• The Burning Room

  • Harry Bosch, Book 17
  • By: Michael Connelly
  • Narrated by: Titus Welliver
  • Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (10,639 ratings)

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The Burning Room  By  cover art

The Burning Room

By: Michael Connelly
Narrated by: Titus Welliver
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Publisher's summary

Detective Harry Bosch and his new partner investigate a recent murder where the trigger was pulled nine years earlier.

In the LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit, not many murder victims die almost a decade after the crime. So when a man succumbs to complications from being shot by a stray bullet nine years earlier, Bosch catches a case in which the body is still fresh, but all other evidence is virtually nonexistent.

Now Bosch and rookie Detective Lucia Soto are tasked with solving what turns out to be a highly charged, politically sensitive case. Beginning with the bullet that's been lodged for years in the victim's spine, they must pull new leads from years-old information, which soon reveal that this shooting may have been anything but random.

In this gripping new novel, Michael Connelly shows once again why Harry Bosch is "one of the greats of crime fiction" (New York Daily News).

©2014 Michael Connelly (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Connelly proves again that neither he nor Bosch has lost his touch." (Christian DuChateau, CNN)

"Bosch has become one of the most popular and enduring figures in American crime fiction." (Kevin Nance, Chicago Tribune)

"Bosch has become Mr. Connelly's most durable, well-entrenched creation." (Janet Maslin, New York Times)

"As the new voice of Harry Bosch in this nineteenth volume of the series, Titus Welliver brings some formidable skills to the narration. His deep, resonant voice fits the atmosphere and the vocalization of Bosch, and his pacing makes the story accessible even for new listeners. A slightly raised pitch makes the female voices pleasant and believable, as do the subtle Mexican accents he gives several characters." (AudioFile)

Featured Article: Best Mystery Series—Listens That'll Take You Right to the Crime Scene


While a standalone mystery is great when you're in the mood for a one-and-done, sometimes you want to feed your craving with an entire mystery series—knowing there's a world and characters you can keep coming back to for the satisfaction of solving crimes. With audiobooks, you get the added bonus of sinking deeper into the setting, clues, and suspects as the story is performed for you, so you'll feel like you're alongside detectives, ready to bust a case.

What listeners say about The Burning Room

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,685
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    2,932
  • 3 Stars
    766
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Performance
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    699
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Marketing Meets Art--Art Loses

It was easy to see this coming. Amazon's new "Bosch" series-starring Titus Welliver- is airing in early 2015 on Amazon Prime. So what better tie in than to have TW narrate the next Harry Bosch novel? There's only one problem; as good an actor as TW is, he's a horrible narrator. There's little inflection or emotion in the reading and it frankly puts you to sleep and makes you lose track of the story.

The Marketing Dept's at Amazon, Audible and Hachette Audio really made a mess of this book. Let the creative people make casting and presentation decisions. The marketing people should stick to flogging the product.

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109 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Storry Good Narrator Not

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Using the same narrator as the other books. I love Titus Welliver as an actor but not as a narrator

Would you be willing to try another one of Titus Welliver’s performances?

With improvement, yes

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The story was very good

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90 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ruined by Reader

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I love MC. I can't even follow the story because the guy reading it. He acts like he hates doing it. Like he's being punished. I'm so disappointed!

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84 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not up to par

The Michael Connelly books have always been "go to" books for repeat listening, and frankly, we think of Harry Bosch as family. We've even become fond of Mickey Haller.

The newest book doesn't do it for us. The reader was adequate - barely - why? Because he sounded like the reincarnation of "Joe Friday" of "Dragnet." Flat intonations, little variation and emotion, and can't do very many voices. Len Cariou was the best Harry, and when I think of Harry, that's the voice he has.

The story itself was not interesting, and it telegraphed its destination very early. Harry wants to retire in a year and take his retirement in a lump sum. Ding Ding Ding! We know Harry will have problems staying employed for the next year, and the cliff-hanger ending is just a predictable pitfall to put Harry in peril.

Of Connelly's many books, only two of them have been duds. Now there are three.

It's possible that when the remaining books in the Harry series are out, that they'll all come together and form a more likeable book when listened to in sequence. At this point I'd be tempted to wait until the Harry series is completed, then get the books...maybe.

Harry Bosch has always been one of the most interesting and complex characters. I'd invite him to Thanksgiving dinner if I could.

This new detective Lucy doesn't do it for us. I don't care if she walks off a cliff or takes up driving a taxi. She's just a chair warmer, and if she becomes the heir apparent of the series, I will be very disappointed. It looks like that's the plan. Now would be a good time for the partner-destroying tradition to revive.

This isn't a good audio book. Read it in print so you can bring it to life yourself. Borrowed from the library, of course.

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63 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Poor reader

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I recommend buying the paperback and reading it yourself. The reader, Titus Welliver, was totally wrong for the story.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Great story line from the author

How could the performance have been better?

Much better. Why didn't they get Dick Hill or Lou Caru? Welliver just ruined the book for me.

Could you see The Burning Room being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes, it would make a great movie

Any additional comments?

It's sad that a great read is ruined by the one reading it.

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63 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

DONT BUY IF YOU LOVE HARRY BOSCH

What would have made The Burning Room better?

The performance by the narrator will ruin the series or turn away readers not already in love with Harry Bosch. This guy seems genuinely bored to death while reading which truly diminished the way the entire book is viewed. Look, it shouldn't be all about narration but there are times when the narration absolutely influences the way in which the book is received. STAY AWAY don't buy....

Would you be willing to try another one of Titus Welliver’s performances?

NO, except if listening would spare the life of someone i dearly loved. And then I'd give it a hard pause.

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54 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not his usual best

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I do not care for the narrator. I like listening to the same narrator from book to book.
It changes the main character's personality and so it changes the way I see the book.

Would you be willing to try another book from Michael Connelly? Why or why not?

I will surely listen to his next book, I usually really enjoy his books.

What didn’t you like about Titus Welliver’s performance?

He doesn't catch me attention and I tend to drift off when I listen.

Did The Burning Room inspire you to do anything?

NO

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48 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, terrible Narration

A definite page turner of a story, but narration was off. The voice was right for the character of Harry Bosch, but there was no energy or excitement in the reading. Read the book instead.

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42 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Narrator sounded bored

which made the book pretty boring. Love him or hate him, at least Dick Hill is never boring! Mr. Welliver may be a fine actor, but lacking the visual, it fell short. I felt like the story line needed more oomph, more action, more depth. It just left me kind of wanting. I have waited so long for the return of Harry Bosch, and this book did not live up to my expectations. Please bring back Dick Hill!

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

AWFUL

Any additional comments?

In anticipation of this book release, I went back an reread all of the previous Bosch books. Love them. I could barely wait for this book to be released. OMG. What an absolute disappointment. The narrator was awful, Bosch was NOT Bosch. his new partner was gun happy, and the ending was utterly depressing AND stupid. The whole book just made me want to scream. I hated it! I have almost 500 books in my library and I don't think I've hated a book as much as this one. If I could give a rating of zero, I would!

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