mentioned that if you go to the right, you’ll be okay, but if you go to the left you could be in serious trouble.
But, just a few years ago, after George Floyd, the Fayetteville Police did little to nothing regarding the looting in the Fayetteville Mall (J.C. Penny’s entrance had to be boarded up afterwards.) or I think there was video evidence of looters (white & black) in Walmart.
So Harry says something to Chu to the effect, “If you need to be thanked all the time for just doing your job, then maybe you got into the wrong profession.” And Chu doesn’t respond. Now I think the immediate response by Chu could have been to tell Harry, “Well Harry, you condescending piece of shit. I should know not to come to you for support or encouragement.” But rather than an immediate response, if I had a “partner” that had that “lone wolf” attitude, and repeatedly directed condescending barbs toward me… first I would be looking to get as far away from being “his partner” as I could, and I would also know that at some point in the future, Harry Bosch would go fishing for an “undeserved” compliment and I would feed his exact words back to him, with a wry smile, “Well Harry, if you always need to be thanked for just doing your job, then maybe you got into the wrong profession… and if I haven’t told you, I’m transferring next week to a different division. See ya, Bosch.”
Art Pepper “Patricia” (YouTube) So I just listened to the entire song on YouTube, and see that most of the comments for this are regarding Bosch & Connelly… just years before my introduction. *If you enjoyed “Morse” and his finer things, wine & opera, then you could probably see the similarities between the two fictional detectives. I tried listening to opera, but just could never get into it. And, I went through my jazz phase years ago, probably the 1970s & 80s, part of the time when I was living & going to school in Louisville, KY. John Klemmer’s sax was a fav then. John Klemmer “Touch” 1970s (maybe early 80s). For me it was 1982-4, mom had died in December of 1980. Loved Al Jarreau back then also. *Art Pepper on Art Pepper from this he says he grew up in San Pedro (pee-droh) , so Harry Bosch & Terry McCaleb at Cabrillo Marina, Vincent Thomas Bridge & Avalon, Catalina Island all in the mix.
Just read the part where Harry becomes aware that he may have been unintentionally disrespecting his partner by just calling him Chu. Harry has been so much more disrespectful to his partner than just this. In fact I am surprised that Harry didn’t just shrug it off and keep calling him Chu. But, recall that Chu had given case info to one of his newspaper journalist friends and Harry wanted “him gone.” Wasn’t right for Chu to do it, but understandable since Harry had repeatedly cut Chu out of the loop, keeping him like a mushroom in the basement, in the dark and shoveling shit on top. **Chu should have called Harry a “whore spawn” and wiped the dust off his (Chu’s) feet as he walked out the door.
Bill Gibson, II 